While many of the Hot Finds readers will be making a pilgrimage this weekend to the largest TOR of the year (shout out to Indy!) I will instead take part of a tradition that seems pretty common in Charlotte - the Troop BBQ fundraiser. I've signed up to assist with the early morning 5 AM crew to help Troop 33 pit cook 10,000 pounds of pork this weekend. They don't use gas grills but rather construct cinderblock pits and burn logs in barrels to generate the coals to do it the old fashioned way.
Vintage Boy Scout Memorabilia Up First
Can you relate to this? Our family has 5 Scouting obligations in a span of 4 days. Friday is the BBQ then Saturday morning we have to go back out to pick up Scouting For Food donations. Later that morning it's a trip to the parking lot of Carowinds to pick up Girl Scout cookies for the troop (by the case - hundreds!). Sunday morning is Scout Sunday at Sardis Presbyterian and Monday is the Blue & Gold Banquet. 1 hour a week folks!
With a little exactly months to go
here is a link to the floor plan map for the Charlotte TOR. We have 100+ tables available. You can get a
copy of the flier if you need more information.
Order of the Arrow Auctions Live on eBay
Today the cleaning ladies are coming. Like all things in Charlotte they are very different from our little small town. Back in Lumberton our cleaning lady was a grandmother who was a Lumbee Indian. In Charlotte it's a pretty 20-something year old girl who is dressed like she is going to a yoga studio. (my wife picked her - not me!) But while she and her crew are working I'm going to make multiple trips to the storage unit to continue to move Scout stuff out of the garage and free up room.
Yesterday I shipped out 90+ orders between eBay and Facebook. I wasn't even that backed up but just had a flurry of sales that needed to get on their way to new homes. I'm got hundreds of camp and mostly New York area neckerchiefs that are going on eBay this week and I'm hoping for a good sell-through rate on those.
The auctions continue with
100+ first time listings ending this week. I've started back listening to podcasts while I work because I can't take the post Trump election coverage on my local NPR station. The old social studies teacher in me enjoys keeping up with the news but after the 10th story on immigration I think I've had my fill. The good news is there are a lot of entertaining podcasts and I can just set them up to play one after another in the background.
Yesterday I had a nice conversation with Chris Jensen on the phone before I went to the Tiger Cub meeting. One theme of our discussion was this hobby is so small why can't people just get along. You would be surprised how much animosity and jealousy there is in this hobby among the folks who have been doing it a while. I've earned a few peoples ire and they are "boycotting" the Charlotte TOR. Well maybe these salty dealers need to go to a Scout meeting and recite the Scout Oath and Law then reflect on whether their petty grievances reflect what we as Scouts and Scouters are supposed to reflect in our thoughts and actions. Soap box finished!
Yours in Scouting,
Jason Spangler Santeeswapper LLC
Make plans now to attend the return of a tradition that's been missing for too long - the Charlotte TOR. I'm helping organize the show as a fundraiser for Pack 33 at Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. We couldn't have a more supportive host. The church just celebrated 75 years of Scouting including sponsoring two troops and a pack. The show is being held in the 8,000+ square foot fellowship hall. We have ample parking and many amenities in this part of Charlotte.
While many of the Hot Finds readers will be making a pilgrimage this weekend to the largest TOR of the year (shout out to Indy!) I will instead take part of a tradition that seems pretty common in Charlotte - the Troop BBQ fundraiser. I've signed up to assist with the early morning 5 AM crew to help Troop 33 pit cook 10,000 pounds of pork this weekend. They don't use gas grills but rather construct cinderblock pits and burn logs in barrels to generate the coals to do it the old fashioned way.
