On November 10, 2007, Troop 810 really made a difference. On this day we did our annual “Yard Charge”. This was my first year at yard charge and the experiences were all new and exciting.

The first thing that happened was the whole troop met at the old church hall at 8:00am. Many did not show up until 8:10. Everyone brought (or was supposed to bring) rakes, gloves, and water. Once everyone had arrived and we took attendance we took a picture in front of the Church. After the picture we were assembled into groups. Group 1 was the Screaming Eagles and Penguins. Group 2 was Crows along with the Bonfire Bisons and Raging Rams. I was in Group 1 so this will be taken much from the perspective of Group 1, yet all leaf raking is about the same.

The first house we went to didn’t look that bad. This house had a moderate sized yard but, once we started the backyard we knew that this was going to be a hard task. The rear of the backyard was filled with vines that made raking virtually impossible. We got held up at this house and Group 2 had to make up for our last house because of this. A great memory would be making “leaf castles” by pounding the leaves into a garbage can and pulling them out slowly. This house took approximately 2 hours and after the first house we took a quick break to eat a few snacks and have something to drink.

The next house we went to had a small yard and we finished quick, the leaves were scarce and made the task much easier. We finished in about 30 minutes. The last house group 1 did was about the same as the second house. We finished quick but, we were behind schedule. At this half the group went to help the Crows on the last house we had scheduled and the other half went to the last house on Group 2's list. The Crows were nearly done making the last house easy to complete. We got back around to the Old Church around 1:30 after a good day of leaf raking. The troop completed raking a total of 11 yards. Those doing their good turn for the day were Allen, Alex Da., Alex Dz., Chris, Danny, David H., Derek, DJ, Donald, Eric, Greg, Jacob D., Joey J., John, Jordan, Justin, Kevin, Kurtis, Matt B., Matt Kl., Matthew M., Matthew O., Nate, Nick, Peter, Ryan, Will, Mr. Diver, Mr. Drown, Mr. Durda, Mr. Dzurnak, Mr. Makowski, Mr. Mayher, Mr. Rickert, Mr. Schnack, Mrs. Verhovnik.

Later in the evening some of the troop and family members went to the Lake Erie Monsters game. Upon entering the Quicken Loans Arena the younger scouts received a free hockey stick. We had great seats in the fourth and fifth rows giving us an excellent view of all the action. The game was exciting and fast moving with the Monsters scoring the first goal, but the Quad City Flames quickly responded to tie the game at 1 each. The Flames took the lead in the second period and maintained that lead for quite a while. About 2/3 through the third period the Monsters tied it up 2-2. The game became more intense as each team tried to score a goal to win the game. At the end of regular play it remained tied 2-2 and they went into a 5 minute sudden death situation. Both teams really put on the pressure, but still it remained tied at the end of overtime. This brought up a shoot out situation to declare the winner. Things were pretty even and kept our attention on the game, however, a few missed shots ended up with the Flames defeating the Monsters 3-2. It was also fun watching the fans on the scoreboard during breaks in the game. There was a lot to take in throughout the evening and even with a loss everyone felt it was a great hockey game to be a part of. Hockey fans from 810 were Allen, Donald, Greg, John, Kevin, Mr. Diver, Mrs. Krymowski, Mr. Makowski, Mr. and Mrs. Owen, and Mr. Rickert.

Yard Charge and Monsters Game Photo Album

Yard Charge

Date and Time of Departure: Saturday, November 10th, 8:00am - Old Church

Purpose: To perform service hours to the community and get advancement requirements completed. Rake yards for the elderly members of our community.

Location: Broadview Heights possibly Cleveland

Cost: $0

Estimated Time of Return: Saturday, November 10th, 1:00pm - Old Church

Items to Bring:

• Wear your troop hat and work clothes.
• Rake
• Gloves
• Water

Date and Time of Departure: Saturday, November 10th, 6:00pm - Old Church

Overview: All scouts and their family are invited to attend this event. It is sure to be something that everyone can enjoy. Please join us and other scouts from around the Cleveland Area for an exciting hockey game.

Uniform: Be sure to wear your complete Class A uniform.

Location: Quicken Loans Arena with the Lake Erie Monsters

Cost: $20 per person, due at troop meeting on October 2nd. This will include your ticket along with everything below. All drivers will be reimbursed for parking. You may want to bring along extra money for snacks at the game.

Estimated Time of Return: TBD