New Bloomfield Lions Support Scouts
New Bloomfield Boy Scout Troop 92 was organized more than eighty-five years ago. Troop 92 is a member of the New Birth of Freedom Council of the Boy Scouts of America. From the time the New Bloomfield Lions Club was chartered in 1938, it has been the community organization behind Troop 92. The Lions Club pays the Troop’s annual fees and provides additional monies to support the needs of the club, supplementing funds the boys provide directly or raise through various projects.
The highest rank in Scouting is Eagle Scout, and Troop 92 has a proud history of nurturing 47 Scouts to achieve their Eagle rank. The first Eagle Scout from Troop 92 was Frank Bretz, in 1942. The most recent Eagle Scout was Tyler Underwood, in 2014. Presently there are three Scouts who are on track to earn their Eagle rank within the next year.
Scoutmaster Dennis “Tiny” Haag has worked with the Troop for more than 25 years, becoming Scoutmaster in 1990. There are now 12 members in Troop 92. They meet every month in the basement of the New Bloomfield Borough Building, in a room that displays their honor roll of Eagle Scouts and many of their recent projects.
Scouts of Troop 92 attend camp every summer. Their camp of choice for two out of every three years is Camp Hidden Valley, located in western Perry County. Every third year they venture farther from home. The Troop has camped in New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Vermont. The basic camp cost is the same at every Scout camp, so that the only additional expense for traveling out of state is for transportation and expenses along the way. This is where the New Bloomfield Lions assist with costs. Monies from the Lions help with expenses of travel and purchase of equipment, and may provide scholarship funding for Scouts whose families find the cost of camp is beyond their budget.
A favorite activity of Troop 92 is the International Rocket Club gathering that they travel to in New York State every other year. Scouts build rockets to participate. Another favorite is racing blast cars. These cars are raced on tracks with electronic systems, and are powered by rocket engines. They are high-powered cousins of the Pinewood Derby cars the Scouts raced when they were members of a Cub Scout Pack.
The New Bloomfield Lions Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, September through May, in the Lutheran Parish House, 38 West High Street, New Bloomfield. Members of the Lions Club participate in fund-raising activities so that they can provide support to Troop 92 and other community organizations. A major fundraiser is the annual Lions Community Theater presentation. Another source of funds is the Lions lemonade stand that is operated at the New Bloomfield Fireman’s Carnival in July, the Perry County Fair in August, and at other locations during the summer and early fall. Community support of these Lions Club fundraisers makes it possible for the Lions to direct financial support back into the community where it is needed.