On January 1st, members of Troop 66 visited Keyport Central School for the Keyport Township Reorganizational meeting. Now that Troop 66 has scouts from Keyport, the troop is  becoming active in Keyport as well and has been welcomed by the Keyport government. Members of Troop 66 lead the color guard by Placing the flags up and taking them down after the pledge of allegiance and a short prayer kicking off the reorganization meeting of the town.

 On December 9th Troop 66 visited Gravity Vault in Middletown, New Jersey. The troop and their families were all invited to visit the facility for 2 hours. The Webelos of Pack 66 were also invited. Scouts were able to climb rock walls from all different levels of intensity  starting from easy and ending with hard, with each wall having smaller gripping positions and wider gaps. The scouts were able to attempt tight rope walking and were able to compete with one another and the adults in rounds of tug of war. A good time was had by all and it was a fun way to end a year of good scouting fun.

  On November 17-19 Troop 66 visited Camp Citta Scout Reservation in Barnegat, NJ,  for a weekend of tent camping. When arriving on Friday the adults treated us with cookies and cocoa (and hot dogs). Saturday morning began with the patrols making breakfast over a campfire. The troop was joined by webelos who we hope will join Troop 66 in the future. After breakfast the troop headed to the trading posts for snacks and a quick game of gaga. The troop made lunch and followed it with the webelos being taught knife safety and the older scouts competing in a lashing competition. After a long day the adults made a fancy thanksgiving meal, with deep fried turkey and almost every side dish you could think of. The highlight of the trip for many was the dessert, Fryfest. The scouts were allowed to bring in food items, dunk them in pancake batter, and deep fry them.

On October 20-22, 2023 Troop 66 visited Gettysburg National Military Park for a weekend of cabin camping and hiking. On Friday night the troop arrived at Troop 79’s St. James cabin. The cabin was filled with couches and had a kitchen downstairs. Saturday morning began with the adults making pancakes and sausages for all of the scouts. After breakfast the troop took a short car ride to Gettysburg National Military Park. Once everybody arrived, a 7-mile hike awaited, with 8 destinations. But first was a quick picture at the visitor center followed by a hike to the State of Penn monument with a cannon demonstration afterwards. The third stop was the New Jersey Brigade Monument which was dedicated to the 5 New Jersey regiments. Following the monument was a long hike to Devil’s Den. The troop stopped at Devils Den Mountain for lunch and the scouts were allowed to climb around it afterwards. After the mountain the troop stopped at the Irish Brigade monument dedicated to the Irish soldiers wh

On September 22-24, Troop 66 visited No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford, Pennsylvania for a weekend of tent camping. When the troop arrived on Friday the adults made hot dogs and hot cocoa for the kids. Saturday started early with breakfast and a presentation about “Leave No Trace”. After the presentation, a short hike followed that was meant to demonstrate the “leave no trace” principles we learned. After the hike and lunch, the troop arrived at No. 9 Coal Mine. The troop rode into the mine on an old coal mine train. The scouts were able to see what the working conditions were like and how the day-to-day operations were run. The troop walked around with a tour guide and was able to see interesting features of the coal mine like the old hospital. Following the tour, the troop went back to camp for dinner and a quiet night avoiding the rain. 

On July 16-22, Troop 66 visited Forestburg Scout Reservation, for a week of summer camp. 23 Scouts and 15 adults attended this trip. Throughout the week the scouts participated in multiple merit badge classes and also advanced in rank, with boys earning ranks from Scout all the way up to Star. One of the highlights of the week was the monkey bridge, where scouts were able to walk on a rope bridge across the lake. Another memorable event during the trip was the visit from a bear cub who seemed to enjoy our sites. While the scouts participated in merit badge classes the adults installed a plaque for the former scoutmaster Mr. Bob Shea. The troop ran a flag retirement ceremony where people were able to dedicate the flag to somebody important or somebody who passed. At the beginning of the week, it was announced that the first-year scout who showed the most scout spirit would receive ashes from the fire pit as an honor. Brandon Y. was awarded this honor and given the ashes which he will