Partners for 75 years

Scout Troop 88 and the Alachua Lions Club

As the Boy Scouts of America celebrate 100 years of existence nationwide, Alachua’s Troop 88 will celebrate 75 years of partnership with the Alachua Lions Club Saturday.

The open house event will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Scout Hut located across from City Hall in Alachua. Troop 88 members come from all over the county, but are primarily residents of the city of Alachua.

Troop 88 Assistant Scout Master Michael Rhodes has been involved with Troop 88 for 25 years, helping to see the progress of the troop’s boys as they become young men.

While the Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, the first troop in Alachua, Troop 1, began in 1912.  The second troop was named Troop 10 and later became Troop 88 before partnering with the Alachua Lions Club.

“The Lions Club is a chartered partner,” said Rhodes. “They have given us a place to meet; they have given us a building; and they take care of us. There aren’t too many troops that have been sponsored by an organization that long.”

Boy Scouts of America present a year-round program to boys between the ages of 10 1/2 to 18, while Cub Scouts are for boys 6 to 10 1/2.

“We are here when he finishes his sports and other activities,” said Rhodes. “We run year long, so we understand their other commitments.”

Along with the 30 or so boys involved with Troop 88, there are about three dozen parents who volunteer and play a part in their sons’ involvement.  While Cub Scouting allows for more family involvement, Boy Scouts require more personal dedication from an individual.

“It takes a lot of commitment on the boy to become an Eagle Scout,” said Rhodes, referring to the highest rank a Boy Scout can earn.

All boys begin as just a scout, working to fulfill requirements, know the laws of the organization, cooking and camping as well as other skills.  Through fulfilling requirements and moving up in rank, they earn any number of the 110 different merit badges.

“We teach citizenship and to live by the Scout oath and law,” explained Rhodes.  Throughout his extensive involvement with Troop 88, there have been more than 20 boys become Eagle Scouts and he expects about 11 more this year.

Among the many service projects performed by the scouts, Troop 88 has cleared more than 2,000 pounds of trash from the Suwannee River and replaced bleachers at Skinner field.  Each scout who is working toward the rank of Eagle Scout must plan, implement and direct a service project locally.

“This is home,” said Rhodes about civil responsibility inside and outside the city. “The service project has to benefit a community.”

The celebration and open house on Saturday will expose the public, as well as family and friends of Troop 88, to what it means to be a Boy Scout.  There will be tents, fires and a demonstration of how to cook over an open fire with a Dutch oven.  Inside the building, Troop 88 will have pictures and projects completed by the boys, as well as memorabilia from the 1930s and 1940s.

Rhodes describes the boys of Troop 88 as “polite and helpful – the kind to help you load your groceries if they saw you.”

“I enjoy the boys, watching them progress into men,” said Rhodes. “It makes you feel younger being around younger people.”

Boys are always welcome to come explore Troop 88 on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. for the duration of the hour and a half weekly meetings.  There, they can receive an application if they are interested in joining the troop, and meet Scout Master Fred Hilton and the other assistant scout masters in addition to Rhodes.

“It’s a great social outlet,” said Rhodes. “There are a lot of great kids here.”