Texarkana, Texas BSA Troop 3 spent the weekend in the State capital of Austin, Texas for the annual opportunity to "Report to State" on behalf of the Caddo Area Council, and hosted by Capital Area Council.

The event starts with a terrific breakfast and short program about the day which included guest speaker USAF retired fighter pilot and two-time NASA Space Shuttle pilot Col. Gregory H Johnson. After that, the delegates (Scouts) joined several thousand non-delegate Scouts for the parade up Congress Ave to the Capitol Building, not every Scout Troop participating in the parade are registered to give a report to State, many just show up to participate in the parade and other Scout outings for the day. After the parade, there was a Scout Spirit Rally on the Capitol steps along with an Eagle Scout rededication and recognition ceremony.

Once inside the Texas State Capitol Building, our Scouts filed into the House of Representatives Chamber and a select group from each Troop represented got to sit in the big comfy chairs on the House floor, the rest of us were up in the gallery.

My son, Tyler, a member of Troop 3 and the first Eagle Scout of 2017, was chosen by Caddo Area Council to be the lucky Scout to deliver the Report to State, presided over by Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, and he was honored to do so. Check the video!

After the report, our duty to the State was complete for the weekend, and it was time for Troop 3 to have some fun. Ok, I'll admit we had fun both before and after as you will see in the photos.

Kudos to the leaders, Scouts and volunteers of Capitol Area Council. This is a monumental program to host every year and they do a terrific job. In the two times I have been there with Troop 3 we have had a tremendous time in Austin, and yep, it's still weird.

Due to hotel stays and eating every meal out, this is an expensive trip to undertake as compared to a typical weekend camping trip, which is why Troop 3 doesn't go every year. But it is one of those experiences that I think every Scout in Texas should do at least once in their Scouting career. It's a great learning experience with a close-up view of the halls of Texas government, plus many other terrific places to visit around the Austin area like the Bob Bullock Museum, many historical sites, the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco (on the way down), the Fish Hatcheries in Athens (on the way back), and much more. Plus, we had to introduce our boys to Buc-ees, and we did.

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CaddoBSA

 

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