Scouts seek help with hut move

Boy Scout Troop 41 has enjoyed a long history of serving the youth of St. Mary Parish since 1942.
The troop has occupied and utilized Morey Park in Patterson since that time.
The current Scout Hut was built in 1956 by the townspeople with the assistance of its sponsoring organization, the Patterson Rotary Club and now the Patterson Knights of Columbus No. 1710.
Scouting teaches many values as pointed out in the Scout Law: “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.” To this day Troop 41 continues to instill these values into young boys as we teach leadership skills to make them fine young men of the community.
The troop serves the St. Mary Parish area in many different ways –– Color Guard for the Children’s Day Parade and helping operate the Children’s Village for the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival, parking for the Cypress Sawmill Festival and Freedom Festival, water stations for the Tri City Track Club’s racing events, flag ceremonies for the horseshoe tournament and International Ham Radio Day, helping Chez Hope with its Harvest Moon Festival, collect, help sort and ship items to our deployed military with the Blue Star Mothers.
They completed special projects which included painting the Shrimp Boat on Brashear Ave. in Morgan City, built picnic tables for Kemper Williams Park, built a Mary Garden in front of Central Catholic High School, and conducted a Bully Self-defense class with participation from Morgan City Police Department. These are just a few of the many things that the troop participates in.
On Oct. 26, 2015, after a year of negotiations that met with compromise, the City Council of Patterson, under the direction of Mayor Grogan and the Mayor’s Lower Atchafalaya Cultural District Board, voted to remove Scouting and our Historic Scout Hut from Morey Park saying that Scouting and the Hut were not in their “vision” for the parks future.
The Troop Committee subsequently found land available on Main Street and purchased it in order to move our historic home nearby.
The cost of the move will not be cheap although many scouting skills will assist the professionals needed to make this happen.
Donations can be made tax deductible by making them out to K of C No. 1710 Youth Activities and depositing directly into Patterson State Bank or mailing to Troop 41, PO Box 364, Morgan City LA 70381.