Scouting at Home HUB

Questions on how to continue your unit or personal Scouting experience while at home? Click here to check out our Scouting HUB.
Historic Gettysburg Trails

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity in our District's backyard!

Welcome to the Battlefield District Webpage

Thank you for visiting our webpage. The Battlefield District serves Adams county and the greater Hanover area. Scroll down and check out our site for information about upcoming events and relevant District information. Head on over to our Facebook page and subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter for all the most recent updates in the District.

Our Volunteers

Our District has some of the most dedicated volunteers serving Battlefield scouts in different positions on our committee:

District Committee Chair – Robert Smith

District Commissioner – Beth Leckrone

District Vice Chair of Membership – Krystal Landis

District Vice Chair of Finance – Matt Phillips

District Finance: Matt Phillips (Popcorn Kernel), Dave Campbell (Camp Cards)

District Program: Herb Snyder (Activities), Linda Brown (Advancement), Barb Hanna (Camp Promotions), Steve Rice (Marketing&Promotion)

We also have several Unit Commissioners that can assist your unit. Our excellent commissioner staff is James Bollinger, Melinda Culp, Linda Deardorff, John Helfrick, Ferd Prehn, Shirley Sanders, and Randy Smith. If you need a commissioner for your unit, please reach out to me at christopher.lontz@scouting.org to get started.

Recharter Turn-In

This year we are asking units to hand in charters earlier than in years past. Units should expect to submit their recharter packets by Monday, November 23, to either the York or Mechanicsburg Service Centers. In order to help our units, we’ll be having collection nights in the district. There will be two nights in Hanover, and two nights near Gettysburg. We will have a District representative at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 127 York St, Hanover, PA 17331, from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 17 and 18. We will also have a District representative in Gettysburg from at Troop 70’s Scout House at 48 Pearl St, Arendtsville, PA 17307, from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Wednesday and Thursday, November 18 and 19. The address is for the Arendtsville Fire Department, the scout house is to the left of the fire hall. We are encouraging units to sign up so that we can expect you at either location.

Click here to sign up for the Hanover drop-off

Click here to sign up for the Gettysburg drop-off

Roundtables

Our upcoming roundtable dates are:

December 3, 2020*

Our District Roundtables traditionally occur on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00pm at Freedom Valley Church. If you’re a new leader looking for advice, guidance, or help from another experienced volunteer, this is the perfect place to discuss issues you’re having and figure out a way to solve it. Roundtable is also a great place for leaders of any age or experience level to come gather current information from the Battlefield District and New Birth of Freedom Council related to Camping events, Trainings, and other programs we offer.

*Due to COVID-19 concerns, our council will be continuing online roundtables throughout the rest of 2020!

Upcoming Events

Our Klondike Derby is still on for February 13, 2021! Click on the image to learn more!

Cabins are unavailable for our Klondike Derby this year, however winter tent-camping is still an option for our devoted Troops, Crews, and even Packs.

We will have details on a Spring Camporee coming soon!

Fundraising News

If you have not yet given, please consider making a donation to our 2020 FOS Family campaign. If you would like to make an online contribution to scouting in South-Central Pennsylvania today, head over to our council home page and click on the “Donate Now” widget to make an FOS contribution to the Battlefield District. Every dollar of your gift stays in our local program, providing critical funding for our council-owned camps, training supplies, and wonderful financial aid opportunities such as camperships.

Happy Scouting!
– Christopher Lontz, District Executive

Mark your calendars for our November and December Council-wide Virtual Roundtables. The November Roundtable will be held November 5 – Register here. The December Roundtable will be held December 3 – Register here. Why was the decision made to move away from in-person roundtables? We don’t intend for this decision to be permanent. We understand the value of in-person ... Read More »

October 2020 Council-Wide Roundtable Follow Up

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the October 2020 Council-wide Roundtable. We had a great meeting and we hope that all of the participants were able to get a lot of good information on how to KEEP SCOUTING and to do so safely. We shared that during the presentation we would share both the slide deck and the ... Read More »

Release of New Journey to Excellence Criteria

Scouting’s Journey to Excellence (JTE) is the BSA’s planning, performance and recognition program designed to encourage and reward the success of our units. It is meant to encourage excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA. The National Council announced updates to the unit scorecards for 2020 that take into consideration some of the requirement modifications ... Read More »

Virtual Program Launch 2020 Resources and Presentations

Though not the same as our annual in-person event, we had a great time participating in the 2020 Virtual Program Launch. There was a TON of information shared to help your unit plan for the Scouting year ahead. Whether you attended or not, check out all of the great information that has been compiled for your unit! Read More »

All Commissioners are Invited to Join Us for the 2020 Commissioner Conference

The Council Commissioner Cabinet would like to invite all registered Commissioners to join us September 1 at 7pm for a Virtual Commissioner Conference. Unfortunately, our May, in-person conference was canceled due to COVID-19 but the cabinet feels it important for us to have an opportunity to connect and address the numerous changes and challenges that face Scouting and our ... Read More »

September and October Roundtables Will Be Held Online

As the new Scouting year and school year quickly approach, we wanted to provide you an update on the council and districts’ plans for roundtable in the upcoming months. So that unit leaders and district and council volunteers can provide the best roundtable experience possible, it has been decided that the September and October Roundtables will continue to be ... Read More »

July 2020 Roundtable Follow Up

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the July 2020 Council-wide Roundtable. We had a great meeting and we hope that all of the participants were able to get a lot of good information on how to KEEP SCOUTING and to do so safely. We shared that during the presentation we would share both the slide deck and the ... Read More »

Program Launch Postponed

The 2020 Program Launch that is scheduled for June 3 at Camp Tuckahoe has been postponed. We know that many of you look forward to this event and it is a key event in helping your unit conduct planning for the year. As the commonwealth moves toward reopening, the current information suggests that we will not be permitted to host ... Read More »

Guidelines for Unit Meetings in “Yellow” Phase Counties

As counties served by the New Birth of Freedom Council move from the “red” to the “yellow” phase of the Governor’s plan to re-open Pennsylvania, we know that some units are eager to resume Scouting activities. We have assembled guidance for Scouting units to follow as they consider holding in-person meetings, activities, service projects, and other Scouting events. Read More »

Scouting at Home HUB

Historic Gettysburg Trails