The decade of the 1960s was another period of growth and challenge for Troop 50.  During the 60’s the Troop reached its largest enrollment - 64 Scouts and leaders in 1967.  These years brought considerable problems of training and Leadership to Mahwah scouting, but innovative change as well. 

The arrival of George (Greg) Price to the Troop leadership in the middle 60s brought an enthusiasm for canoeing which had a major impact on the Troop's outdoor program.  The first overnight canoe trip was on the Ramapo River, April 25-26, 1963. These trips became annual events with rising enthusiasm among the scouts. The scouts requested that the Troop Committee organize the 1969 trip for some other place than the Delaware or the Ramapo, but the records are silent about where the trip finally went.  

There were plenty of hikes in overnight camping trips as well, sometimes with other Troops. They took a joint hike with Troop 52 from Oakland to that old favorite, Bear Swamp, November 4, 1961.  Other hikes went to Glen Gray in 1962; one to Harriman Park, November 27, 1965; and two in March 1966 with special emphasis on Second Class Requirements.  They held overnights every year; for example, North Lake in 1961, a "Gold Rush" hike, October 11-13, 1963, and to the Blue Mine in 1969.  They made camping trips to No-Be-Bo-Sco in 1964 and 1965, and they held the annual Father and Son overnight there in 1967.  Vivian Skues led an overnight trip of 45 Scouts by bus to Valley Forge on April 11-12, 1963.  He also led the contingent to the Council Camporee at Shelton College, May 21 -23, 1965. 

They did not confine summer camp experiences to that old favorite No-Be-Bo-Sco during the 1960s. The group went to AKEKA in 1962, to Rip Van Winkle in 1964, and to TOWA DENA in 1965. A vacancy in the group going from Allendale gave the first opportunity for Troop 50 Scouts to go to Floodwood in 1969.  The cost was $52 per week plus $18.50 for the bus. This cost factor has kept many from taking the opportunity for such distant camping before. Followed by many trips to Floodwood during the 1970s.  

The turn to canoeing led to further emphasis on swimming in the Troop program. The Troop swam in Hackensack in 1964, the Ridgewood YMCA in 1965, and at Bader's hotel in Spring Valley in 1966.  A comprehensive program of swimming sessions was arranged for Ridgewood in 1967. They held the first of many Klondike Derbies jointly with Troop 254 in 1969.  The boys were the guests of the Cadette Girl Scouts at a skating party on Winters Pond, February 3, 1969.  

Service projects during the 1960’s departed from some old favorites of earlier years. It is not known when the Troop ceased raising the town flag, but there is no mention of it in the Troop records after the 1950s. The troop participated in the annual Memorial Day ceremonies as before, however. New projects included making Christmas decorations for Bergen Pines, policing the grounds after the PTA Fun Fair in 1962, participating in the Town Litter Day cleanups in 1968 and 1969.  A proposal by Vivian Skues for each Scout to shovel out the nearest fire hydrant after each storm was adopted 62. Howard Avery volunteered to draw maps for this project. The Troop cleaned the town fire truck in 1965. Mr. Fisher arranged for trail markers to be placed on the Birch and Havermeyer properties. This began a long series of projects connected with the trail conference which were so much of a feature of the 1970’s. 

The major service program remained the paper drive. The Troop committee recognized the role that William L. Fisher had played in organizing the paper drive in 1961 when it unanimously adopted a resolution. 

..." that our formal thanks be expressed to you by the community for the invaluable assistance you have given to the committee and the boys and Troop 50 in planning, and carrying out the paper drive without your experience, and help, the success of these drives could not have been achieved." 

Fisher continued his work on the drive with various members of The Troop committee taking a greater leadership role. By the end of the decade, Bruce Cochrane began several years of chairmanship of the drive which became an increasingly important source for revenue for the Troop.  They consistently made contributions to the ambulance corps during the decade.  Only $60 contributed in 1962, but the contributions rose to $700 in 1967.  The amount of the contributions fluctuated with a price of paper, of course, and the efficiency with which they made the collections. 

Another annual Troop activity was the observance of Scout Sunday. This had begun many years before, although not mentioned in these notes up to this point. The Troop attended religious services during February at the local churches. Early in the decade they seem largely to have been held in a single Church, often the Ramapo Reformed Church, 1969 jointly with Troop 254, protestant Scouts attended the church and Catholic Scouts went to Immaculate Conception.  In 1964 Dave Holland received the God and County award, first in the Troop for five years. This honor is awarded to a Scout who contributes to the work of his own church over a period of several years and exhibits sincere qualities of character and reverence. 

Problems of growth faced the Troop in the middle 60’s. The absence of other troops in the town combined with its explosive growth resulting in many potential Scouts for whom finding places was difficult.  They passed a resolution to limit membership  to fifty Scouts in 1965, but even as a resolution was passed, the Troop Committee recognized there obligation to accept all qualified Weblos when they came of age. This problem was dramatized in the fall of 1967 when the Troop had 43 Scouts, and they had promised two more places when 12 Weblos asked for admission. The Troop committee voted to accept them all, but it would obviously put great strain on the organization. 

They tried various solutions to deal with this influx. They sent an increasing number of boys and leaders to leadership training. Seemingly numberless tents, cook kits, axes, and other pieces of equipment were brought.  The level of skill shown by the Scouts on the canoe trip in 1965 was so low that the older boys began a special program of training in fire building, tent pitching, packing, and cooking.  Still, 55% of the roster in 1966 was made up of Tenderfoots, so a 3-month emergency cycle of training was undertaken to bring the new boys along.  This cycle was to be repeated for the remainder of the year. Another tactic adopted to meet the expanding enrollment was the creation of regulations requiring advancement within a limited amount of time to remain in the Troop, payments of dues in advance for the year to discourage casual members, point systems to reward hard work, and enthusiasm.  The Troop paid one-half of the summer camp expenses of Scout Raymond Begg, chosen as the most enthusiastic new Scout, the money donated by an anonymous "friend of scouting."  special discounts on summer camp expenses were also offered to industrious Scouts, four of $25 and ten of $15. As previously mentioned, 1967 marked the high watermark of Troop enrollment-- 64 scouts and leaders.  The solution seemed to be to create new troops, but this was not easily done.  Vivian Skues suggested a new Explorer Post in 1967, but it was not until the beginning of the 70’s that they created the Sea Scout post. Another troop was organized in the Immaculate Conception Parish toward the end of the decade.  Richard Akin who had been Troop 50 Scoutmaster between 1962 and 1964 and who had originally organized the first Fardale Troop, 155, served as Assistant Scoutmaster in the new Troop, a testimony to his long-term interest in youth of this community.  The Troop ceased to exist, however, when it's Scoutmaster moved away.  Akin particularly recalls that the Scoutmaster was a school bus driver and took the group to Valley Forge among other places. Long-term relief to the problems of explosive growth had to wait until the 70’s. 

A regular feature of Troop programs during these years was monthly boards of review and courts of honor to mark the advancement and awards.  As usual, the awarding of Eagle pins was a high point. There were five during the 60’s, the most notable being the special board of review in May 1966 at which Glenn T. Connell and Douglas Malcolm received Scouting's highest rank.  

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SCOUTS BRAVE COLD, SPEND NIGHT IN OPEN

Mahwah - Nineteen members of Boy Scout Troop 50 hiked five miles through hard-crusted snow, did their own cooking, and slept in sleeping bags last weekend to earn badges - all in below freezing weather. 

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The Scouts, accompanied by four adults, left the township Saturday morning for Arden, N. Y. where they hiked to the Valley of the Boulders in Bear Mountain Park. 

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William Connell, hike chairman noted that at 5am Sunday his pocket thermometer registered at 15 below zero. WIth between 40 and 50 pound packs on their backs, the Scouts descended the mountain by sliding in a sitting position. 

Other adults on the hike besides Connell were Greg Price, Troop leader, Alex Ulrichs and Joel Lamb, assistant leaders. (Ridgewood Herald-News, February 4, 1965)

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