Troop 150 celebrates 95th anniversary

Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, parents, grandparents, elected leaders, Boy Scout officials, and former scouts celebrated the 95th anniversary of Troop 150 on May 15.

The event, at Annandale United Methodist Church (AUMC), included an Honor Court recognizing scouts’ achievements and an induction ceremony welcoming new scouts.

Troop 150 is the oldest troop in Fairfax County still operating and is among the oldest in Northern Virginia. Its first meeting was held in the summer of 1928 in a building next to the Little White Church that is now part of AUMC.

The anniversary event featured a dinner with dishes popular in 1928, a 1928 trivia contest, and a skit on the troop’s history.   

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chair Jeffrey McKay presented the troop with a proclamation approved by the board congratulating Troop 150 on its 95th anniversary and recognizing “its tremendous work in shaping future generations.”

“What you learn about being a good citizen is something that can never be taken away from you,” McKay told the scouts. “If everyone went through this, we would have a much more civil dialogue and a better community. What you do makes a major contribution to our quality of life.”

Related story: The Annandale Rotary Club is the new sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 150

Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, said, “Scouts shape our youth, and our youth shape the future.”

“Scouting teaches youths how to get along with others, how to plan, and how to execute those plans,” Gross said. “Put another way, it’s about setting and reaching your goals.”

When Gross decided to get into elective politics – after dropping an early goal to be a ballet dancer – she said what she learned as a Girl Scout “helped me to plan my first campaign, to carry it out, and ultimately to win.”

Sen. Dave Marsden said scouts who were in Troop 150 in 1928 included Harry Carrico, who became chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, and Edwin Lynch, a major developer and member of the House of Delegates.

Marsden told the scouts, “With so many challenges facing us, you have to be part of the solution.”