On the morning of Saturday, February 20, 24 Scouts from Troop 419 (Skyloo District) descended on Tyler’s Automotive in Tigard.  Over the next eight hours, these Scouts would receive 6.5 hours of instruction in pursuit of the Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge.

The teaching was divided into six instruction stations, with each station teaching a different set of topics.  Each station had instructors from the BMW CCA and a merit badge counselor from Troop 419.  The Scouts divided into patrols, with each patrol starting at a different station.  Over the course of the day, the patrols each rotated through all six stations, getting merit badge requirements signed off as they progressed.  Instruction included a variety of topics ranging from checking fluids and changing tires to brakes, ignition and oil changes.

Tyler Ellensen is the owner of Tyler’s Automotive and helped instruct at the merit badge event. Tyler has hosted similar Automotive Maintenance merit badge events twice before and is a former Assistant Scoutmaster (Troop 423, Tigard). His two sons (Trever and Tanner) are Eagle Scouts and also helped at the merit badge event.

Assistant Scoutmaster Larry Morris said of the event: “I’ve never seen our boys as focused or interested in working on a Merit Badge.”  Drew Lagravinese is a BMW CCA member and former Assistant Scoutmaster.  He said concerning his interests in BSA and BMWs, that it was “fun to be able to mix the two together for a day and see how well one meshes with the other.”

By the end of the day, 864 merit badge requirements were signed off and 15 merit badges were completed.  A few Scouts missed part of the instruction because of schedule conflicts, but follow up sessions over the next few weeks allowed them to complete the merit badge.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and Tyler’s Automotive! Without you this event wouldn’t have been possible.

Thanks to: Dan Sides, Tyler Ellenson, Gary Burke, Vince Manley, Dave MacIntyre, Mark Koepping, Sash Kazeminejad, Kelby Mazzella, Dan Hones, Buck Bailey, Drew Lagravinese, and Janette Teevan.

Write-up courtesy of Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America.