Troop 82 holds bike hike and BBQ

Sparta — Boy Scout Troop 82 of Sparta recently held a family bike hike and annual barbecue. After camping on a Friday evening, a large group assembled and rode 15 miles on the Columbia Rail Trail in Long Valley and then finished up with a barbecue arranged by Sparta residents Mary Andrews and Jean Donahue, both troop committee members. The troop’s next major activity will be a week of summer camp at Yawgoog Scout Camp in Rhode Island where the troop has been going for many years. The Venture Crew, headed by Assistant Scoutmaster David Newton, has a trip planned that includes a half mile zip line and white water rafting in July. Troop 82 will then resume its full schedule of activities in the fall. It is the oldest continuously running Boy Scout troop in Sussex County and has a long history of service to the surrounding community. The troop recently received a council award for community service hours. Warren Potter is the Scoutmaster. The troop holds its meetings at the First Presbyterian Church in Sparta on Monday evenings during the school year.