by Dennis Dalman
At one time, not too many years ago, the Eric and Trina Dietz family members of Sartell were all deeply involved in scouting.
Trina, the mother, was a troop leader for the Girl Scouts, of which daughter Hattie was a member. The oldest son, Matthew was a Cub Scout, who is now a Boy Scout, working on his Eagle Badge project; and youngest son Alex is now also a Boy Scout. Eric, the father, who has been a long-time Scouting den leader, was named to be the new Scout leader for Sartell Boy Scout Troop 111.
Eric, a graduate of St. Cloud State University with a degree in operations management, is employed by the Information Technology Services at his alma mater, SCSU.
He himself was a Boy Scout who earned an Eagle Scout Badge while growing up in Plymouth. His Eagle project was to build several hundred wood-duck houses, which were placed in the Plymouth Nature Preserve.
Dietz has been appointed to the leadership position recently held by Ben Amundson.
“We hope to grow the troop in the coming year,” Dietz said. “Officially, the organization is just (more than) 40 years old. We’re always welcoming new Scouts and the costs are very, very reasonable.”
To find out how to join the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, go to the website beascout.org
Scouts, which is led by boys, meet twice a month, plus one annual planning meeting. In addition, both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts enjoy numerous trips, camp-outs and other activities throughout the year – but mainly in summer.
There’s an old saying: Once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout. Dietz tends to believe that. Strongly, in fact.
Three of the retired Boy Scout leaders remain active in Scouting, including leader Ben Amundson, whose four boys were all deeply involved in Scouting.
Some former Scouts, even though they are up in age, love to keep involved in Scouting, Dietz said, because they keep getting to go on exciting trips and enjoying adventures like hiking, climbing, camping, canoeing, kayaking and immersing themselves in the great outdoors.
“It’s exciting,” Dietz said. “We have all kinds of things planned for next year. The secret of Scouting is to go into the outdoors and have fun.”
Among the Scouting activities in recent years are the following, Dietz noted:
Week-long camping trips at Many Points Scout Camp near Lake Itasca; kayaking by the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior and in Voyageurs National Park; backpacking on a trek through Isle Royal, also on Lake Superior; hiking in the Big Horn Mountains of Montana; a canoe trip every summer (last year down the Crow Wing River).
Dietz said it is gratifying the Central Minnesota Scouts Council office happens to be located right on Scout Drive in south Sartell.
Trina Dietz is proud of her husband and children and their tight connections to scouting.
“It’s really the commitment of these men and adult leaders in our troop that allow the cool things to happen,” she wrote in an email. “With the exception of Eric, all of the children of these men (scout leaders) are no longer in Scouting, yet they still give of their time, talent and gear to allow young people in our community to grow.”
To find out more about Scouting or how to join, go to beascout.org.
Eric Dietz, far right, was officially installed as Sartell Troop 211 Boy Scout Scoutmaster at a ceremony held in St. Cloud Riverside Park, an event that included lots of downhill snow-sledding for the Scout members. From left to right are previous Troop 211 Scoutmasters (in the order in which they served) Tom Fenlason, Chuck Rose, Kevin Schatz, Ben Amundson and Dietz, the new one.
