Pack 28 Pinewood Derby Race (Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012)

Car check-in and registration starts at 11:00 a.m.  Race starts at 12:30

Early car check-in will be on Saturday, Jan. 21 – time and loc. TBD

If you have questions, ask your Den Leader or Cubmaster

REMEMBER:  The goal is for your scout to have fun building the car with you!

• WIDTH: Overall width shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.
• LENGTH: Overall length shall not exceed 7 inches.  
• WEIGHT: Cars must not weigh more than 8 oz.

The only other rule for this race is that there will be no flames shooting from the car. Racing wheels, bushings, bearings, springs, motors and anything else, short of a rocket engine, will be allowed in this race.

There will be three prize categories (Fastest Car, Creative Design of a Car, Slowest Car)

The race will be held immediately following the scout race on Sunday January 22nd.  You will need to buy your own car kit for this race.

Captains  Bender and Wiles cordially invite you to participate in the great Rain Gutter Regatta. At the Oct. 17^th Pack Meeting, we will be racing our own homemade boats!

You are to design your own boat.  You can make it out of whatever you like.  It might be made from a plastic water bottle, ping pong balls, wood, Styrofoam, or whatever will float.  You will want to make a sailboat, because our boats will be propelled by the wind, which takes the form of a box-style fan.  Therefore, you will need to have a mast that you can affix some type of sail to in order to catch the wind. 

We are looking for speed, not looks, but you are challenged to be as creative as possible.  If you have trouble being creative, they do have kits at the Scout office.   

The gutters measure 10ft. in length, 3 1/8 in. in width, and 3 1/2 in height.  Your boat should be no more than 3 inches wide and 10 inches long. (The length requirement is new this year.)  The water will be approximately 1 inch deep, so you won’t need a very long rudder, if you have one at all.  Your sail should be able to clear the top of the gutter.

You might be able to practice a little bit, if you get to the meeting early on Oct. 17^th.  We will then have a single elimination tournament.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact your den leader or call John Bender at 694-4985.  Good luck mates!    

Cub Scout Launch is a ½ day preview of summer day camp activities, held on Oct. 15^th outside the Riverplex. Scouts can do archery, BB gun shooting, and other activities.  The cost is $5 for boys that were scouts last year and is free for scouts that are new this year.  A flyer is attached.  For Tigers, each scout must be accompanied by a parent.  For older scouts, this is recommended, but not required.  At a minimum, we need to have one adult for every 5 older scouts, so please organize this within your den and sign up as a den on the sign up form that is attached. Den leaders can turn in forms and money for their dens to the scout office or to John Bender.  John will then bring them to the scout office.  Space is limited to 300 scouts each session (AM and PM).

Car check-in and registration starts at 11:00 a.m.  Race starts at 12:00 or as soon after that as we can finish registration

Early car check-in will be on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 3 - 5 pm in the old gym

If you have questions, ask your Den Leader or Cubmaster

• Activities for the Cub Scouts include BB guns, archery, inflatables, water bottle rockets, orienteering (with GPS), and bike riding (bring your own bikes)
• Fireworks on Saturday night
• Cost is only $25/family for the weekend
• Meals can be purchased from a vendor that will be there or food can be brought with you and cooked at the campsite
• Campfires need to be off the ground in some type of portable fire pit (like those you can buy at the hardware store for your back yard or patio)
• Campers can camp as a pack and the pack can camp near our Boy Scout troop

The Chief’s overnighter is on May 28^th.  You can see a ball game, watch a movie afterwards on the scoreboard screen, and sleep on the outfield.  Tents are optional but must be stakeless.  Sometimes tours of the facility are offered as well.  This is also a family event.  There is a form on the back of your Day Camp envelope, but we’ll have more available at the Pack meeting.  This is a lot of fun and is the best (softest) grass that you can sleep on.  You can sign up for this at the Pack Meeting on Monday April 19^th.  We need someone to coordinate the registrations for this, so if you can do this, please let me know.

We will have our fourth annual Pack 28 family campout on May 21 – May 22.  We’ll camp out Friday night (tent camp) and be done on Saturday a little after noon.  We will have dinner, breakfast, and lunch, and do some hiking and other outdoor activities.  Your whole family is invited.  The location is not yet decided  We’ll discuss it at the April Pack meeting, but look for more information about this coming soon.

Cub Scout Day Camp (page 7 in brochure)

This is a 3 day event open to all ages of Cub Scouts.  Your son will change ranks on June 1, so you will sign him up based on next school year’s rank.  (For example, if your son is a Tiger now, sign him up as a Wolf, for the camp.)  We’ll have a camp organizer discuss the Lacon camp at the April 19^th pack meeting, but activities typically include BB guns, archery, crafts, and sports.  Scouts will complete activities that will help them earn next school year’s rank.  At Day Camp, two parent walkers are needed each day for each den.  The walker’s job is to make sure the scouts get from station to station and keep the scouts together.  We are leaning towards recommending the Lacon camp second session (Th, F, Sa), but we’ll hear more about the camp on Monday.  You can go to any session, but going to the same session as others makes scheduling walkers easier.  Note that the second session at Bartonville is evening only (4:00 – 8:30 Twilight Camp) so it will be a shorter program than the first session there or than either of the Lacon sessions.

To register, turn payment (Checks made to Pack 28) and all forms into the Pack’s Day Camp Coordinator by April 29^th so we can register as a pack. We need someone to be this coordinator for Day Camp registrations, so if you can do this, please let me know.

Cub Scout Resident Camp (page 11 in brochure)

Only a few scouts in our pack have done this event, but it is a chance for scouts and their parents to camp for a weekend and do some of the same activities as day camp plus a few more.  Parents or other adult guardians are required for each scout on Cub Scout overnight camping events.

To register, turn in payment (checks made to WD Boyce Council) and all forms to the Scout office.

Webelos Weekend (page 11 in brochure)

This is an event for Webelos (includes the current 3^rd graders, who will be Webelos as of June 1).  Our pack typically goes to this and it is a weekend of fun for these older scouts.  The Boy Scout camp counselors run this camp and their enthusiasm is great.  (This year will be my second time with Alex.)  We are recommending the August 6-8 weekend, but you can attend either weekend.

To register, turn in payment (checks made to WD Boyce Council) and all forms to the Scout office.

For all Camps:

• Attending parents need to fill out and turn in health forms
• There is a discount for registering early, so check the dates on the forms.

Dear Scouts and Scout parents,

Our Pack 28 campout is on May 8 – 9 at Camp Wokanda in Mossville.  (Camp Wokanda is where Cub Scout Day Camp has been for the last couple of years.)  This is the third annual campout and the scouts and parents have really enjoyed each of the past ones.  We are doing something a little different in that we have reserved the Order of the Arrow (OA) Lodge, rather than a tent area.  The OA Lodge is a large cabin that has a single, large open room, a fireplace, men’s and women’s bathrooms, and a small kitchen.  As with the past campouts, it is a family event, so we encourage you to bring the whole family.  Every scout must come with at least a parent.  As is our tradition, the Webelos II scouts that recently crossed over to Boy Scouts are also invited.  Perhaps they can show us what they have already learned.

The plan is to meet at Camp Wokanda starting at about 5:45 on Friday the 8^th.  We’ll cook a hamburger dinner and possibly take a night hike.  On Saturday, we’ll have a pancake breakfast and do some activities before wrapping up around 12:30.  We’ll have a light snack before we leave camp.

Details:

When: May 8 -9

Where: Camp Wokanda in Mossville.  (see directions below)

Why: Because camping is fun!

Cost: $12/person with a maximum of $30/family (This covers food and lodge rental.)

What to bring: see camping list below and/or troop packing list that is attached

RSVP: Call John Bender at 694-4985 by Monday, May 4

Packing List:

·      Sleeping bag

·      Sleeping pad (for comfort)

·      Pillow

·      Scout uniform (wear to campout)

·      Change of clothes & underwear

·      Extra pair of socks

·      Hiking boots or walking shoes

·      Hat

·      Rain poncho

·      Jacket/sweatshirt (hopefully just for evening)

·      Water bottle or canteen

·      Flashlight

·      Camp chair

Directions:

From Peoria Heights, take Rt. 29 north to Old Galena road (just past the Rt. 6 stop light).  Take a left onto Old Galena road and drive past Mossville grade school.  Turn left on Boy Scout Rd. which is immediately before the power plant on the left side.  Take Boy Scout Rd. to the camp Wokanda sign.  You will need to park overnight in the lot that is accessed by staying to the left.  The OA Lodge is on your right before you get to the parking area, so you will probably need to park and walk back to the lodge.  There is a small parking lot that is to the right before the lodge, but it does not hold very many cars.