IMPORTANT!!! Pinewood Derby Rescheduled....AGAIN!!!!!

Cub Scouts and Parents,

In the last few days, the coming ice storm made rescheduling the Pinewood Derby a necessity. The cub scout den leaders were terrific and contacted almost everybody and let them know that we had rescheduled the Pinewood Derby from Tuesday the 27th of January, to Saturday, the 31st of January.

HOWEVER, even though it appeared that this date was available to us at the United Methodist Church here in town, and we were told that we could use the church basement on Saturday, it was not available, and we can't use it Saturday. It would have been headaches and more work for everyone to try to fit us into their already extremely busy schedule, so I agreed to change the date of our Pinewood Derby again.

SO, UNLESS AN ACT OF GOD KEEPS IT FROM HAPPENING, THE PINEWOOD DERBY IS SCHEDULED FOR THIS COMING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, at 6:30 p.m. AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN METROPOLIS. WE WILL CHECK IN CARS AT 6:30 p.m., AND WILL BEGIN RACING AT 7:00 p.m.

PRINTED BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF THE DERBY RULES AND THE NEXT EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP.

THANKS FOR STICKING WITH US THROUGH THIS TERRIBLE STRETCH OF WEATHER.

First the PINEWOOD DERBY!!! On February 3rd, starting at 6:30 pm, we will have the weigh-in for the pinewood derby cars. For the cub scouts, cars MUST weigh 5 ounces or less. Cars MUST use the orignal materials included in your kit (although you can use add-ons to your kit, as long as the add-ons don’t violate any of the other rules for building your car). Cars MUST use the wheels and axles supplied in the kit. You MUST NOT alter the wheelbase or height of the axles. Changing your cars in any of these ways will likely disqualify your car. Cars that exceed 5 ounces WILL NOT be allowed to race. If you have any questions about whether your car can race, or your design will be allowed, please contact me (pugh@shawneelink.net or 524-8340) to check in advance.

Before you check your cars in on race night, you will have an opportunity right there to add or subtract weight. However, once cars are officially checked in, they can not be altered by scout or parent. If you want to check the weight of your cars in advance, you can do so at the Metropolis Post Office. There will be many prizes awarded, not just for winning your races, so be creative and inventive in your designs, themes, use of materials, and colors. Although races will be run in brackets, the races are purely timed events, with two heats per den. The fastest time wins the race. The actual race will begin at 7 pm. PLEASE come early to check in, because once the race begins, we will not allow cars to be checked in. If there is a special circumstance, I will make the decision regarding allowing the scout to check his car in. Interspersed among heats, we will also conduct our Pack Meeting business, including handing out any advancements and awards, and reminding folks about upcoming events.

Also, I encourage everyone to enter a separate car in the “Open Class” race which we will hold after the cub scouts have completed the Pinewood Derby. Open Class racers follow different design rules: In the Open Class, you are free to add weight, change the wheels, change the wheelbase, and alter your kit, as long as the main part of the body of your car includes the original body supplied in the kit. However, if your car might possibly damage our track, it will not be allowed to race. Again, please contact me in advance if you want a ruling about whether your car will be allowed to race.

While the Pinewood Derby is going on, we will also have our Edible Snowman Contest judged during the races. Dens should be working now on their entry for the contest. There will be a prize awarded to the Den with the best entry. “Best” will include judging on design, use of materials, theme, and presentation.

There are some new events on the Cub Scout calendar: First, Saturday, February 7th, cub scouts are going to set up a table and sell popcorn product that has been returned or was unsold by us. That will happen at the Metropolis Primary School, during the basketball tournament that will be held that day. All scouts who participate will earn a special reward for their service.

Next, February 8th is Scout Sunday, and all of us are requested to be present at the United Methodist Church for their 10:00 am service. Scouts need to be in uniform. This is our day to be recognized by our sponsoring organization, and our opportunity to tell the congregation of the church that we greatly appreciate the use of the church and its resources. Please plan on attending.

Lastly, the Blue and Gold Banquet in February. We will have a fiesta theme for the banquet, and have a specific menu to accompany the theme. Cub Scouts will supply the main dish, drinks, and dessert, but we will need the families of those attending to help supply the side dishes and salads. Each den leader will have a sign up sheet at his or her den meetings in February and will ask you to help us make our banquet table bountiful.