Happy New Year!

First off, I’d like to say THANK YOU to all of the scouts and parents who participated in the Christmas Parade, the Food Drive, and Christmas Caroling! Our Pack was awarded the First Place in the Christmas Parade for our age group! Also, several of our scouts won the drawings for the extra popcorn prizes that were offered district-wide. Our own Ben Bowlin won a playstation 3! Congratulations, scouts!

PINEWOOD DERBY 2011
Our Pinewood Derby will be held January 25th up at the United Methodist Church. Scouts need to CHECK IN at 6:30 p.m. Please be there on time. Scouts sign in, cars are weighed, and any last minute adjustments are done. We begin racing at 7:00 p.m. Rules for the derby are short and sweet:

FOR CUB SCOUTS: You must follow the rules for building the pinecar in your pinewood derby kit. You must use the official kit supplied to you by the Cub Scouts. If you need additional kits, you can purchase them from Pack 101 for $5.00. Your cars must use the block of wood and all of the stock parts which come in the kit. It must be the specified wheelbase, axle height, length, width, and weight (5.0 ounces or less). You can add weights, wood, and other parts as long as the car stays within the stated guidelines. A dry graphite-based lubricant can be used on the wheels. My advice is to apply the lubricant after you have completely finished the car. If you need to double-check the weight of your vehicle, you can do so at the Metropolis Post Office.

FOR OPEN CLASS RACERS: You must begin with an official pinecar kit. The wheelbase, axle height, and overall width of the vehicle must be as specified in the kit. However, most everything else can be modified. Although you must use the block of wood as the body, exactly how much of it you is is up to you (meaning, at least some part of the body must be made from the original block of wood). The wheels, axles, weight, and just about every other aspect of the vehicle is OPEN for interpretation (which is why it is called the Open Class). I will make any final decision about whether or not a car will be allowed to race. For example, if the car won't fit on the track, or if racing the car would damage the track, it will not be allowed to race. If you are unsure whether or not a modified car you wish to run will be allowed to race, please contact me ahead of time (618) 524-8340 or pugh@shawneelink.net.

Many awards will be handed out. So, having a fast racer might be great, but having a unique design, or an interesting paint job, or an unusual use of material will also be recognized, as well as many, many other attributes. We look forward to seeing you there!

RECYCLABLE SNOWMANCONTEST 2011
Every year at the Pinewood Derby, we also hold a contest for each den to make a snowman, but not just any snowman. In the past, we have made edible snowmen, in which all the parts have to be foodstuffs. However, we realized that wasting food when there are people in our own community who need food was just not the right message to send to our scouts. So, we decided this year to have a recyclable snowman contest, in which each den will make a small snowman or winter scene featuring a snowman from any materials that have been repurposed for this project. That might include cardboard, cans, plastic wrap, or any old thing that you can recycle into a snowman!

SCOUT SUNDAY 2011
Every year, the United Methodist Church recognizes Pack 101, and invites us to join them for church on Sunday. This is our opportunity to honor their support of our Pack and be thankful for the space, time, and facilities they devote to us as well. Please plan on joining the United Methodist Church parishioners for Scout Sunday on February 13th. Worship service starts at 10:00 a.m. Scouts and leaders should wear their uniforms.

BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET 2011
The next big event in our calendar is THE BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET, a special scout event held in place of our February Pack Meeting, on Saturday, February 26th. This year’s theme for our Blue and Gold Banquet will be “Camping Out,” and our potluck will be traditional scout camp food. The First Baptist Church Family Life Center will host our event. It is located at the intersection of 6th and Catherine Street. If you turn at the DQ, it is one block down on the left. Each den has been assigned some specific foods to bring. If you’re not sure what that is, please contact your den leader. People need to show up with their food dishes at approximately 5:30 p.m. The banquet itself will begin at 6:00 p.m., and the program will begin at 7:00 p.m.

EVERYONE in your scout’s life is invited---mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, in-laws and outlaws. We will supply the main course, drinks, and dessert. We ask each family to bring one of the dishes we asked their dens to prepare, so that our banquet table will be bountiful. It is very important that you RSVP to me the TOTAL number of people in your family, including your scout, who will be attending the banquet. We need to know how many tables to set up and how much of the main dish, drinks, and other supplies we will need to buy. PLEASE, RSVP by February 18th by mail, phone, email, or facebook. My address is 113 Lindsey, Metropolis, IL, 62960.. My phone is (618) 524-8340, my email is pugh@shawneelink.net, and our facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metropolis-Illinois-Cub-Scout-Pack-101/133467963360177

What is so special about the Blue and Gold Banquet? This is the celebration of the anniversary of Scouting. This is also the time at which we recognize, through official ceremony, the crossing over of Webelos II scouts from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. From that moment on, they are Webelos II no longer. The larger adventure of scouting awaits them. The entire Pack participates in this advancement. We look forward to seeing you there!

November and December Calendar Events:

REMINDER: POPCORN MONEY TURN-IN WILL HAPPEN THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD, UP AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AT 7 PM. PACK ACCOUNTANT LISA GOWER WILL SETTLE UP ALL POPCORN ORDERS. YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR POPCORN ORDER AT THIS TIME. OUR MEETING WILL BE UPSTAIRS BECAUSE THE BASEMENT WILL BE IN USE BY THE CHURCH.

THIS MEETING IS ALSO OUR PACK MEETING, BUT IT WILL BE INFORMAL. AS YOU COMPLETE YOUR POPCORN MONEY TURN-IN, WE WILL AWARD ANY ADVANCEMENTS YOUR SCOUT HAS EARNED, AND WILL ALSO PRESENT HIM WITH HIS PINEWOOD DERBY KIT FOR THE UPCOMING PINEWOOD DERBY. THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE.

There are several more important events coming up on our calendar. They are listed below. Please contact your den leader with any questions!

Thursday, December 2nd: Christmas Float Building. We invite the whole pack to participate. We will meet at Jared and Afton English’s home at 3955 Macedonia Church Road at 6 p.m. The easiest directions to the house from Metropolis is to take 45 North towards Joppa, and turn right on Macedonia Church Road. Stay on it until you have to turn right. The house is less than a quarter mile down the road from the turn. We will be working in a heated barn, but please dress for cold weather work. Our theme is Camping and Christmas! Parents, please bring any old, unwanted Christmas decorations or camping gear that you no longer use, and we will recycle it one more time for the float before those items hits the trash! Hot chocolate and cookies will be provided.

Saturday, December 4th: We will participate in the Christmas Parade. We will gather at the Washington Park area at approximately12:45 p.m. Scouts and parents who will walk with us, please dress accordingly! If scouts wish to throw candy, they may, but parents, you need to supply candy for your scout. The parade goes from Washington Park to the Market Street area. We ask for parents to meet us to pick up their scouts at the new fire station across from the Sav-A-Lot. Please make your way there after the parade. Leaders will stay in that area until all scouts are picked up.

Because we have been so blessed in our popcorn sale, we have decided to give back to the community with a food drive for COPE (Christian Outreach Program Emergency). COPE has helped families in need in Metropolis since the 1970’s.

Saturday, December 11th: Food Drive. We will be positioned at Big John’s, Sav-A-Lot, the Dollar Store, Family Dollar, and Pat’s Market from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. taking donations of food. Please see the attached flyer for general information. Contact your den leader and/or Melissa Rushing (270) 994-2645 for details about the times and places scouts will be scheduled to man the tables.

Thursday, December 16th: Christmas Carolling, Pack Meeting, and Popcorn Prize distribution. We begin by meeting up at the United Methodist Church parking lot before 5 p.m. At 5 p.m., we will carpool and caravan to the different assisted living centers in Metropolis, singing Christmas carols at each stop. If you can’t make it at 5p.m., please stop by later, and we will give you a schedule of events, and you can catch up. At approximately 7 p.m., we will meet back up at the basement of the church and have hot chocolate and cookies, award any advancements, and distribute the popcorn prizes that the boys have earned. We will hand out information about the upcoming Pinewood Derby, which happens during the January Pack Meeting.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Cub Scouts and C.O.P.E.
A GREAT Combination!

Cub Scout Pack 101, Metropolis Illinois will be collecting food items for those in need on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:

Big Johns
Sav-A-Lot
The Dollar Store
Family Dollar
Pat’s Market (in Brookport)

While you shop, pick up an extra food item for donation to C.O.P.E. and drop it off at our table. Please help make a difference for many families this holiday season.

God Bless You!

November Pack Meeting and Popcorn Money Turn In!

SCOUTS AND PARENTS: We will meet on November 23rd, 7 pm on the FIRST FLOOR of the United Methodist Church. This is our PACK MEETING, AND our popcorn reconciliation night, during which you MUST turn in your popcorn sales to us. Our treasurer, Lisa Gower, will settle up all popcorn accounts at that time. We will also give out Pinewood Derby cars to the scouts. SEE YOU THERE!

Last Weekend, and this coming Week....

On October 23rd, Matt's Flaming Arrows camped out at Fort Massac, and informally invited any other scout accompanied by a parent to camp out too. The event was very well attended. Please friend our facebook page and see many of the pictures and comments about the event.

This coming Tuesday, October 26th, is our Halloween/Fall Festival Pack Meeting. Leaders need to be at the Methodist Church at about 6:30, for scouts to show up at 7 pm. Parents, remember to bring a bag of sealed candy!

We had a record-breaking popcorn sale! Thank you to all scouts who participated. We will be getting popcorn on November 6th, and your leaders should be delivering it parents and scouts by that afternoon.

Go See It at Fort Massac

I want to thank all of the wonderful scouts, parents, leaders and staff who attended the event at the Fort. We looked like an invading army. For having such a huge group, I commend all of the scouts (and their parents) for behaving so well. I hope the scouts learned something and had some fun!

One of the scouts, Lucas Stahl, had to leave early because he cut his forehead on the flat end of a nail at the Fort. He is just fine, but we missed him. I'm glad he is okay.

Here are some pictures of the event. Remember, that we have our Pack meeting next Tuesday, September 28th, at 7 pm in the United Methodist Church basement. See you there!

The September Newsletter

Welcome and Welcome Back, Scouts, Parents, and Leaders of Pack 101!

There are many things happening in scouting over the next month or so. Meeting times are set for our groups, but some groups may change, depending if we need to form additional Dens.

Tiger Cub Den 5: Meets Tuesdays at 6 pm; Tiger Cub Den 15: Meets Thursdays at 6 pm
Wolf Den 4: Meets Tuesdays at 6 pm; Wolf Den 14: Meets Tuesdays at 6 pm
Bear Den 3: Meets Tuesdays at 6 pm; Bear Den 13: Meets Tuesdays at 6 pm
Webelos I Den 2: Meets Thursdays at 6 pm; Webelos II Den 1: Meets Tuesdays at 7 pm

Each week we will meet (unless otherwise directed by your leader). For Tigers Cubs ONLY, we meet regularly on the first and second week, and then take a small trip called a “Go See It” on the third week.

FOR EVERYBODY, the fourth Tuesday of every month is our PACK MEETING. During that week, instead of meeting in our dens, we all gather as a Pack and have awards, advancements, and any special events that we will do.

Find your group and mark your calendar. All meetings up at the UM Church in Metropolis unless otherwise noted:

Tuesday, September 14th: Tiger Den 5, 6 pm, Wolfs, 6pm, Bears, 6 pm, Webelos II, 7 pm.

Thursday September16th: Tiger Den 15, 6 pm, Webelos I, 6 pm.

Tuesday, September 21st: Tiger Cubs, Den 5 and 15, GO SEE IT! We will meet at 6 pm up at the Fort Massac Museum and Visitor’s Center. Wolfs, Bears, Webelos I and Webelos II are also invited to attend and have this meeting take the place of their regular meetings. Talk to your individual leader about that.

Tuesday, September 28th: PACK MEETING, 7 pm up at the UM Church basement. We will hand out individual awards and advancements and go over our next events.

We have officially begun our Popcorn sale! This is the one fundraiser we do which has enabled us to put on a great program for the boys every year. We are able to supply all of the kits for our contests, food when we cook out, and pay expenses for the trips we take because the boys work so diligently to meet the goals of the Pack. Even though it involves time, you will find that when a scout takes an order for popcorn, it practically sells itself! Metropolis and the surrounding communities really support our scouting program and many people are looking forward to an opportunity to order from your scout.

When a scout sells popcorn, remember to be safe. First, if the scout has a uniform, he should wear his uniform. People expect and respect it. Second, scouts should not go out and sell alone. Parents or guardians should accompany him. Third, remember that this is the time we TAKE ORDERS only; scouts are not handling money at this time. This is also a good sales strategy. A good approach goes something like this: “Hello, I am taking orders for popcorn for the Cub Scouts Pack 101. Would you like to order something? Our Chocolate Covered Popcorn tastes really great!” They may look at your order, or place an order. If they are not interested in popcorn, show them that there are other items than popcorn, and make them aware that if they want, they can make a military donation, in which the popcorn they buy will be sent overseas to our troops around the world. If they are not sure about ordering now, let them know that you are only taking orders now, and are not collecting money. A person only pays for his or her popcorn when it is delivered.

Sales goals per scout are as follows: Tigers: Let’s shoot for selling $200 per scout! Wolfs, let’s shoot for $300 per scout; Bears, let’s shoot for $400 per scout; Webelos I, let’s shoot for $500 per scout, and Webelos II, let’s shoot for $750 per scout! These are all do-able goals. However, whether you can reach this individual goal or not, I want you to DO YOUR BEST! Every order taken helps to make this Pack go!

Important Dates For the Popcorn Sale. Information about all the prizes the boys can earn:

The take order part of the sale (going door to door, taking orders) begins NOW. Everybody should have gotten the take order forms at your den meetings. If you did not, please see your leader or see me and we’ll get you what you need to start!

The take order part of the sale officially ends the week of October 18th. You will need to turn in your order forms to your leader at the den meeting you have that week. I have to submit popcorn order to the council office by NOON on October 22nd, so we can’t be late with those forms.

Saturday, November 6th is the popcorn pick up date. Leaders will have your popcorn by that afternoon.

Scouts will have until November 21st to deliver popcorn and to collect money for popcorn sales.

We will officially collect all monies for popcorn orders on Monday, November 23rd. We will meet up at the UM Church beginning at 7 pm. This meeting will take the place of our November Pack meeting. You MUST turn in your popcorn money to us at that time. We can not turn our popcorn sales in late, or our whole Pack will lose a substantial bonus from our Council for turning the money in on time.

Scouts, it’s up to you to make this happen! For each den which makes its sales goals on average, Pack 101 will throw your den a PIZZA Party! There are lots of great prizes offered by Trail's End that you should shoot for. In addition to the pizza party and the prizes the boys will earn from Trail's End, our Council and District offer great prize incentives for each boy, too!

Parents, each week, you need to report to your den leaders how much in popcorn order your scout has taken. For every $50 of popcorn sold per scout each week, we get to enter that scout in a council wide drawing for PRIZES, and at the end of the drawing, on October 22nd there will be a council wide drawing for a NEW BIKE!

For every $250 sold per scout, in addition to being entered in the $50 drawing, your scout will also be entered into a drawing for a $75 gift card from Gamestop. For every $500 sold per scout, the scout will be entered into a drawing for a new LAPTOP COMPUTER!! For every $600 sold per scout, the scout will receive a MARSHMALLOW CROSSBOW in addition to any other prizes they earn from Trail's End.

If a boy sells more than $1500, he will receive and additional $50 from Trails' End (typically a Wal Mart gift card); If a boys sells more than $2500 in popcorn, they will also earn a college scholarship fund from Trail's End, based on the amount of popcorn sold.

For every page of orders a boy fills up, he will be entered into a drawing for a PLAYSTATION 3!!!

For every boy that sells more than $500, Pack 101 will pay their registration fees for next year. For every boy that sells more than $750, Pack 101 will pay their registration fees and give them a CASH BACK BONUS based on their total sales. If a scout has already paid his registration fee, we will either refund his fee (CASH BACK BONUS) or apply it to the following year! One more thing, in addition to that, we will have mystery houses around Metropolis. If a boy comes to the door of the mystery house, even if the person there does not order popcorn, they will report to me that this scout has visited, and that scout will receive a SPECIAL MYSTERY GIFT from Pack 101 at the end of the sale.

Here’s an example or two of what we did because of our great popcorn sale last year:









Please stay connected to Pack 101 by “LIKING” us on facebook, by searching for Metropolis Illinois Cub Scout Pack 101. Follow our blog at http://cubscoutpack101.blogspot.com As always, if you have a question, please email me at pugh@shawneelink.net, or call me at (618) 524-8340.

Pictures From the Pinewood Derby

Here are pictures from the Pinewood Derby and Edible Snowman Contest. Enjoy! Coming soon: Pictures from the Blue and Gold, and the next newsletter!

THE PINEWOOD DERBY

The time has come once again for the Pinewood Derby! The Pinewood Derby will begin on Tuesday January 26th, at the United Methodist Church basement. Weigh in will be at 6:30 pm. We will begin racing promptly at 7:00 pm. This will also be our Pack meeting for January. Besides having a great race, we will also judge our edible snowman contest. Winners of the snowman contest will get a pizza party for their Den, courtesy of Pack 101.

I hope to see you all there!

Events coming up: Blue and Gold Banquet, February 27th.

See you on Tuesday!

October Pack Meeting

Every year, we have a terrific October Pack Meeting. We spend the month building new games or repairing our old games. Then, for our Pack meeting, we get to play all of the games and have a great time. This year was no exception. All the boys enjoyed themselves, there were some great costumes, and plenty of candy for everyone!

Thank you everyone for making this year's Halloween Pack Meeting one of the best ever.

Upcoming Events...

Dear parents and scouts,

This is Roger Pugh, Cubmaster for Pack 101. I heard from some parents that they were at the church on Tuesday (the 29th) but no Tiger Cubs were there, and we had no meeting. They were concerned that we weren't having a meeting and they weren't informed. I want to say I'm sorry if there was a mis-communication, and I know our schedule will take a little getting used to, but we weren't supposed to have a meeting on Tuesday.

Here's how the schedule of meetings goes: On the first, second, and third Tuesday of the month, Tigers have either our Den meeting, or a Go See It meeting. Wolfs and Bears meet on the first, second and third Tuesdays for their Den meetings. Webelos I and Webelos II have den meetings the first, second and third Mondays each month. On the fourth Tuesday of the month, we have our Pack meeting, in which all Dens get together. This September, we had a fifth Tuesday. That happens a couple of times a year. Unless otherwise noted, we do not have meetings on a fifth Tuesday in a month. We consider it an "off" week. At the previous Den meetings, and at the Pack meeting, I made the announcement that the Tigers would not be meeting on Tuesday the 29th. We'll meet four times a month, unless we agree in advance for some special event, and if we do that, I will call or email everyone. So, sorry if that message didn't get to everyone, and rest assured that we are committed to providing a great program for the boys!

Here is our schedule for October:

OCTOBER 5: Den Meetings for Webelos I (7 pm) and Webelos II (6 pm) up at the Methodist Church.

OCTOBER 6: Den Meetings for Tigers, Wolfs and Bears. Their individual Den meetings this time will be special. Instead of meeting at the church, each group will meet at 6 pm at the Fort Massac Visitor Center and Museum. We are going to take a self-guided tour of the museum.

OCTOBER 12: Den Meetings for Webelos I and Webelos II up at the Methodist Church.

OCTOBER 13: Den Meetings for the Tigers, Wolfs and Bears. Each group will meet individually at the Methodist Church at 6 pm.

OCTOBER 19: Den Meetings for Webelos I and Webelos II up at the Methodist Church. Popcorn order forms are due to your leaders at this time and no later.

OCTOBER 20: Den Meetings for Tigers, Wolfs, and Bears. Each will meet individually at the church at 6 pm. POPCORN order forms are due to me on this night! I can not take them any later than this night!

OCTOBER 27: Pack Meeting. We will meet at the church at 6:30 pm. Note, this is earlier than we normally have a Pack meeting, but our Halloween/Fall Festival meeting generally takes a little longer to complete. We will meet, give out any advancements and awards, and then we will commence to have a great time playing games and winning candy and prizes!

I look forward to an exciting October for the boys!

We have only a couple of weeks left to take orders for popcorn. Let's work hard to get as many orders as we can. You can Achieve the goal you have set for yourselves! Remember, there are lots of prizes to work for, as well as cash back bonuses that we pay directly to scouts who sell more than $500 in popcorn. Sales will also qualify your scout to be entered into drawings for scooters, a computer, and an XBox! Popcorn sales provides the community a great opportunity to support Cub Scouts, and we generate the funds we need to put on a great program each year! Thanks for your hard work! Every little bit helps!

Roger

First Pack Meeting of the Year!

Scouts and Parents,

The Pack meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22nd, at 7 pm, at the United Methodist Church in Metropolis. We'll introduce you to scouting, go over popcorn information again, and present any awards and advancements. I look forward to seeing you there.

Roger

Welcome to Pack 101!

This August we had a terrific Cub Scout Round-up. We signed up nearly 40 new scouts, which makes this year one of the best years we have ever had for new scouts.

There are several important pieces of information I need to communicate to everybody: First, meeting times and places.

Tigers: Methodist Church, 1st and 2nd Tuesdays, 6 pm; 3rd Tuesday, Go See It, 6 pm.

Wolfs: Methodist Church, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Tuesdays, 6 pm;

Bears: Methodist Church, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Tuesdays, 6 pm;

Webelos 1: Methodist Church, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Mondays, 7 pm;

Webelos 2: Methodist Church, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Mondays, 6 pm.

ALL DENS MEET FOR OUR PACK MEETING ON THE 4TH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 7 PM, AT THE METHODIST CHURCH. This month we are having our Pack meeting on September 22nd.

My contact information is as follows: Roger Pugh, 113 Lindsey Avenue, Metropolis, IL. (618) 524-8340

pugh@shawneelink.net

The Pack web address is

http://cubscoutpack101.blogspot.com

Note there is no “www” in the address.

All new scouts should be progressing towards the Bobcat badge. If you are not sure what that is, please see your den leader or contact me, and we’ll get you started. You should also have the right handbook for your group. You might be putting your uniform together right now, too, which is great. Here is a list of parts for your uniform.

Hat (for specific den); Neckerchief and slide (for specific den); Shirt (1st-3rd: Blue shirt; 4th and 5th, please contact your leader about which shirt to buy); Shawnee Trails Council Patch; World Scouting Emblem Patch; Pack Numbers (101); Den Numbers (Tigers: Den 4, Wolfs Den 1, Bears, Den 2, Webelos 1 Den 3, and Webelos 2 Den 5); Belt and Buckle (for specific den). Handbooks and uniform parts can be purchased from Hoopers in Paducah, downtown on Broadway.

Our popcorn kickoff begins with your dens’ first meetings. In order to provide the great program we deliver to the scouts, we have a popcorn sale fundraiser. Last year, our Pack sold almost $17,000 in popcorn! This year, if each scout meets their dens’ sales goals, and also reaches his own personal goal, then we can easily exceed last year’s record-breaking effort, even in these tough times! The company we work with provides really high quality prizes for scouts to help motivate them to reach their sales goals. Our Council also adds incentives, such as drawings for an Xbox 360 and a laptop computer. Our Pack also adds a cash bonus incentive for each scout. If a scout sells more than $500 in popcorn, he will get 5% of his sale back directly to him in CASH, in addition to any other prizes he earns. Last year, one boy sold more than $2500 in popcorn and qualified for a college scholarship in addition to his prizes! He didn’t have a “magic touch;” he went out, and sold door to door. He was confident, courteous, wore his uniform, and in just a few days, he had taken that much in orders. YOU CAN TOO!

When you get ready to take popcorn orders, do so safely. Go with your parents. Don’t go into a stranger’s home alone. Wear your uniform. Remember, we are TAKING ORDERS ONLY at first. We do not take money now, only when the order is delivered. Get to know what it is you are selling. Recommend what you like to potential customers. Show them that there are many options available if they don’t particularly like popcorn, including a military donation, in which their contribution buys popcorn treats for our soldiers. Most everybody who is approached will place an order, because people in our area really do support the Cub Scouts. Make sure and thank them for their orders. When you first approach them, you might say something like, “Hi, I’m with Cub Scout Pack 101 and I am taking orders for popcorn to help support my Pack. Can I show you what we have to offer?” That’s all it takes! Taking orders for popcorn will conclude on Sunday, October 18th. I need to have your completed forms by your next Den meeting, (either October 19th or 20th, depending). I look forward to seeing everybody at the Pack Meeting, September 22nd, 7 pm, at the Methodist Church in Metropolis.

The Space Derby and Summer Events...

In May, we finished our regular Cub Scout year with our first annual space derby. Everybody had a great time. Here are pictures from the event:

The next events will include the Cubmobile Race, our Supertrip, and our Pool Party and Raingutter Regatta.

Mark June 20th on your calendars for the Cubmobile Races! The races will begin at 10 am sharp. Please try to be there a few minutes early. The race course starts at the intersection of 9th Street and Girard Street, and ends at the intersection of 9th Street and Catherine Street.

The cubmobile race is a gravity race---that is, the scout sits in the vehicle, and gravity pulls him down the hill. Even though it is going to be hot, we recommend that the scouts wear pants, just in case of an accident. I’d rather see somebody dirty up their pants than scrape their shins. Also, boys should bring their own bicycle helmets. Again, in the unlikely event of an accident, I’d rather see a helmet covering a boy’s head than not.

The race will feature two heats, and two heats only, for each participant. The fastest racer from each den will be awarded a certificate for their performance. If we have time, and it is not too hot, we will race the fastest racer from each den one final time to determine a grand champion. From time to time, we might need an adult volunteer to help move things along.

Drinks will be provided. Friends and family are welcome to take part in our festivities. Please be courteous of the homeowners on each side of our race course. Although the street will be cordoned off for us, homeowners’ yards are still private property. We must treat the homeowners with respect, and try to stay off of their lawns.

Mark Saturday, July 25th on your calendars for our Summer Supertrip. We will be
visiting the Parthenon in Nashville, the only stone by stone reproduction of this historic building in the world. Inside, besides a variety of exhibits, is the largest indoor statue in the world, a re-creation of the statue of Athena. Our group will take a guided tour of the facility.

After we visit the Parthenon, we will break for lunch, and then spend the rest of the day at the Adventure Science Center. While at the Center, we will see a terrific laser light show in the planetarium, and let the kids enjoy a variety of hands-on
science exhibits. Then, we will break for supper and drive back home. This year, like last year, we will require that all scouts are accompanied by one parent or guardian, and that each family that goes must be responsible for driving to and from our destination.

Pack 101 will pay entrance fees for any of the events we plan, for one scout and one adult per family. We encourage you to bring the whole family; however, you would be responsible for any of the tickets or fees for the rest of your family. Pack 101 will supply lunch and dinner for the scouts. We will send an RSVP with a specific itinerary and lunch and dinner choices later this month. We should be able to carpool to save costs and burn less gas; as we get closer to the date, I will ask everyone to take advantage of those who will be driving vans or who would have space available in their vehicles. It is also possible that Pack 101 might be able to help reimburse drivers for the cost of gas. We’ll see as we get closer to the event.

Next, the August Pool Party and Raingutter Regatta!

The date for the pool party in August is not yet set, but I will alert everybody when it is set. This year, the pool party will start at approximately 6 pm. We will have the pool until 9 pm. Everyone in the family is invited, and we encourage you to invite your son’s friends, too. We will grill out hamburgers and hot dogs, and supply everything for dinner. You just need to show up with your swim suit and beach towel! The Raingutter Regatta will be held in conjunction with the August Pool Party. You should contact your leader or contact me if you do not have your Raingutter boat kit. If you haven’t yet participated in the Raingutter Regatta, it truly is a “blast!” This summer is shaping up to be one of the best ever: Cubmobile races, a trip to Nashville, a pool party and the raingutter regatta...see you soon!

Kite Flying Contest This SATURDAY!!!

Here are the pictures from the March Pack Meeting. We had so many boys earn their badges. It was a terrific meeting.

Yesterday, we had our kite building workshop in the basement of the Methodist Church. It was well-attended, but I had to leave before I saw any kites finished. I want to thank the leaders and parents who were there.

This Saturday, April 18th, we will have our kite flying contest! We will meet at the pavilion by Trout Pond at Massac Park at 10 am. If the weather cooperates, it should be a great day. I might suggest the boys wear some boots or shoes you won't mind them getting dirty, because I don't yet know how wet the field will be. After the contest, we will award prizes, and have a cold cut lunch with chips, soda and cookies for everyone there. I hope everyone can make it!

Roger

Upcoming Events

At the last Pack meeting, 12 Tigers, 7 Wolfs, and 1 Bear earned their badges of rank. I was proud to recognize the boys, and was also pleased to award Clay Blankenbaker his leader's staff. I was also able to award Valery Sronce hers.

I have not had an opportunity yet to post up the pictures from the Pack meeting, but I will soon.

I have just received the kits for the Space Derby and the Raingutter Regatta. leaders will be handing those kits out at your next den meetings, so please make sure you attend. The dates for the Space Derby and the Raingutter Regatta will be announced in the next few weeks.

In April, we will have our annual kite building and flying contest.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14th: Kite building workshop, 6 pm, at the United Methodist Church basement. All members of the Pack are asked to come to the kite building workshop in preparation for the Pack's Kite Flying Contest. When we make a kite, we do it the old fashioned way! No store bought kites. We will instruct the scouts on how to make their own kites. Den leaders are discussing with their scouts the different kinds of materials from which you can make a kite. Seriously, paper bags, trash bags, old newspaper, sticks, dowel rods, even visqueen and pvc pipe, any of these materials can make a kite. Oh, don't forget string, and rags for a tail. So, it shouldn't cost very much (if anything) to get materials for a great kite. Please bring the materials you will use for your kite with you. We will have some building materials there as well. Go to this website for many different FREE kite plans.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18th: Kite Flying Contest, 10:00 am, Trout Pond, Massac Park. You supply the kites, and we supply the food. After the contest, we will gather over at the pavillion nearest to Trout Pond for lunch. During lunch, we will give out awards for each Den's flyers, and award a grand prize for the overall best flyer. This meeting will also serve as our Pack Meeting for April. In the event of rain, or a really cold snap, we will postpone the contest until Saturday, April 25th, and 10:00 am.

We are also in the process of figuring out the rest of our summer calendar. Normally, we take a big trip in the summer for one of our events. If you have some ideas for a fun destination for the Cub Scouts and their families, please drop me a line or leave a comment here on the website.

Thanks again, to all scouts, parents, and volunteers, because you have made this a great year for Cub Scouts in Metropolis!

PINEWOOD DERBY----This TUESDAY, February 10th, 6 pm at the UM Church in Metropolis!!!

Everyone,

We had two events planned for this weekend. The first was to sell popcorn at the basketball tournament over at the primary school on Saturday. However,too many things have been pushed to this weekend, so we will gracefully bow out of the event this Saturday. I hope that we will be able to sell popcorn at another event on another Saturday.

This Sunday is Scout Sunday. This Sunday, all scouts are invited to share worship service at the United Methodist Church in Metropolis. The service starts at 10 am. I encourage everybody to attend the service. This is our sponsor's day to recognize the scouts, and our day to thank the church for their support. I hope to see you all there. I would like to fill our section up with scouts and their families. The boys and leaders need to be in uniform.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: PINEWOOD RACERS PLEASE READ: This Pinewood Derby will be this Tuesday, February 10th. Because we have multiple goals to accomplish, I want to start check-in of cars at 6 pm. We will start the races at 6:30, and we will have our meeting and advancements between heats. During the meeting, we will hand out advancements, hand out any popcorn prizes that have yet to be awarded, award prizes for both the Pinewood Derby and the Edible Snowman contest, and go over the Blue and Gold Banquet, including getting your RSVP for the banquet, and also getting you to sign up for the dish you are going to bring to the banquet.

So, to recap: we will skip the popcorn sale tomorrow, but I hope to see everybody at the United Methodist Church this Sunday at their 10 am service; the Pinewood Derby is THIS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, STARTING AT 6 pm. People must be there on time if we intend to get what we need to get done, so please, please, come early!!

I look forward to seeing everybody Sunday and Tuesday.

Roger Pugh
Cubmaster, Pack 101

PINEWOOD DERBY POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

The best laid plans of mice and men....

can be pretty easily foiled by an ice storm. For the present, the Pinewood Derby is postponed indefinitely. We will hold the event, but it will be better for everyone if we wait until our lives get somewhat back to normal.

Thank you all for being patient, and I hope the best for you and yours during this difficult stretch.

Roger Pugh

Cubmaster Pack 101

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.

Next Tuesday.....

IS THE PINEWOOD DERBY!!!

Also, the edible snowman contest.

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.

Remember, next Tuesday, January 27th, is the Pinewood Derby. Please email or call me if you have any racing questions.

Roger

!!!!Canceling Caroling!!!!

Due to the inclement weather, we are canceling the caroling and Pack meeting for tonight. We will attempt to reschedule. We will get back in touch with everyone very soon.


Roger