The Beginning of the New Scout Year

Welcome all new scouts and parents, and welcome back, all returning scouts and parents, to the blog for Cub Scout Pack 101 in Metropolis, Illinois.

This fall, we had 46 new scouts sign up, and have had several more sign up after the round up.  This makes fall 2008 one of the largest sign ups yet.

Below is a list of leaders and their meeting times and places.  

Tiger cubs (1st grade)  Temporary leader:  Roger Pugh

Meets Tuesdays, 6 pm, at the United Methodist Church, Metropolis

Wolf cubs (2nd grade) Leader:  Matt Alsip

Meets Tuesdays, 6 pm, at the United Methodist Church, Metropolis

Bear cubs (3rd grade) Leader:  Valary Sronce

Meets Tuesdays, 7 pm, at the United Methodist Church, Metropolis

Webelos I (4th grade)  Leader:  Leslea Bates, Assistant Leader:  Debbie Stamme

Meets Mondays, 6:30 pm, at the United Methodist Church, Metropolis

Webelos II (5th grade) Leader:  Balinda Hodges, Assistant Leader:  Robbie Adams

Meets Mondays, 5:45 pm, at the Eastland Baptist Church, Metropolis

The first order of business for new scouts is to get your appropriate Den handbook, which you can get from Hoopers, over in Paducah, for about $8.  During the first meetings, we will talk about uniforms, our uniform exchange, and the costs for uniform parts.

Every meeting, we collect 50 cents in dues, to begin to pay for registration for next year.

I will be sending out a September/October newsletter sometime next week.

We will begin our popcorn sales shortly.  Each year, cubscouts participate in one fund raiser, which covers our costs for everything we do for the upcoming year, and allows the boys to earn prizes for their hard work.  You will get information about popcorn sales very soon.

If you missed our sign up, please attend the den meeting that fits your son's grade, and we will be glad to sign you up at any time.

I look forward to a great new year in scouting!

Roger

Here We Go A-Caroling....

We will go caroling this Thursday, December 13th. We need to gather together up at the church at approximately 5 pm. At approximately 7 pm, we will have our pack meeting, enjoy cookies and hot cocoa, award any advancements, and give out popcorn prizes and cash awards.

There are a couple of catches: First, if you still haven't turned in all of your popcorn money, we might not be able to distribute the prizes. We'll still have them, and you'll still get them, but we need to settle the popcorn sales. Next, if you sold more than $500 in popcorn, your total has to be settled before we can award your cash bonus.

It is possible that you may have one or two people who just won't pay for the popcorn they ordered. So be it. If that is the case, you can turn in any of the money you have and those one or two pieces of popcorn that you couldn't sell. Either way, we must get your accounts settled.

One more thing: We had to recharter. The charter was already a month late. There are a couple of active scouts who will not be registered on this charter because they still owed back dues. Please, if you think you owe back dues, please talk to your den leader. We can get your scouts registered and placed on the new charter, but back dues and some paperwork will now need to be complete and up to date.

This Thursday will be our last meeting of the year. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December Pack Meeting, assorted news

I have some very exciting news to report: Jonathon Hodges, one of our scouts, WON the drawing for the electric scooter! Congratulations, Jonathon! Also, earlier this fall, Tristan Odom won $50 in scout bucks! The drawing for the Nintendo Wii will happen next week. Let's hope another scout from Pack 101 is lucky enough to win it.

Next Thursday, December 13th, we will be gathering at the church at 5 pm to begin Christmas Caroling. At approximately 7 pm, we will make our way back to the church for the December Pack Meeting.

At the Pack Meeting, we will warm back up with hot cocoa and cookies, give out advancements, and hand out prizes for those scouts who have completed their popcorn sales.

A special message to you if you have not yet turned in your popcorn money: It is vitally important that you turn in your popcorn sales to me ASAP! You can stop by my house at 113 Lindsey Avenue after 6 pm. Also, some boys still owe dues from last year. Popcorn sales and back dues must be paid before the Pack Meeting on the 13th.

I don't want to harp about it, but for all the right reasons, if popcorn money is still owed, you should pay it. This fundraiser teaches responsibility, honesty, and trust, three of the biggest and best lessons we try to instill in cub scouts. The Cub Scouts in Metropolis are well-respected because we meet our obligations.

I look forward to Christmas Caroling and the next Pack Meeting.

Roger