Archives

Annually, our Pack holds a “Blue and Gold” Banquet.  It is an opportunity to celebrate the scouts and leaders accomplishments and most importantly, graduate our Arrow of Lights (AOL) scouts out of Cub Scouts and hopefully onto a Troop with Scouts, BSA.  In this Covid year, things must look a little different.  We have chosen to dedicate this year’s banquet to JUST our Arrow of Light scouts and their families with a few special guests to help cheer them on to their next adventure.  This decision is an effort to keep the number of people to a minimum, but still recognize the scouts that we were already highlighting.  This does not me that we will not recognize the other ranks, but instead will do so at another time later in the spring.

So, what WILL the Blue and Gold look like?  On Saturday, March 6th at 6 pm, we will hold our celebration at Woodland West Church of Christ (3101 W. Park Row Dr., Arlington, 76013).  We encourage everyone to arrive early (doors open at 5:30 pm) to allow for prescreening including temperature checks.  There will be a dinner for our AOLs and their family members who have purchased tickets.  Here is a link to the signup form.  Please register by Saturday, February 27th.  There is no limit to how many family members may attend per scout.  Instead of a buffet, a pre-prepared meal will be brought to the table by a masked server.  Tables will have assigned seating with family units seated together and tables at a safe distance from each other.  Drinks and desserts will also be situated at the tables with only a few wait staff to assist.  We will asks guests to keep masks on while they are not seated or speaking at the podium.  When we recognize the scouts, we will have them cross the bridge individually instead of as a patrol. In addition, the den posters will instead be virtual slide shows.  Will will have a few door prizes throughout the night for scouts.

Questions should be addressed to Angela at arhill1221@gmail.com or Valerie at newlund15@msn.com

Start your engines! It’s Pinewood Derby season. 

What is the Pinewood Derby, you ask? It’s Cub Scout tradition where scouts create a car from a BSA approved block of wood (with age-appropriate adult assistance) to race against other scouts.

Please read ALL the rules carefully before designing or building your car.  Click here for the 2021 Rules.

Important dates (see additional details further below):

• Workshop – Saturday, January 9^th 10 am-12 pm at New World United Methodist Church (NWUMC) Parking Lot
• Workshop – Saturday, January 30^th from 10 am-12 pm at New World United Methodist Church (NWUMC) Parking Lot
• Check-in – Thursday, February 4^th from 6:30-8:30 pm at Most Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall
• Races – Saturday, February 6^th (see schedule below) at Most Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall (also broadcast live to Facebook from the Pack’s page)
  • 9am- Siblings- virtual only
  • 10am- Lion with Tigers
  • 11am- Wolves
  • 12pm- Bears
  • 1pm- Webelos
  • 2pm- Arrow of Light
  • 3:30pm- Pack Championship
  • 4:30pm- Open- virtual only

Supplies (buy as soon as possible and bring to workshops if attending or build at home):

• Families will need to purchase a BSA approved pinewood derby kit for each racer.
• There are a number of different styles of kits from a basic block to a pre-cut kit with decals and paint included. All are acceptable as long as the packaging contains the BSA seal of approval.
• These can be purchased at any BSA Scout Shop or most hobby stores (e.g. Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.). Note that some hobby stores may not carry in person, but can be ordered online.
• Most cars will require additional weights that are not included in the standard kit. You can use household items like coins or fishing weights as long as it complies with the other rules for dimensions and how they are affixed to the car. Otherwise, many different types of weights designed specifically for pinewood derby cars can also be purchased at the same locations listed above.
• Some car kits come with wheels and axels, but some will need to be purchased separately.
• Cars should be decorated. You will need to supply your own materials for paint, etc.

Workshops (held outdoors, but masks required):

• Workshops are an excellent opportunity to utilize resources like specialized tools that you may not otherwise have available as well as seasoned pinewood derby craftsman.
• Workshops are come and go. You may arrive when convenient and stay as long as you need (within the timeframe given).
• You may attend as many as you like. You don’t have to pick just one. It is also not required that you attend any if you don’t need any help.
• You must bring your own pinewood materials to the workshop. This includes a BSA approved block of wood (not just any kind of wood) as well as BSA wheels and axles.
• It is helpful if you have a concept in mind, but there will be templates and design books on hand if you need help with that too.
• Whether you attend a workshop or construct on your own, all cars must adhere to all of the 2021 Official Pinewood Derby Rules. Please read them carefully.

Check-in (held indoors, masks required):

• ALL cars must be checked in on Thursday in order to participate in the races as well as be judged for design awards. You may not check-in on race day. NO EXCEPTIONS!
• At check-in, cars will be sorted by rank and assigned a number. Scouts will also need to name their car.
• Cars must pass inspection to be turned-in. See also 2021 Official Pinewood Derby Rules for inspection criteria and other rules.
• Cars that don’t pass inspection will have an opportunity to make adjustments. There will even be a “pit crew” on hand to assist with things like wheel alignment, graphite, and weight.
• Once cars are inspected and checked-in, no modifications may be made and access to these cars will not be available.
• This is also a come and go event. You may arrive any time within the 6:30-8:30 pm window to check-in your car. We do encourage everyone to arrive earlier than later though, because we do develop a line at check-in and cars often don’t pass inspection the first time, in which case you will need time to make adjustments.
• We ask that each scout bring a $5 raffle prize to check-in. These will be distributed on race day and everyone will go home with a prize.  Even virtual racers will have a prize designated to them that we will arrange delivery.

Race Day (in person indoors with masks and screening required, also available live virtually):

• In order to keep crowds to a minimum, each rank has their own race schedule (see above).  We ask that you arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time as we will need to conduct some screening prior to admittance.  NOTE: MASKS ARE REQUIRED!!
• Siblings will be the first race and will be virtual only.  We will also have an “Open” division following the finals that will also be virtual only.
• The Lions/Tigers will be the first official heat and will be followed by subsequent ranks through Arrow of Light.
• The finals will be held the second to last race of the day, which will include the top two finishers from each rank (not including Open or sibling division).  See also rules for wildcard entries into the finals.
• The 1^st place through 3^rd place winners from each division as well as the finals will be recognized.
• We will also award design winners in several categories (Best Design, Fastest Looking, Most Original, Funniest Car, Best Scout Theme, Cubmaster’s Choice).
• We will have raffle prizes throughout the night until everyone has received a prize. Those who do not attend the races in person and watch virtually, will still receive a raffle prize.