Blue and Gold Banquet 2016

On Thursday, March 10, Pack 794 will be holding our Blue and Gold Banquet and Crossover Ceremony!

Each year in February, the Boy Scouts of America celebrates the anniversary of its founding in 1910.  To commemorate this, Cub Scout Packs hold the Blue and Gold Banquet in February or March each year.  Our Pack has one Webelos Scout who will be graduating, or crossing over, to the Boy Scout Troop this year.  In addition, many of our Tigers, Wolves, Bears, and Webelos, have completed their rank and will be recognized for that accomplishment.

Congratulations to James Craig, who will be receiving his Arrow of Light award, and will be crossing over into Boy Scout Troop 794.  It has been a great pleasure to serve as his leader this year and watch him work with his dad and brother to earn this award.  We all wish him the best of luck in Boy Scouts!

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

February Outing: Swimming!

On Saturday, February 6, 2016, the Pack will go swimming at the Highlands Ranch Southridge rec center!  Cost should be free, as many of us are Highlands Ranch residents and we can let guests come in.

Date: 2/6/16
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Location: Southridge Rec Center
Address: 4800 McArthur Ranch Rd, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130

We will meet there.

Please check back to see if any information has been updated.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. West

Raingutter Regatta!

Announcing the 5th annual Pack 794 2016 Raingutter Regatta!

We will be holding our annual Raingutter Regatta boat race on February 11, 2016.

The Raingutter Regatta is a time-honored Cub Scout tradition that involves building your own sailboat and racing it against your fellow Scouts' boats down a watery track.  One regatta boat kit was given to each registered Scout at the Pack meeting on 1/14/16.  You can also purchase car kits at the Scout Store or at www.scoutstuff.org.

Building Your Boat

You will have a month to build your boat.

These boats are not that difficult to build, as there are three main parts, the hulls, the body, and the mast and sail.  The hulls are made from balsa wood, and it is a good idea to sand them down to make them more streamlined.  When attaching the hulls to the body, make sure they are centered and even.  And when attaching the sail, you need to try to make the sail as perpendicular to the length of the boat as possible.

The goal is to build your boat so that it will travel as straight as possible down the track.  Each Scout will be given a straw through which to blow on the sail of their boat and make it go down the track.

And, you can also paint your boat and be creative with both the boat and the sail!

Rules

The Regatta is a double-elimination tournament.  This means that each Scout will get to race their boat at least twice against other scouts.  One Scout will only be able to race those two times, while other Scouts will race many times.

Each race will consist of two Scouts on either side of the track.  When given the "GO", they will blow their boat down the track, and the first boat to hit the end of the track wins that race.  The winner will continue up the winner track, and the loser will continue on the loser track.  Two losses eliminates a Scout from the tournament.

Use Official BSA materials for the boats only.  No motors or fans or other propulsion.

Awards

Awards will be given to the first, second, and third place finishing boats for each den.  Even if a Scout does not end up in the last few races, he may still be a winner in his den.

The Scout who is left standing at the end of the tournament will be the Pack Champion!

All Scouts will be awarded ribbons for their cars, such as most creative or most colorful

Good Luck!

January Outing: Colorado Adventure Point

On Saturday, January 23, 2016, the Pack will go rock climbing at Colorado Adventure Point!  Cost will be $10/registered scout, $20/sibling or prospective scout.

Date: 1/23/16
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Location: Colorado Adventure Point
Address: 10455 West Sixth Avenue, Denver, CO 80215, west entrance of building

We will meet at Mission Hills Church at 9:15 am and carpool over there.

Please check back to see if any information has been updated.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. West

January Webelos Outing

On Saturday, January 30, 2016, the Webelos scouts can attend the Ice Fishing outing with Boy Scout Troop 794!

Date: 1/30/16
Time: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Tahosa Scout Ranch
Address: 173 Co Rd 96, Ward, CO 80481

We will meet at Mission Hills Church at 7:00 am with the Troop, and will drive to Boulder.  In Boulder, we will meet for breakfast at the McDonalds on Baseline Road.  From there, we will drive up to Tahosa for a day of ice fishing.

This is a great opportunity to participate in an outdoors event with the Troop, and for the Arrow of Light scouts to complete their Scouting Adventure requirements.  While the Boy Scouts will be camping there that night, the Webelos scouts can only attend during the day.

All Webelos scouts and adults attending will want to be prepared for very cold winter conditions for this outing.  Here are some tips: Winter Camping

Please check back to see if any information has been updated.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

Pinewood Derby

Cub Scouts, start your engines!

Announcing the Pack 794 2016 Pinewood Derby!

We will be holding our annual Pinewood Derby race on January 14, 2016.  The Pinewood Derby is a time-honored Cub Scout tradition that involves building your own car and racing it against your fellow Scouts' cars.

One derby car kit will be given to each registered Scout at the Pack meeting on 12/10/15.  You can also purchase car kits at the Scout Store, at Michael's, or at US Toys.  Just make sure that you buy Official BSA car kits, NOT other similar car kits like those used for Awanas.

Building Your Car

You will have about a month to build your car.  Mr. West may have a workshop at his house on 12/27 in the afternoon.  If you are interested, please RSVP by email to cubmaster(at)bsapack794(dot)org.

Rules

Use Official BSA materials only
Car must weigh no more than 5.0 ounces
If the car weighs less than 5.0 ounces, that's fine, but it won't win
No motors or fans or other propulsion

Tips and Tricks:
Boys Life: How to make a fast derby car
Maximum Velocity: Five keys to Pinewood Derby performance

Awards

Awards will be given to the first and second place finishing cars for the Tigers, Wolves, Bears, and Webelos dens.  The Scout with the fastest car will also win the Pack Champion trophy.  All Scouts will be awarded ribbons for their cars.  You can try to make the fastest car, or you can try to make the most creative or most colorful or whatever kind of car you can imagine!  Will anyone make an awesome Star Wars-theme car?

Arapahoe District Pinewood Derby

The first and second place winners from each den will be able to participate in the Arapahoe district pinewood derby in April.  More information will be made available closer to that event.

Good Luck!

Bowling!

On Saturday, December 5, the Pack will have a bowling outing!  Cost will be $10/registered scout, $15/sibling or prospective scout.

Date: 12/5/15
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Location: AMF Littleton Lanes
Address: University and County Line,

2530 E County Line Rd, Littleton, CO 80126
 

Please check back to see if any information has been updated.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. West

November Den Meetings

This has been a great month!  Thank you to everyone that sold Scout Popcorn, especially Mr. Foster, and for getting the popcorn delivered.  We sold over $4300 worth of popcorn this year, doubling what we sold last year.  Also, thank you to everyone that participated in the Scouting for Food food drive this past weekend.  We collected a lot of food for the Mission Hills Church food bank!  And, also thank you to the Webelos scouts that attended the First Responder clinic.

We will meet this week on Thursday night, November 19, at 6:45, for Den Meetings.  If you are a Webelos or Arrow of Light scout, please check our Den Page for details about what we are working on.

We will not meet on November 26, because that is Thanksgiving.  I hope everyone has a great time with their families on this day.

Watch the website for details about our plans for December.  We have a bowling outing coming up, in addition to the Pack meeting and Den meeting next month.

I added a link on the right hand side called "Follow by Email".  If you enter your email address in there, you should receive a notice whenever this website is updated.  I hope this is helpful.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

Visit to DC Sheriff

On Wednesday, November 4, the whole Pack will be meeting at the Douglas County Sheriff Highlands Ranch Substation.  We will be given a tour of the facility and will visit with one or more Sheriff's deputies.

Time: 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: Douglas County Sheriff Highlands Ranch Substation
Address: 9250 Zotos Dr, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

This visit will meet the requirements for Adventures in each level.

Please check back to see if any information has been updated.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

Scouting for Food Service Project

On Saturday, November 14, the whole Pack will be participating in the Scouting for Food service project with Troop 794.  This project involves going door-to-door in different neighborhoods near Mission Hills and asking for canned food donations.  The food that is collected will be given to the Mission Hills Church food bank.

Time: 9:00 am to 12 noon
Location: Mission Hills Church

This post may be updated as I get more detailed information.

Yours In Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

First Responder Clinic - Webelos

On Saturday, November 7, there will be a First Responder clinic for Webelos Scouts.  The clinic will be held by Troop 794, and the Scouts that attend will complete the full First Responder adventure, which is required for Webelos rank and counts as an elective for Arrow of Light.

Time: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Location: Our Father Lutheran Church

Address: 6335 S Holly St, Centennial, CO 80121

Cost: $10

Lunch will be provided.

Please check back because I do not have the full information at this time and will be updating this post.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Grimes

Webelos and Arrow of Light Den Page

Please visit the Webelos and Arrow of Light den page.  I have just added some information there for our Webelos Scouts, and this page will be used as a reference for our dens.  I will be updating this each week.

Thanks!
Mr. Grimes

Updates

Dear Scouts and Scouters,

Please keep checking back on this website for any updates that might be made to any particular post after it is first posted.  Our plan is to use this website as a central location for getting information out to our families, instead of having to keep up with multiple email threads and not knowing what may have been told to who.  We will of course be using email and our Pack email lists, but before you send myself or another leader an email, you can check here first to see if you can find your answer.

See you Thursday!
Mr. Grimes

Where Do The Patches Go?

We have a lot of new families in the Pack, and one of the first questions you might have regards the Cub Scout Uniform.  This post will hopefully help you make sense of the uniform and where all the patches go.  If you have any questions, please talk to Mr. West or Mr. Grimes.

Scout Uniforms

Pack 794 has two Scout uniforms: Class A and Class B.  The Class A is the official uniform shirt with its various patches, and the Class B is the Pack T-shirt.  The Class A uniform consists of the following:

• Cub Scout Uniform Shirt
• Blue: Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos
• Tan: Webelos, Arrow of Light
• Cub Scout Belt
• Belt Loops are awarded for advancement towards Rank
• Neckerchief and Slide
• Rank Cap (optional)

The patches for the Class A that parents will purchase are:

• Top of Left Sleeve:
• Denver Area Council patch
• For blue shirt: Red & White numbers 7, 9, 4
• For tan shirt: Tan & Green numbers 7, 9, 4
• Tan shirt shoulder epaulets:
• Blue loops
• Left chest above the pocket:
• Purple World Scouting patch
• Right Sleeve under the U.S. Flag
• Den number patch (optional)
• The den number is chosen by each Den
• Mr. Grimes' Den is always Den 7
• Webelos Colors go here too

These patches and others that your Scout will earn over time are to be placed on the uniform according to the diagrams at these links:

• Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Uniform
• Webelos and Arrow of Light Uniform

Patches are either sewn on or you can use Badge Magic or an iron with fusible web.

There are official BSA Cub Scout blue uniform pants (or green for Webelos/AOL with tan shirts) that can be worn as well, but these are not required.  In our Pack, we require that the Scouts wear either blue jeans or similar pants that have belt loops so that the belt can be worn.  We also need the Scouts to wear closed-toe shoes.

Returning Webelos Scouts will wear the blue Class A shirt until they earn their Webelos rank.  After earning the Webelos rank, they will change over to wearing the tan shirt.  Any new Webelos or Arrow of Light Scouts can wear the tan shirt.

 

Adult Leader Uniforms

Adult Leaders are encouraged to also purchase a Class A uniform, which will be the same as the Webelos/Arrow of Light tan shirt described above.  There are awards that adult leaders can earn as well.  The Adult uniform consists of:

• Tan BSA Uniform Shirt
• Green BSA Scout Belt
• Neckerchief and Slide
• Tiger DL: Tiger Leader Neckerchief
• Wolf/Bear DL: Cub Scout Leader Neckerchief
• Webelos/AOL DL: Webelos Leader Neckerchief (with gold trim)
• Green BSA Cap

Patches for the adult uniform are placed according to this link:

• Adult Leader Uniform

There are official BSA Scout green uniform pants that can be worn as well, but these are not required.  In our Pack, we require that leaders wear either blue jeans or similar pants with belt loops so that the belt can be worn.  Leaders should also wear closed-toe shoes.

For Adult Leaders, we have three classes of uniform:

• Class A: described above
• Class B: Blue Cub Scout polo shirt
• Class C: Pack T-shirt

When to Wear Each Uniform

When the Pack gets together for Den Meetings, Pack Meetings, or outings, the Scouts and leaders should wear their Class A uniforms.  There will be events for which the Class B T-shirt will be worn instead for that event.  Wearing the Class A uniform will set our Scouts apart as being Cub Scouts and representing themselves, BSA, and Mission Hills Church in a respectable manner.

When we travel to any outings, Scouts and Leaders are also required to wear their Class A uniform while traveling.  Once you arrive at the destination, you can change out of it, but while on the road, the Class A is to be worn.  This is a BSA requirement.

The adult leaders will occasionally need to wear the adult Class B polo shirt for certain activities instead of the Class A.  These activities will be discussed beforehand.

How to Purchase the Uniforms

• Class A Uniform
• Denver Scout Store
• Online Scout Store (www.scoutstuff.org)
• Class B Scout or Class C Adult Uniform
• From the Pack, $10
• Class B Adult Uniform, $30
• From ScoutStuff.org
• When ordering, choose
• Color: Navy Blue
• Size: to fit yourself
• Line 1: Pack 794
• Line 2: 
• Design: Cub Scout 

September Meetings

It was great to see everyone and to have all of our new families at our first Pack meeting of the year last night!  For the rest of the month, we have Den Meetings and the Camporee on 9/19-9/20.  Here's the calendar for the month:

September Calendar

• 9/10 - Pack Meeting
• Theme: A Scout is Clean
• Popcorn Sale Kickoff
• Camporee information
• 9/17 - Den Meetings
• Meet as Dens, with new Scouts and new Leaders
• New Adventures start!
• Will meet to discuss Camporee questions at end of meeting
• 9/19-20 - Camporee
• Arrive as early as 8am Saturday
• Overnight campout Saturday night
• Leave Sunday morning
• See link for registration and info
• 9/24 - Den Meetings
• Continue working on Adventures

Coming in October

• Carnival!
• Popcorn Sales Due
• Continued Adventures...