Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Pack 118!!!

We hope you are all enjoying your school/work vacations!  May you all have a wonderful, safe new year!  Cub Scout Couriers will be in the mail within the next couple of days, so watch your mailboxes!!!

Merry Christmas Pack 118!

Thank you to all those families that attended our Christmas Around the World pack event last night.  It looked like the boys were having fun, while learning about some pretty cool traditions in other countries.  A HUGE thank you to Doug, Deanna, Cherie, Amy and Joan for putting together and running stations last night.  They are all a part of our pack committee/pack leadership and they did a great job!  (If you'd like to be on our committee, comment on this blog and we'll be in touch with you!)

Every boy that attended last night received his Space Derby rocket kit.  A few notes on that...our space derby race will be held on Tuesday, January 22.  We're going to shoot for 6:30-7:30, but plan on it going a bit later, no later than 8.  We will be sending out official building rules in our January Cub Scout Courier, so please don't start building rockets until you receive that.  Properly built rockets will save a ton of time on race day.  If you find that you're missing parts, please email Ryan at evannp@charter.net  Boys that didn't attend last night will receive their rockets at their first January den meeting. 

Being that this is a special time of year when people like to help each other, and in light of the tragedy last week in Newtown, a scout mother contacted us with a link to a website that gives a few options for lending a helping hand to those families in Connecticut.  If you have a moment, please feel free to check it out.  http://manchester.patch.com/articles/how-to-help-families-affected-by-newtown-school-shooting-26246878 

Lastly, we want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year!!

 

Thoughts and Prayers

Pack 118 would like to ask everyone out there to send their deepest thoughts and prayers to the community of Newtown, Connecticut and to all the children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  To all those families who lost young children, sisters, brothers, moms, dads, etc., we're praying for you.  Such a tragedy hits home to us all, especially in the scouting world where we work with young children and promote respect.  How someone could do something so vile is beyond belief.  Please, hug your children an extra time tonight.  Tell them how much you love them.  Enjoy every minute you can with them.  You just never know...May all those little victims rest in peace. 

Traditions Around the World

This is just a reminder to everyone that next Tuesday, December 18, is our December pack event from 6:30-7:30 in the cafeteria.  Our theme will be "Traditions Around the World" which will allow kids (and adults!) to learn about, and participate in, some holiday traditions in different countries.  They'll also get a sneak peak at what scouting is like in some of these countries.  Every child that attends this event will receive a small gift.  We are hoping to have Santa join us, but we haven't been able to "get in touch with him".  If you know how to do so, please email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net 

We will have a few fundraisers available for sale at this event as well; our pack cookbooks ($10), mixes in a jar ($7) and hot/cold corn packs ($5-$8).  This is also a great time to turn in Sharks ticket orders as well as neckerchief contest forms.  More forms will be available if someone still needs them. 

We hope to see everyone next Tuesday!

Thank you!

We wish to send out a HUGE thank you to all those families that helped out for our White Christmas bake sale (especially the Sickenberger Family for the popcorn machine!)!  We managed to raise roughly $130 to put toward summer camp! 

Even though sales were pretty good, we still have a bunch of the cranberry corn bread and also the friendship soup gifts in a jar left over!  They will be available for purchase at our December pack event on December 18th.  They are $7 each, which will be put toward camp. 

Also available for sale is our Pack 118 cookbook!  Joan Cook has worked her tail off to get these done and they look GREAT!!  Thank you to everyone who turned in recipes for her to use!   These will be for sale until we run out--we only have 50 copies!  The cost is $10 each, all the proceeds to benefit upcoming pack events. 

Don't forget about the Worcester Sharks tickets!!  If anyone is interested in buying tickets to the January 19th scout night, please see your den leader for an order form, or email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net  Tickets are $12 for scouts and $13 for everyone else.  Ideally, we'd like to place our order before the end of December, so get those in soon! 

Our Extreme Neckerchief Makeover contest is still in full swing!  Get creative and help us design our new neckerchief!!  Anyone can enter--scouts, siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.  See your den leader for an official entry form. 

White Christmas

White Christmas Celebration!!!

This Sunday from 12-3 is our bake sale at the school!!  We desperately need baked goods, individually wrapped, to sell.  We also need boys, in uniform, to help us sell.  Goodies can be dropped off at the school any time after 11:30 on Sunday, or they can be dropped off at Ryan's house anytime Friday or Saturday.  (131 New Braintree Road)  All the proceeds will go to the boys for summer camp.  Please comment on this post if you are interested in selling or email Amy at ALL4980@charter.net

Pack Updates

We have a few "housekeeping" items that we just want to make sure everyone knows...

--Scentsy fundraisers are due this Tuesday, the 27th.  All order forms and payments are due at this time.  Remember that your scout will earn 25% of his total sales toward his summer camp tuition.  Scentsy products make great gifts too! 

--West Brookfield is holding it's annual White Christmas on Sunday, December 2nd and the pack will once again hold it's bake sale at the school.  We are in need of families to bake goods for us to sell.  If you are willing to help, we ask that you please wrap items individually to help make them easier to sell and bring them up to the school around noon.  We will also be selling our leftover gifts in a jar as well as corn packs.  We will also need boys to help us sell our goods.  If you are interested in doing so, you may comment on this blog or email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net  This event runs from 12-3 so boys can work in small 1/2 hour to 1 hour shifts.  This bake sale will also go toward summer camp. 

--Cub Scout Couriers will be in the mail within a day or 2 so please be watching your mailboxes.  If you prefer to have it emailed to you, please let Amy know at ALL4980@charter.net. 

--Again we'd like to thank Corey Buzzell from Elite Martial Arts in Spencer for helping us out at our pack event this past week.  We want to remind everyone that he has offered our boys a FANTASTIC deal for the Christmas season!!  He is offering 6 weeks of classes for only $69!!!  AND....if you sign up for these online, he will donate that entire fee back to the pack!!  Please visit his website for more information.  www.elitemartialartsma.com 

Also be sure to check out our Respect Wall in the hallway!!

--Our Extreme Neckerchief Makeover has begun.  Sheets were passed out at our pack event but more are still available.  Den leaders will have them at upcoming den meetings if you are interested.  Basically, we're asking scouts, siblings, parents, etc to help us design a new neckerchief for Pack 118.  We think it's time for an update and we want everyone to be involved. 

--Pack 118 will be attending at Worcester Sharks ice hockey game on January 19.  Ticket order forms will be available at upcoming den meetings. 

--Lastly, while we appreciate everyone who donated toys for our toy drive, our box is still on the empty side!  We will continue to collect new, unwrapped toys for the next couple weeks.  Simply bring them to your den meeting and give them to your den leader.  All toys stay in the West Brookfield area and help bring a smile to children's faces Christmas morning. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would like to thank everyone who came out to our Respect Rally last night!  A special thank you goes out to Corey Buzzell and his demonstration team for performing for us.  Corey delivered a very important message and it seems as though every boy in the room picked up on it.  Also, a huge thank you to everyone who brought in a donation for our Toys for Joy drive.  Those toys will all be delivered to children in West Brookfield who otherwise wouldn't be able to have Christmas.  We will still take any toy donations if anyone else would like to contribute.  You can bring them to your den leader for the next 2 weeks. 

All that being said, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Respect Rally

Tuesday, November 20th will be our next pack event.  We will be hosting our first ever Respect Rally!  We have a special guest scheduled to come in to talk about respect and bullying--an important message for everyone!!  We'll have a special Court of Honor to give boys any advancements they've earned so far this year, including those earned at summer camp.  We'll also have our Toys for Joy donation box out and will be collecting new, unwrapped toys to be delivered to needy children in town this Christmas.  We'll also have our Scentsy representative available to show some of her items as well as her scents so anyone selling for that camp fundraiser can see first hand what Scentsy is. 

This event will run from 6:30-7:30pm in the WBES Cafeteria

We hope to see everyone there!  (Uniforms should be worn, as boys will be up on stage)

Vendor Fair a Success!

A big thank you goes out to the 17 boys who spent some time with us Saturday at the vendor fair!  When all was said and done, we were able to raise just over $300 to put toward summer camp!  The boys did a great job talking with their customers and a great job figuring out change! 

We still have plenty of corn packs and gift jars left, so we'll bring those with us when we set up our table at the White Christmas bake sale on December 2nd.  We'll be looking for volunteers to bake and sell at that event also, so be sure to let Amy know if you'd like to help out. You can reach her by commenting on this post.  Proceeds from that will also be put toward camp.  (more information on the White Christmas will be out shortly!)

Scentsy fundraiser information has been given out.  If you are interested in selling Scentsy products for camp cash, please see your den leader if you haven't received your packet yet.  Amy Gray had a Scentsy table at the vendor fair--the products are well made and smell AMAZING!!  Amy will have a table at our "Respect Rally" next Tuesday so everyone can sample her scents.  Feel free to see her then with any questions you may have. 

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful weather!!

We'll never forget...

Please remember to thank a veteran!  We wish all our veterans a happy veterans day this Sunday and everyday!  Thank you!!

After the storm...

Hopefully everyone made it through Hurricane Sandy unharmed!  On behalf of everyone in Pack 118, we'd like to send our thoughts and prayers to those in New Jersey, New York, and other storm ravaged areas who suffered greatly and who are still suffering.  It's a good time for us to remember to count our blessings...

This Tuesday (election day!) there is no school for WBES students.  We are still hoping to have meetings as usual.  We are waiting official word from Mrs. Mucha as to if we can use the school or not, but in the past it has not been an issue.  Please contact your den leader if you are unsure of the status of Tuesday's meeting. 

This week kicks off our first 2 camp fundraisers!!  Amy Gray (assistant webelos 1 den leader) is a Scentsy candle consultant and has generously set us up to sell her products as a camp fundraiser.  Packets are ready to go out and candles are ready to be sold!  Amy will be around to meetings on Tuesday with the packets and to give out additional information.  Scouts will earn 25% of what they sell to put toward summer camp!!  These are amazing candles and make GREAT holiday gifts!

Our second fundraiser will be held this coming Saturday, November 10.  This is the PTG's vendor fair and Pack 118 will have a table set up.  Last year we sold our corn heating pads and made almost $500!!  This year we have some heating pads left as well as some "gifts in a jar".  (Think cookie making ingredients) Boys that attend on Saturday will be given a share of the profits to put toward their summer camp tuition.  If you are interested in having your scout "work", please let Amy LaRoche know at ALL4980@charter.net  The fair runs from 9-2 at the elementary school.  We will need boys to help set up around 8am, man the table from 9-2 (in hour or so increments) and to help clean up until about 3pm.  Remember that Tigers need to have a parent present!  Even if you don't want to help us with our table, come check out the fair and support our elementary school! 

Weather update

With the potential for some "snow days" with Hurricane Sandy, we want to remind everyone that if the Quaboag Regional School District cancels school for Tuesday, den meetings will also be canceled.  We hope everyone makes it thru safely! 

Also, Cub Scout Couriers for November will be mailed out on Monday, so watch your mailboxes!  If you'd like to have it emailed to you, please let Ryan know! 

Awesome Fall Festival

We would like to thank everyone for coming out to our first pack event--the Fall Festival!  Believe it or not, this was our best attended event EVER!!  We were only missing 3, that's right, 3 boys!! The weather was gorgeous and the boys had fun!  We do apologize for running over on time...we will try much harder in November! 

We do have a ton of people to thank for making our fall festival a success.  First off, our committee/leaders!  Joan, Amy G, Doug, Laurie, Cherie, Amy L, Dan, and Ryan have all worked really hard at planning and putting together the events.  Joan, thank you for all the clothes, the pumpkins, and the leaves.  Cherie, thank you also for your leaves.  Laurie, thank you for getting the cider for us.  Dan and Sheri, thank you for helping out with the fruit loops game. Doug, thank you for your help in setting up and getting the cider ready.  Amy and Amy, thanks for keeping those Webelos under control!  We also had a lot of donations presented to us and we'd like to make sure they are mentioned.  THANK YOU to Allen's Cider Mill here in town for donating our cider.  Thank you to Samek's farm stand for donating some of our pumpkins and thank you to the Bousquet family for pitching in the rest!  Thank you to Lowe's for donating our bales of hay.  And a big thank you to Mrs. Mucha for letting us display our scarecrows in front of the school. 

We hope everyone had a good time and we hope to see you all at our November pack event on Tuesday the 20th.  Cub Scout Couriers will be sent out this week with more information. 

Kickoff Campout--NO RAIN!!

After changing the date of our Kickoff Campout, twice, we FINALLY were able to have beautiful weather!  Even though we only had 8 boys attend (and a couple other siblilngs), and the overnight got a bit chilly,  the boys had a great time!  The highlight of the evening was the much anticipated "meteor shower" that began lighting up the night sky around 10pm.  While we didn't get to see the peak of the shower, it was still fun to watch the clear night sky.  We have to send out very special thank yous to Eli, who kept our fire stoked and hot, to the entire Segatore family for letting us take over their field, and to R.Barnes Sanitation for donating a porta potty for our evening.  All in all the campout was a success, but we need more kids camping!  Don't worry though...there will be another campout in May!!!

Some of the boys got tired waiting to see the meteor shower!

Our happy little group of campers...and Murphy!

Events this week

We wanted to remind everyone of a couple updates for this coming week...

#1--Saturday  night is our kickoff campout!!!  The weather is going to be beautiful tomorrow, and nice and warm!!  Make sure you bring tent stakes though, as it's supposed to get windy!  Arrive after dinner (between 5:30 and 6:30 would be ideal) and leave after breakfast in the morning.  It's going to be FUN!! (See the previous post for more detailed information)



#2--Our Fall Festival Pack Event will take place on Tuesday, October 23rd, from 6:30-7:30 pm.  This will be held outside (right now it looks like a dry day) so please dress accordingly.  Parents may also bring chairs to sit in if desired.  The boys will make scarecrows to display outside the art room, play a game to earn the "spirit stick", and have some fun around a campfire.  If anyone would like to bring a carved pumpkin for us to light, please do!  It'll add to the ambiance of the evening!  If we get enough entries, we'll have a prize for the most creative one!  As always, it's a family event so siblings are more than welcome to join in the fun!  Warm cider will be served as a refreshment as well.  Uniforms aren't really required as we'll all be outside wearing jackets.   We will meet for this event right outside the art room doors at the school.  Just look for the Cub Scout Sign out front. 

We hope to see many people enjoy these events with us!  Any questions?  Don't hesitate to call our Cubmaster, Ryan, at (774)200-1418 or (508)867-8367

Campout is on!!!

GREAT NEWS!! 

Our kickoff campout will take place this weekend...with one little change.  If you've seen the weather report, you know it's going to rain Friday and Saturday morning.  (of course!) Because of this, we've decided to bump the campout up a night, and go Saturday night to Sunday morning.  We will still meet after dinner so please plan on that.  It will still be at the Segatore home at 18 Lake street here in town. Arrival anytime after 5:30pm would be great.  (keeping in mind that it gets darker earlier and you'll have to pitch a tent.)  We will have a nice warm snack off the campfire, sing songs, play games, have tons of FUN!!!  Breakfast will be served in the morning and after that everyone is free to depart. 

*Due to the rain, it might be a good idea to bring a tarp big enough for your tent to sit on.  This will create a nice barrier between your tent (and sleeping bag!) and the wet ground***

What should I bring camping???

--A tent

--Sleeping bag/pillow

--Tent or other ground cover

--Warm clothes to sleep in

--Toothbrush/toothpaste

--flashlight

--Camp chair

--Rain gear (pack 118 ALWAYS brings rain gear!)

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call Ryan LaRoche at (508)867-8367 or email at evannpd@charter.net

Hope to see you all there!!!!

Spook-o-ree Reminder

This is a just a reminder to everyone that if you are interested in attending our Council's Spook-o-ree event you must get your registration form and payment in to your den leader by the end of next week!  We cannot sign you up after October 17th!! If you have any questions or would like more information, please either comment on this post or email our Cubmaster at evannpd@charter.net

Scouting Outing Alert!!!

We want to let everyone know about a very special "Scouting Outing" that is coming up!  Our scouting Council (Mohegan Council) is running a council-wide spook-o-ree this year!  In previous years, it's been a district (ours is Massasoit) event.  This is being held on Saturday, October 27 from 3-8pm at Treasure Valley.  What is it?  It's a HUGE Halloween type party.  Kids can come in costume and they get to play all sorts of themed games, do activities, haunted houses, etc.  Fliers went home with boys last night (Bear den will get them Friday at soccer!) and need to be returned soon.  It really is a fun time for everyone who attends.  Oh yeah, the scouts all get a patch for attending!!  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call Ryan at (508)867-8367

Campout Rescheduled

We hope everyone enjoyed their cool, rainy weekend at home!  Truth be told, we did!  We have decided to give the campout a second try.  We will schedule it for Friday, October 19-Saturday, October 20.  Time will still be around 6:30 Friday night until about 8:30 Saturday morning, and it will still be held at the Segatore's home at 18 Lake street.  In the event of rain again, we will simply cancel this event for the fall. 

We've heard a few comments through the grapevine that boys didn't want to come out camping if it's in someone's backyard.  They'd rather it be in the woods somewhere.  Here are our thoughts on this.  We have a bunch of new boys in the pack this year and we wanted to break them in gently.  Giving first time campers a place to camp that's close to home will help give them a great camping experience.  In the spring, we most certainly will go camping at Treasure Valley to satisfy all you "true" campers out there.  Please come anyway, as it will be TONS of fun!! 

Campout Cancelled

Due to the icky weather on the way, it has been decided that our Kickoff Campout will be cancelled for this weekend, but possibly postponed.  Please check back again in a day or so for updated information. 

Of course it's going to rain!

When it comes to outings with Pack 118, please note that the weather folks are NEVER on our side!  We have our campout this Friday to Saturday, and yes, it's supposed to rain.  We just want to let you know that we will go on as planned so please join us!  Right now it's "a chance for showers" so we'll work with that.  If it should turn into "soaking downpours" we'll reconsider!  Don't forget to pack your raingear!!!  Should we decide to cancel, we'll post it here Friday morning, so check back!

Recipes needed

Our fundraising committee has decided to put together a Pack 118 cookbook to sell as an upcoming fundraiser, but they need everyone's help.  Recipes are desperately needed!!  If you have a favorite family recipe, please send it in!  We're also looking for local "celebrities" to donate recipes as well, so if you know any (teachers, police officers, political figures, librarians, etc) please let them know of our request.  We are hoping to have these in and ready to sell in November, so we need recipes within the next couple weeks.  You can email your recipes to Joan Cook at hazel92300@hotmail.com or you can bring a printed copy to your den leader.  Thank you all in advance for your help!

Kickoff Campout Details

So the plans are finally made!  Here are the details on our first campout of the year!!!

Pack 118

Kick off Campout

Friday, September 28-Saturday, September 29

6:30pm Friday-8:30am Saturday

18 Lake St. West Brookfield

(the home of the Segatore family...Thanks guys!)

Ask boys why they want to join scouting and you'll probably hear "to go camping!"  Who are we to disappoint?  This will be a short duration campout due to soccer games and other commitments, but it will be tons of fun just the same!  We will be starting after dinner, so please plan on eating before hand.  There will be a yummy snack cooked over the campfire later in the evening!  We'll sing songs around the campfire, maybe play a few games, eat some tasty treats...and so much more!  This is a family campout, so please bring everyone!  Remember that scouts (except for Webelos) cannot camp alone, so at least 1 adult must be present. 

What should I bring to this campout???

a Tent for your family

a nice warm sleeping bag & pillow

warm pajamas

warm clothes (nights are getting cool)

rain gear (just in case!!!)

a flashlight with extra batteries

toothbrush & toothpaste

bug spray

camp chair if you have one

Pack 118 will be providing the campfire snack as well as breakfast the next morning. We'll also make sure there is plenty of water available for everyone.  

We'll need a rough headcount so we can plan on food, so please let your den leader know if you plan on attending, or you can comment on this post.  

We hope to see everyone there to help get our scouting year off to a GREAT start!! 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call or email our cubmaster, Ryan LaRoche, at (508)867-8367   evannpd@charter.net

Kickoff Campout

Even though final plans aren't in place yet, Pack 118 will hold it's first ever Kickoff Campout as it's first pack meeting this year!  This will definitely take place Friday, September 28 until Saturday morning, September 29th.  Location is not set in stone yet, so check back for updates on that.  As always, this is a family event, so bring everyone!  If you know of a boy who is not in scouts, but might like to join, feel free to bring him along! We'll play games, sing songs, and of course have a campfire!  So mark your calendars and save the date for our Campout!!!

Welcome Back 118!!!

We held our annual registration day today, and while we didn't have a huge turnout, we do have 4 new scouts to welcome to the pack!  Nicholas, Owen S, Evan, and Owen A are our first 4 new tigers!  

Even though our "official" sign up was today, we will accept new scouts any time!  We did hear about a few boys who were planning on signing up, so please feel free!  And tell your friends! Most dens start meeting this week (see the schedule below for your den's start date) so if you're interested in joining, you can feel free to drop in and the den leader will be happy to sign your scout up!  Returning scouts, please remember that you still need to register!  

The cost for scouting is $30 for boys that were with us last year and $45 for those boys that were not.  Also available for an extra $12 is the Boys Life Magazine (a scouting magazine for boys).  Checks can be made out to "Pack 118".   If registration fees are an issue for your family, please call Ryan at the phone number below.  Financial difficulties shouldn't be a reason for a boy not to join.  Something can definitely be worked out.  

If you want more information, you can comment on this post below, or you can email our cubmaster, Ryan LaRoche, at evannpd@charter.net or give him a call at (508)867-8367

We hope everyone's looking forward to a year full of scouting fun!! 

Tiger Den (1st Grade boys)--Den #5--Leader, ???? First meeting on Tuesday, September 11 6:30-7:30, WBES Cafeteria

Wolf Den (2nd grade boys)--Den #1--Leaders, Sheri Osborne & Dan Para--first meeting on Tuesday, September 11 6:30-7:30, WBES Cafeteria

Bear Den (3rd grade boys)--Den #2--Leader, Deanna Lucia--First meeting, TBA (keep checking back for more info)

Webelos 1 Den (4th grade boys)--Den #3--Leaders, Amy LaRoche, Amy Gray, & Joan Cook--First meeting, Tuesday, September 11 6:30-8pm, WBES Art room

Webelos 2 Den (5th grade boys)--Den #4--Leader, Ryan LaRoche--First meeting, Tuesday, September 18, 6:30-7:30 WBES Cafeteria

Registration Information

Here it is...registration info for the 2012-2013 scouting year!  If you would like to skip our official registration day and mail in a registration form with your payment, please see the "Registration Form" page to the right.  Registration forms will also be mailed out this week with our latest Cub Scout Courier newsletter.  Those registration forms should be mailed to

Cub Scout Pack 118

c/o Ryan LaRoche

131 New Braintree Road

West Brookfield, MA  01585

For those of you wishing to sign up during our registration day, we'd love to see you!  This event will be held on Saturday, September 8 from 8am-12noon at the school. 

Registration fees are as follows (and must be included at the time of registration):

Returning Scout--$30

Brand New Scout--$45

Boys Life Magazine--$12 (1 year subscription)

Most den meetings are scheduled to begin the week of September 10th, so if you're mailing in forms, be sure to mail them back ASAP so den leaders can get in touch with you regarding that first meeting. 

As always, if you have any questions, please call our Cubmaster, Ryan LaRoche, at (508)867-8367 or email him at evannpd@charter.net

We're all looking foward to a fun filled year of scouting!!

Almost time...

With August already half over, it's time to start thinking back to school and also back to cub scouts!  Our committee and leaders will be getting together in the next week to discuss our registration dates and also to figure out pack meetings.  If you have any ideas for pack meetings, please feel free to comment on this post!  We'd love to get more feedback!  A cubscout courier will be mailed out soon, so watch for that!

Summer Camp is in full swing!

Now that school is finally out, the pack 118 scouts are enjoying summer camp!  Last week was the first week of Webelos Resident camp, to which 14 of our Webelos 1 den attended.  The next 5 weeks will host Cub Scout Day Camp which many of our wolf and bear dens are attending.  Week 2 of Webelos camp will kick off on August 5th.  There is still time to sign up for weeks 3 & 4 of day camp as well as week 2 of webelos camp if you are interested.  Please email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net if you would like more information.  If you scout attends camp and you have any pictures, feel free to email them to us and we'll post them here.  We'd love to see all the fun they had!!

Enjoy your summer pack 118!!!

Congratulations to our Cubmaster!!

He probably won't appreciate that this posting is up, but he earned it so it's worth sharing!  

Last night at the Massasoit District awards supper, our very own cubmaster, Ryan LaRoche, was awarded with the highest award that can be given to a scouting volunteer--the prestigious District Award of Merit!  One person is chosen each year to receive this award, but this year 2 recipients were chosen.  (The other person is a secret, but still near and dear to pack 118!)  Ryan was chosen as one of the 2 because of his constant service to scouting.  Not only has he run the pack all year, he also taught classes at Scouter University, he put together and ran classes for this spring's OWL/BALOO training, he ran the district pinewood derby, took place in the council's chuckwagon Derby, joined the district committee as the cub scout activities chairperson, aided in the Walker Memorial, planned and was involved in the district camporee, and he's camp director of Webelos Resident Camp! 

If you know Ryan at all, you know he hates being recognized for anything, but he truly deserves to be recognized this year.  Being his wife, yes, I'm biased, but he's a great leader and a scout at heart.  He truly deserves this award and all the recognition that goes with it. 

Congratulations Ryan!!!  A job well done!!!

Congratulations

One more time, we'd like to congratulate all the boys on a job well done this year!  Every boy worked very hard and hopefully every boy had a good time doing it!  A HUGE thank you to our Cubmaster, Ryan LaRoche, who worked our graduating den to the bone!  The boys all grew to know him as a leader, a mentor, and a friend.  I believe there were tears in his eyes as he watched those boys cross that bridge to boy scouts! 

Another thank you to all you parents for all the work you put in with your sons.  Without the family support at home, scouts would surely fall flat.  Cub Scouts is a family driven program and we try to incorporate families as much as we can.  That being said, anyone interested in taking on a more active role may contact Ryan (evannpd@charter.net) to get more information on how our committee works. 

To all the den leaders, GREAT JOB this year!  You've all heard the saying "it's only an hour a week" when talking about the commitment of a den, but truly, it's so much more than that!  Our leaders work tirelessly to plan meetings, outings, events and it's not easy work trying to figure out who did what requirements and who was at that outing, etc.  They all deserve a very loud round of applause for all the hard, unseen work that they do! 

Keep checking the blog this summer, as we'll be posting every now and then.  We're hoping to put up our registration form for the fall to make that easier for everyone.  We are also hoping to put some links to requirements for belt loops and such so boys can work at home.  We'll also post some summer camp pictures so if you get any, please send them to Amy at all4980@charter.net

Hope to see you all in the fall everyone!!!  And again, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Pack Crossover Ceremony & Graduation

This Saturday, June 9th, will be Pack 118's annual Webelos crossover and Graduation ceremony.  This will take place at the Elementary school from 4-6pm.  All boys should come in their best uniforms and be prepared to go up on stage to receive awards and recognition.  Join us as we say goodbye to our Webelos 2 den.  Logan, Jacob, Josh, Robert, Allan, Colt, and Phillip will all be crossing over the bridge to Boy Scout Troop 118 and we wish them the best of luck!  Please join us for this special celebration!!

CAMPOREE CANCELED!!!!

For any of you planning on attending the scout camporee tomorrow night, Council has decided to cancel the event due to the threat of severe weather!!!!  The Walker Memorial Scout Service will still be held at the Walnut Grove Cemetary but at 6pm instead of 5pm.  Ryan will be there representing 118, but please feel free to join him.  Anyone who has already paid for the camporee will be reimbursed. 

Camporee this Weekend!!

The first annual, Massasoit District Cub Camporee is taking place this weekend!  We will be camping out at Brookfield Orchards on Saturday, June 2nd starting around 1pm.  There are lots of activities planned and lots of fun to be had!  If you would like to attend please send Ryan an email at evannpd@charter.net and let him know how many will be attending.  You can check out our camping page to the left for more information. 

Also this weekend is the Walker Memorial ceremony.  This will take place on Saturday at 5pm.  Those attending the campout will automatically be attending, as it's billed into the schedule for the day.  Anyone wishing to attend just the ceremony may.  Please arrive at Walnut Grove Cemetary (down the road from the orchard) in full uniform by 5pm.  This lasts about an hour or so.  The ceremony is held in memory of those scouts and leaders that have passed away since this time last year.  It's a great way for the pack to pay its respects to those who have given and passed. 

We hope you can join us!!!

Memorial Day Parade

Everyone knows that Monday, May 28 is Memorial Day, and everyone should know by now that we march in the parade here in town.  There has been a slight change in plans this year that everyone should be made aware of.  Monday morning, between 8:30 and 8:45am we will meet for the parade AT THE SCHOOL!  We will not be meeting at the church like usual.  Please make sure boys are in FULL uniforms (uniform shirt tucked in, blue pants/shorts, hat, neckerchief w/slide...) They should also bring a water bottle as it looks like it'll be a hot day!  Remember that Tigers need to have a parent march as well, but marching alongside the parade within sight of us is fine.  Please join us for this special event!

Great weekend!

Thank you to the 7 scouts and their families that participated in our family campout!  Hopefully Nathaniel, Nathen, Cameron, Teylor, Josh, Allan, and Justin (as well as Katelyn) all had a great time!  It might have been a small crowd but everyone participated willingly in everything that was offered.  From "kicked up s'mores" to omelets in a bag and campfire pizza, boys had a great attitude!  A HUGE thank you to Outdoor World in Sturbridge for allowing us to use their facilities at no cost!  And a huge thanks to Laurie for setting that up for us! 

Our next camping adventure, which will hopefully lure more of the pack in, will be in 2 weeks on June 2 & 3!  This will take place at the Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield and is a District event.  We will also be participating in the Walker Memorial Scout service to remember those scouts that have passed away this past year.  There are tons of activities planned and it promises to be a good time.  The cost for this event is $5 per person and includes all the food and a patch for everyone.  Please see the campout page to the right for more detailed information.  See your den leader to sign up or email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net

We also have coming up on Saturday, May 26th, the Lake Wickaboag clean up day.  The scouts have been asked to join in the Lake Wickaboag Association in cleaning up the lake area to get it ready for summer.  This should run from 9am until about 11am.  Everyone should meet at the town beach area.  Please wear your pack 118 t-shirts as well as your hat.  Please bring work gloves if you have them or just regular latex or vinyl gloves, as we will be cleaning up trash.  It's a great way for our boys to get out there in the community!  Please join us!

Weekend Campout

This weekend will be our annual family campout!  This year it will be held all weekend long, unlike in years past when it was only one night!  We'll be camping out at Outdoor World in Sturbridge on Friday and Saturday, May 18 &19th, with our departure day Sunday May 20.  If you are planning on arriving Friday, please do so after dinnertime, (around 6:30 or so) and please be sure to eat dinner before arriving.  We will have some campfire snacks when the sun goes down!  Our committee has planned a weekend full of fun events so please join us!  Can't stay the entire weekend?  No problem!  Come and go as you'd like.  If you haven't already signed up to come, please email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net and let him know you'll be there. We have a mighty small group of campers right now, but lots of fun will still be had!  Check out our campout page to the right for more information.  Hope to see you there! 

Thank you walkers!

While the morning started out gray, it turned out PERFECT for our group of walkers at the Walk of Champions this past Sunday!  It was nice to see so many little smiling faces ready to show support for those that have battled and are currently battling cancer.  A HUGE thank you to Mrs. O'Shea who chose to walk with our group "Scouts for Survival"!  It was truly our honor!  At last tally, our small (but generous) group raised about $1200 for the cause!  Way to go everyone and thank you for supporting the Walk of Champions!

Walk of Champions

A reminder that the Walk of Champions is this coming Sunday, May 6th!  We will be meeting at the Quabbin Reservoir for 9am.  Please make sure you are wearing your "scouts for survival" tshirts as well as your pack 118 hat if you have one!  Bring a water bottle--it's supposed to be nice and warm!  To date we have raised about $850, which beats last year's total!  Way to go Pack 118!  Hope to see all of you there!

Ecotarium trip on Saturday!

Hopefully everyone is getting super excited about our special trip this weekend!  It's our Ecotarium overnight!  Some things to remember...we all need to meet at the Ecotarium no later than 6:30.  Our program will start right at 7pm, so we need to be on time!  Please remember to eat dinner before you arrive!  Also remember that we will be sleeping on the floor of the museum, so if you want to bring air mattresses, feel free!  We will have a late night snack which will be provided to us, but if you'd like to bring your own, that's fine too.  Breakfast will be provided in the morning as well.  Be sure to bring warm clothes as we do embark on a very early morning hike and Sunday morning is supposed to be cold!  Be prepared!  Boys should wear either their actual scout uniform or at the very least, their Pack 118 tshirt and hat.  For more information, please see the Ecotarium page to the right or give Ryan a call at (508)867-8367 or email him at evannpd@charter.net 

*We do have a couple spots left if anyone else would like to join us.  Please call Ryan ASAP so we'll know to expect you!  Again, the cost is $10 for cub scouts and $30 for an adult or sibling. 

Weekend Campout

As some of you may have heard, we're planning a weekend family campout!  It's still about a month away (May 18, 19, 20th) but that gives you all plenty of time to prepare!  This awesome event will be held at Outdoor World in Sturbridge and is actually a campground that has running water, showers, a pool, etc.  There will be sign up sheets going around at den meetings so if you're interested in going, please sign up!  Since it is the entire weekend, please feel free to come and go as you want.  We'll plan some meals, games, activities, etc.  It's going to be tons of fun!!!  There will eventually be a page to the right dedicated to this campout, so check back soon!

We also have another camping opportunity in June, but more information on that will be coming out later!

Walk of Champions

Even though the Walk of Champions isn't being held until Sunday, May 6th, Amy Gray (our team coordinator) is asking that anyone donating money present that to her no later than next Tuesday, April 24th, as she has to turn it in at the end of the month. 

Remember that if you would still like to walk with us you may even if you haven't signed up to, and if you can't walk but want to donate, please feel free to do so! 

Any questions, don't hesitate to get in contact with our Cubmaster, Ryan, at evannpd@charter.net

Cake Bake a Success--sort of!

We have to give a HUGE thank you to the 13 boys, yes, 13 boys, that attended our cake bake Friday night.  The cakes looked amazing!  You all used your creativity and imagination and they came out fantastic!  Even though we only had 13 scouts attend, our generous attendees were able to donate just over $300 to little Malia!  Hopefully everyone had a good time and had some good laughs!  Yuuuuup!!!

Tommy & Justin were the high bidders so they got to do the honors...

Cubmaster Ryan is a great sport!

last day for cans!

Don't forget our cake bake this coming Friday, but don't forget that it's also the last day to donate your returnable cans and bottles to our can "camp"aign!  We've raised about $60 so far, and we still have about 5 bags to turn in!  A HUGE thanks to the bear den as they've turned all those in!  Also on Friday, we'll be announcing our winners of the essay contest!  You don't want to miss that!  Join us at 6:30 Friday night for lots of fun and excitement!!

Cake Bake Auction on Friday

A friendly reminder that our annual cake bake auction is being held this Friday, April 13 from 6:30-8pm at the Elementary School.  Boys are asked to bake and decorate a cake (keeping with the theme of "going camping") at home and bring it to the event to be auctioned off.  All of the money raised will be going to our little friend Malia who is still receiving treatment for her cancer.  We will also have a jar that we are challenging everyone to fill with change.  If the jar is full at the end of our meeting, Ryan will receive a cake right in the face! 

Walk of Champions

Pack 118 is pleased to once again be taking part in the Walk of Champions put on by Baystate Mary Lane Hospital.  This walk is put together to raise money for families that are currently affected by cancer.  Everyone knows someone who has survived, is fighting, or who has lost their battle with cancer.  Den 3 even has it's own cancer survivor, JR!  The date for the walk is Sunday, May 6th and takes place at the Quabbin Reservoir.  Our "team captain", and assistant bear leader,  Amy Gray is trying to compile a list of walkers as well as their shirt sizes so that she can turn in our registration form. To get our team name on our shirts, we need to be registered by April 6th, so email Amy ASAP!!!!  If you are interested, please email her ASAP at noodlesaw@yahoo.com  If you cannot walk with us, but would still like to support the "scouts for survivors" team, again, please email Amy and she will gladly accept your donation.  We were able to raise over $700 last year and this year we'd love to top that!  Let's all come together, Pack 118, and show cancer patients that we care!!! 

April 3--Deadlines!

Just a last minute reminder that this coming Tuesday, April 3rd, is the deadline for 2 very important events. 

#1--This is the last day to sign up for and turn money in for our Ecotarium trip.  This is a wonderful time for everyone that attends...we will be attending a planetarium show, making our own telescopes, exploring the museum (which we have all to ourselves!), getting a tour of the animals, and so much more!  Every boy that attends will receive his astronomy belt loop and a special patch.  The cost is $10 per cub scout and $30 for anyone else that would like to join us.  We aren't even half full, so siblings are encouraged to attend!  We do sleep over (yes, on the hard museum floor) and stay up late, but it really is a GREAT time!!  A sign up sheet will be going around this Tuesday, or you can email Ryan at evannpd@charter.net if you want to sign up. 

#2--Summer camp is just around the corner and we're trying to help our campers out!  We are holding our second annual essay contest.  Boys are encouraged to write an essay based on our theme, "what does the cubscout motto mean to me?" to try to earn a full campership to the camp of his choice.  (Our graduating Webelos have the chance to win $250 toward their camp fee) Essays should be handwritten and should be in the boys own words.  Tuesday is the last day to turn these in as they will be voted on later in the week.  Smaller camperships are also going to be awarded, so get those essays in!  (If you would like to send your scout to summer camp but the camp fee is a problem for your family, please check out our summer camp page to the right and find our link to the campership application page.  Mohegan Council offers camperships to those families that need it.)

misprint in CS Courier!!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!!

In this month's cub scout courier, it was stated that on April 21st we would be volunteering our time at the annual lake cleanup on Lake Wickaboag.  This is actually for a different lake cleanup!!!  The Lake Wickaboag cleanup day that we will be volunteering for will be held on Saturday, May 26 from 9-12noon.  More information will be going out about that in our next newsletter.  We truly are sorry for the misinformation!

Scout day at OSV

This coming Saturday, March 31st, is Boy Scout day at Old Sturbridge Village!  It's a cool event that the village does to accommodate our scouts and even takes care of some of each ranks requirements!  Boys and adults get a special discounted rate for the day.  (Boys should wear their uniforms) Boys that have gone in the past had a great time!  It's worth checking it out!  Click on the link below to check out OSV's website about this event!

http://www.osv.org/activities_events/event_calendar_more.html?ID=486&DateID=1767

Pinewood Derby Update!!

Congratulations to all of the boys that participated in our annual pinewood derby this past Saturday!  Out of our 52 registered boys, 38 built and raced a car.  And all those cars looked amazing!  We had a wide variety of cars...from a turtle, a shark, and a snake, to the Mystery Machine, an Army tank, and even a Bruins car!  We even had a special parents and siblings race that proved to be a lot of fun!  Everyone "did their best" and it certainly showed!  Below you'll find our list of top finishers for each den!

Tigers:     1--Gabe, 2--Bryan, 3--Nicholas
Wolves:  1--Nicholas, 2--Michael, 3--Scott
Bears:     1--Teylor, 2--Daniel S, 3--Evan
Webelos:  1--Kai, 2--John, 3--Justin
Cobra Patrol:  1--Josh, 2--Jacob, 3--Phillip

The winner of our parent/sibling race was Kaitlyn
And the winner of our crowd favorite car was Brandon!

A HUGE thank you to the "pit crew"...Doug, our computer guy; Amy G, our car runner; Mark, our official "eyes" at the end of the track; and Amy L, official car check-in person.  Thank you also to everyone who attended and helped us clean up after.  It truly is appreciated!  Congratulations everyone!

photo courtesy of Bob Potvin

photo courtesy of Bob Potvin

Sundaes a success!

Thank you to everyone who helped out at our Ice Cream Social yesterday!  The boys managed to raise almost $350!! Thank you to all the boys that worked the tables (and flagged down cars!), thank you to the parents who stayed and helped out and donated toppings and scoops, and a HUGE thank you to Stop and Shop and Hannaford for donating most of our stuff!  The boys had a good time and everyone enjoyed their ice cream.  (Even a puppy dog got a "sundae")

With this event over, it's time to push our pinewood derby!  Don't forget that check in night is this Friday, March 23 from 6-8 pm in the science lab.  Our derby will begin at 3pm on Saturday the 24th.  Check in night is just that, a check in.  Come in.  We'll weigh your car, make sure it's good and you can leave!  Simple as that!  If you cannot make it Friday night, you MUST be there at 2:30 Saturday afternoon to get your car checked in and ready to go, otherwise you risk not being able to race!  Make sure to follow the specs as outlined on our pinewood derby rules page to the right.  If you have questions, please call Ryan at (508)867-8367.  We'll also be collecting returnable cans this weekend so bring them up!

Camp season is around the corner and our essay contest is currently going on.  If you want to earn some camp cash, write an essay about what the cub scout motto ("do your best") means to you.  We will have 1 grand prize winner that will receive a FULL campership!  We're hoping to collect enough cans to give out more, smaller camperships as well. All entries must be given to den leaders by April 3rd.  The winner(s) will be announced at our pack meeting on April 13th. 

Sundaes on Sunday

Maybe you've heard by now, maybe you haven't, but we're hosting a super yummy fundraiser this coming Sunday, March 18th.  We're hosting an ice cream social where people can make their own ice cream sundaes!  We'll be hosting this at the school from 1-4 on Sunday.  The cost is $3 for kids and $5 for adults.  All the money raised will go toward our Ecotarium trip in April.  We're looking for volunteers to help work the event, even if it's just for a little while.  Adults and scouts are needed, so if you're willing and able, please let Ryan know.  We're also looking for people to donate sundae toppings.  Stop and Shop has donated whipped cream, cherries, bananas and chocolate syrup (among other necessities) and Hannaford has donated all our ice cream.  We're still in need of fun sundae "stuff" though.  Examples...nuts, candies, caramel syrup, butterscotch syrup, chocolate chips, oreo cookies, strawberries, etc.  If you'd like to donate any toppings, please contact Ryan as well.  We're hoping to do a lot of business so tell everyone you know! 

Congrats Pinewood Racers!

A HUGE congratulations to all 7 boys who attended the district pinewood derby yesterday!  Brett D, Cole D, Nathen L, Teylor S, Nathaniel O, Nicholas O, and Justin H all did a great job building their cars and racing them!  Although we only took home 1 trophy (Congratulations Brett!) they all had a good time and got some good ideas on how to make their cars faster!  Watch out pack 118!  These guys have FAST cars!  Congratulations also to Pack 128 of North Brookfield who won the huge traveling trophy! 

Don't forget that our pack pinewood derby is only a couple weeks away on March 24th!  Check in night is the 23rd! 

District Pinewood on Saturday

Just a reminder to everyone that the Massasoit District Pinewood Derby is this coming Saturday, March 10th.  It will be held at the East Brookfield Elementary School from 1-4pm.  Please take note that this is not the pack 118 pinewood derby and is just an extra event the boys can attend.  The cost to enter is $5 per car and every entrant will receive a patch.  Cars will race by den (so only tigers will race tigers, and so on).  There will be trophies for the top 3 in each den race, as well as the HUGE traveling trophy for the fastest car overall!  It's a great way for boys to "test" their cars before our pack does our race.  District rules are the same as the pack rules, so be sure to check out the link for that to the right!  Hope to see you there!  (Did we mention that it's our very own Cubmaster that's running this event?  Check it out!)