The Blue and Gold Dinner is this Sunday, February 26, at 1:00 pm at St. Helena Church, Rowan Hall!

Come and celebrate Cub Scouting in our annual banquet, and say goodbye to our Second-year Webelos as they cross over to Boy Scouts!

The dinner will be "Pot Luck", with pizza from Parkway Pizza and beverages (milk, coffee, water) provided, and Den 5 will be bringing a sheet cake.  We ask that families in each den bring the following:

Den 7/8:  Side Dishes
Den 9:  Salads
Den 10:  Desserts

Also, we will have a slideshow of photos from our Arrow-of-Light earners, and we ask if anyone has pictures from this year's scouts (since last spring) to e-mail them to Sheila Williams (swilliams@creativecareresources.com).

LOCATION CHANGE!

Because St. Helena doesn't like the idea of Saws+Cub Scouts+their Cafeteria Tables, we are moving the location of our Pinewood Derby Rough Cut.

We will hold it at Longfellow Park, (3545 36th Ave South), in the Arts and Crafts Room!

The day will be the same, this Thursday, February 23rd, but now we can start a little earlier (6:30 pm) for those who want a quicker in-and-out.

We still could use help with tools/saws/weights.  The added bonus is now we can include painting in our activities, so scouts can lay down a base coat, if they wish (we were not allowed to paint at St. Helena, either).


PARENTS BUILD YOUR OWN!

I forgot to mention at our Pinewood Derby (still scheduled for Sunday, March 4th), in addition to the Lion-Tiger Division and the Wolf-Bear-Webelos Division, we will be having an "Open Class" Division!  Siblings, parents, friends, Boy Scouts, little sisters can build a car (or Cub Scouts can build a second car, or race last year's car) for an "Open Class" trophy!  Rules are the same as for the regular Pinewood Derby (sorry, no spring-loaded bullet cars).  Contact Dan Fehler (cubmaster38@gmail.com) for a Pinewood Derby Car Kit ($5 each), and I will get one to you or you can pick one up at the Rough Cut Night.

Bummed about the canceled Ice Fishing?  Were you planning on bringing a guest/family with you who was interested in getting into Cub Scouts? 

Keep a positive attitude!  Pack 38's annual Pinewood Derby is coming up, and if your son/grandson/cousins/friend's son wants to take part in this quintessential Cub Scout activity, he can!

Thursday, February 23rd, from 7 to 8 pm, Pack 38 will be having a Pinewood Derby Car "Rough Cut" night at St. Helena School.  Bring your car kit, or if you don't have one come and get one (we have plenty*!)  We will have tools for cutting and sanding that block of wood into something resembling a car.  For advanced builders wanting to fine-tune their car, we will help with weights, smoothing the wheels, and polishing the axles (but all modifications will conform to official Pinewood Derby Rules!)  You can bring your shaped car home, paint/finish it to your liking, and attach the wheels when dry.

And if you have tools, and your son has finished his tuned-up car, and you just want to come and help other scouts and parents who don't know a hammer from a hack saw, please come with your toolbox and offer to help!  Saws, sanders, dremels, drills, and hot glue guns, and any other tool you have available to share will be appreciated.  Cub Scouts are not allowed to use power tools, but parents can!

Then, on Sunday, March 4th, bring that car to Pack 38's Pinewood Derby!  Check-in and set-up starts at Noon, and racing begins at 1:00pm!  Cheer your car as it barrels down the track at speeds approaching 300 (scale) miles per hour!  Prizes will be awarded, and the top five cars in each division (Lions and Tigers, Wolf-Bear-Webelos) qualify to go to the District Pinewood Derby on April 14th, where they can compete to go to the Council Championship at the Mall of America in June!

Leaders will be available and can give parents and guardians all the information they need on what Cubs Scouts do, and how to join Pack 38.

*Pinewood Derby kits are free for boys joining Pack 38, otherwise we ask for $5 for the cost of the kit.

Cub Scout Pack 38's Ice Fishing event on Lake Nokomis scheduled for Saturday, February 18th is canceled.

The Minneapolis Parks Department has posted Lake Nokomis as "KEEP OFF--DANGEROUS--ICE NOT SAFE"

Thank you,

--Dan Fehler
Cubmaster, Cub Scout Pack 38

Pack 38 is going Ice Fishing!

Who:  Pack 38 Cub Scouts, and any friends/family/community members that want to come!

What:  Ice fishing!  (And at least two other activities to ward off the boredom of standing around a hole waiting for a fish to bite).

When:  Saturday, February 18th, 1:00 pm!

Where:  On the north side of Lake Nokomis, near the fishing dock and the small parking lot, down hill from the Nokomis Park Shelter.

Why:  To promote our Pack to the community, to get outside and learn how to have fun in the winter, and to earn a Fishing Belt Loop!

How:  The cost is free, and adults do NOT need a fishing license (its Take-Your-Youth-Ice Fishing Day in Minnesota!)  But we are still looking for a couple of things to help make this event successful:

• We could use a non-good table, possibly just a sheet of plywood and some sawhorses, that we can use as a work area for tying line, baiting hooks, and maybe even cleaning a fish, if we get lucky.

• We could use someone to bring a snack, including warm drinks/cups.  A small card table, separate from the "bait" table, may be needed.  We can borrow a 2-3 gallon thermos from the Pack/Troop supply closet, if someone volunteers to take care of it.

• Buckets/chairs/mats/cardboard to sit on

• First aid kit, rescue rope, and blanket

• Plastic sleds.  I have two I will be bringing for "bobsled racing", but a couple more would make it easier to keep the boys involved. 

Steve (our friendly ice-fishing expert) will be inspecting Lake Nokomis prior to Saturday, February 18th, so we can be sure of safe ice conditions.  I will be sending an e-mail and posting on the website if we have to cancel, for either thin ice or excessive water on top of the ice.

In promoting this event, I'm asking community members to register on our website, so we have an idea of how many people will come, and to give us a contact in case we cancel.  We have a couple that have responded so far.

Feel free to promote this event to any perspective Cub Scout or parent.  This event, followed by the Pinewood Derby in March, and leading into plans for Spring and Summer Camping, is an ideal time for a boy to join Cub Scouting.

Pack 38 is going to SeaLife Aquarium at the Mall of America on Sunday, February 5th, at 1:00 to 3:00pm!  (Don't worry, the Superbowl doesn't kickoff until 5:30).

The cost is free for scouts, free for parents, and free for siblings/friends/family who want to come, too!

Reserve your spot by e-mailing Aeton De Long-Hersh (cool@mindspring.com) by Thursday, February 2nd, or reply to this message, with the number of youth and adults attending.  Invite your siblings, friends, or other people who may be interested in joining Cub Scout Pack 38!  We received a large stack of free youth tickets for meeting our Fall Recruitment Goal, but we will need to order adult tickets in advance.

Scouts who earned free Sealife Tickets during the Popcorn Sale can use them for this event, or hold on to them (they have a March 18th, 2012 expiration date).  Let us know if you are bringing your own youth ticket, so we can make sure we have enough youth tickets to go around to friends and guests.

We will meet in the lobby outside the Sealife Gift Shop, distribute our tickets, and enter together.  This is not a "tour", we will not be getting a special presentation other then what is delivered to the general public.

Drop-Offs
Want to get some shopping done?  Let us know and you can drop off your Cub Scout, run your errands, and meet us back at 3:00.  A few limitations:

• You must pre-arrage this when signing up, so we can be sure to have the required number of adults.
• Lion Cubs must attend with a parent.
• We cannot accept non-Pack 38 friends/older/younger siblings as drop-offs (except for members of Troop 38).
• Drop-offs must sign in with a cell phone number. 
  
• If someone else is signing out your youth, it must be arranged ahead of time.

Cub Scout Pack 38 and Boy Scout Troop 38 are hosting an "All You Can Eat" Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, January 29th, from 8:00am to 12:00pm at Rowan Hall (St. Helena Church Basement).

We need volunteers to come and help out:  Cub Scouts (in uniform!) to bus tables/clear plates, and to help deliver food.  Parents to help out in the kitchen cooking/dishwashing, and selling tickets at the door.  The big rushes come in at 9:15 and 10:45, right after St. Helena services conclude.  We also need setup and cleanup help (consider picking a shift 7-9, 9-11, or 11-1p).  If you can help, please e-mail Sheila Williams (swilliams@creativecareresources.com) or reply to this message.

The flyer is attached, feel free to print out copies and distribute them.

Thanks for your help!

Hello Pack 38!

Pack Meeting this Thursday, January 19th, from 7-8pm at St. Helena School.

Our theme is "Positive Attitude"!

We are planning a big Ice Fishing Afternoon on Lake Nokomis (Saturday, February 18th, 1-3pm), so a lot of our activities will be related to that:

• We will discuss ice safety!
• We will get an introduction to ice fishing from a local expert!
• We will be making our own ice fishing poles!

Other things we will discuss/announce:

• Possible trip to SeaLife Aquarium at Mall of America
  
• Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser with Troop 38 (Sunday, January 30th)
• Blue and Gold Dinner (Sunday, February 26th)
• Pinewood Derby (Sunday, March 4th, with a special car-building clinic on Thursday, February 23rd)

See you there!

Thursday, December 29th, from 7-9pm at St. Helena School Cafeteria/Gym, Pack 38 will be having a Board Game Night and Open Gym!  Come, bring that new game you got for Christmas, and we'll try it out.  Or, get out of the house and run around the gym for a little while.  Try your hand at basketball, and maybe earn a new belt loop?  Or how about chess?

We will have popcorn, and maybe some other snacks (got leftover Christmas Cookies sitting around?)  No meeting, no pressure!

Pack 38's December Pack Meeting is this Thursday, December 15th, from 7-8pm at St. Helena School (3200 E 44th Street).

Candace Linares has a Christmas Card/Decoration project for us, and has requested extra scissors and/or glue sticks.  Make the project for yourself, or we will collect them to donate to the Minnesota Veterans' Home.

Get your caroling voices ready, we will be singing in the season!

Popcorn Prizes are here!

We will announce a Board Game/Open Gym night for Thursday, December 29th, 7-9pm at St. Helena

We will get sign-ups for Polar Cubs (Winter Day Camp) for Saturday, January 14th, if there is interest

We will be needing volunteers for several upcoming events:
January:  Pancake Breakfast
February:  Ice Fishing on Lake Nokomis
February:  Pinewood Derby Car Clinic
February:  Blue and Gold Dinner
March:  Pinewood Derby
Unscheduled:  SeaLife at Mall of America

Parent/Leader meeting at 6:30, so if you want to help decide how we are going to spend all this Popcorn and Christmas Wreath Money, please come!  We will also be talking about how we are going camping this spring!