Hello Pack 618!

If you are interested in selling Camp Cards at Fry's this weekend, please send me an email. 

I was able to reserve spaces at Fry's (both Tatum & Bell and 64th & Greenway) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so I should have a slot at any time that you want to sell.  But please send me an email letting me know when you'd like to go so I can eliminate any overlap (first come, first served).

I've also reserved space at both Frys for next week, January 16-18.  I do not anticipate any additional times in our neighborhood this year, so if you do want to sell cards at Fry's please drop me an email and let me know when you would like to sell.

As your den leader may have explained, the council drastically cut back our supply of cards, so I recognize that many of you may not be selling this year.  If you are not able to sell, we would greatly appreciate a donation of $35 to cover your son's award costs.  This is the equivalent of what our pack would have made if you sold $100 worth of Camp Cards.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

--brett

Hello Pack 618!

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break -- and now the busy season has sneaked up on us, starting THIS SATURDAY!  

January 10 (THIS SATURDAY!) is Pinewood Derby car cutting at the Rabasca home at 17213 N. 43rd St. (here's a map).  You can stop by anytime between 9am and 4 pm.  This is not required (you can build your car on your own if you want to), but it is highly recommended, especially for first time car builders.  Bring your son (no uniform required), the wooden block from your son's car kit, and your son's ideas of what he wants the car to look like.    We'll have plenty of experienced builders and a great set of tools available, so even if you have no how to build the car, just come out anytime during the day and we can help you.

Car check-ins are EITHER January 21 OR January 23, also at the Rabasca home.   Bring your completed and ready-to-race car back to the Rabasca home anytime between 6 and 8 pm on either night (NOT BOTH!) for weigh-ins and qualifications.  We'll keep your car until the derby.

Pinewood Derby is Saturday, January 24 at Copper Canyon. Tigers will race first, followed by Wolves, then Bears, Web 1's and Web 2's, followed by the top 16 cars in the finals.   We will send a more detailed schedule in the next few days.

We will have full race rules on the website (azpack618.com) soon, but they are generally the same as last year.  Here are a couple of highlights:

• You must use official BSA materials (block, wheels, axles) that you process yourself.  Aftermarket or third party parts are not allowed.
• The car cannot exceed 7" in length; wheelbase must be between 4 1/4" and 4 5/8"; weight cannot exceed 5 oz.  The car must have enough ground clearance to work on our track.  DO NOT EXTEND THE LENGTH OF YOUR CAR IN ANY WAY, AND DO NOT ALLOW ANYTHING TO HANG BELOW THE BODY OF YOUR CAR.
• No part of the car can extend in front of the starting gate.  NO NOTCHES IN THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR!

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO RACE .  If you want to build a car but cannot be present on race day for any reason (including illness), we will race your car during the breaks (time permitting) and write down your times so you will know what you would have scored had you been there; you can go to the district races if you still want to.  But you must be present to race in our Derby.

We'll have more news soon, but please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

December Meeting Comments

Thanks to everyone who came out to the pack meeting last night!   Special thanks to our Pack Volunteer Committee (especially Debbie Bagley, Dona Whitney and Lynn Ray) for all their great effort in planning and putting on the meeting!

Obviously the December meeting was very different this year, and we'd like to hear your feedback.   Did your boys enjoy the astronomy?  Or did they miss the holiday party theme?

Please let us know.  I always appreciate feedback at brett.carlson@gmail.com, or you can contact your den leader.

Thanks everyone, and have a great holiday season!
--brett

Reminder that our pack meeting is TONIGHT at Copper Canyon!  We will start with flags and a skit at 7 pm.  

Please be in uniform, and don't forget your stuffed animal donations for kids at Scottsdale Healthcare Pediatrics.

Also, please come prepared for outdoor stargazing!   Right now the forecast for 7 pm is mostly clear skies and 45 degrees, so you will want a jacket or sweatshirt.

See you all tonight!

Pack 618,

    Below is a letter from the Pantry Manager of Saint Joan of Arc Conference of The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul thanking the Pack for the recent food drive donation.  As you can see, it was a sizable amount.  thank you to all of those who participated.

Hello Pack 618!

Reminder that our December pack meeting is 7 pm Thursday in the Copper Canyon Multipurpose Room.  Copper Canyon Elementary School is located at 17650 North 54th Street, here's a map.

This month we are collecting stuffed animals to donate to children receiving medical care at Scottsdale Healthcare.  If you can bring a NEW stuffed animal or two to give, it would be greatly appreciated.

Things to bring:

* Your son in class A uniform

* Stuffed animal donations 

* Warm clothes for outdoor stargazing (fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate!)

See you all on Thursday!

PS --> Don't forget to go to http://www.azpack618.com and register your email address in the upper right corner!  Future pack emails will be send via the webpage

Hey Pack 618,

First the good news:  Debbie Bagley was able to get the Millennium to offer the same room at the same price as last year for the Blue and Gold Dinner.   That's too good to turn down!

The bad news is that Sunday the 15th is already booked.  The only date that they can accommodate us is the following week, Sunday the 22nd.    

If anyone sees any major conflicts, please let Debbie ( debbiebagley@outlook.com ) or Brett Carlson brett.carlson@gmail.com  know right away. Otherwise we plan on booking the room and changing the Blue and Gold Dinner to February 22nd.

Many thanks to Debbie for her great work in setting this up!

December is still holiday month!

Hello Pack 618!

Several of you have asked about this year's December pack meeting so I thought I'd write a short blog post to let you know what we are thinking.

First and most importantly, there is absolutely no intent to remove the holiday theme from our December meeting.  A scout is reverent, and we are making every attempt to keep the holiday spirit in our December meeting.

That said, your feedback at the end of last year told us quite clearly that the December meeting needed an overhaul.  There was a lot of concern that the Halloween party and the holiday party were too similar, and that the older boys were getting tired of the same old same old.  So we really wanted to mix it up and keep it interesting for the boys.

And, on top of that, we had an opportunity to bring in a really great event with the planetarium. Those of you who have been to R-C know how great the astronomy folks are, and we really wanted to share that with the rest of our pack.

So, once again, there is no desire to take away the holiday party,  We just want to keep our meetings fun and interesting for all the boys.

As always, please don't hesitate to call or email if you have any comments, questions or concerns.

Thanks!
--brett

Hey Pack 618,

       Every year the younger scouts in our pack go caroling at the Freedom Inn (now Brookdale of North Scottsdale).  The residents really enjoy it, and I think the boys do to.  Although I can't be there this year, it's always one of my favorite things that we do.

Debbie Bagley is coordinating the caroling this year, and I know she's spoken with several of you.  if you do plan to participate, can you confirm with her and with me so we can get an idea of who's coming?  

It starts at 6 pm next Wednesday, December 10 on the NW corner of 64th Street & Greenway.  We ask all the boys to bring a dozen cookies, flowers or other treats to pass out to the residents.

Please let us know if you plan to participate..