Hello Pack 618,

Our pack committee is committed to providing a fun and safe environment for all of our Cub Scouts.  We are always looking for ways where we can improve the experience for all of the boys.  Our last pack camping trip we identified many opportunities we have to improve safety while camping.

To that end, the pack has taken several steps to make these improvements and we want to initiate some steps prior to the camping trip this weekend.  We have purchased whistles for all of our scouts and siblings to be used while camping, walkie talkies and an air horn.  We will distribute the whistles to all kids once they arrive at camp and we will stress the importance of only using these for emergencies  -- they are not a toy but a safety device.  Please help us impress on the importance of only using the whistles in a true emergency.

During the camping trip, we will have a safety meeting for all of our campers.  Once you arrive at camp, we will let you know our designated meeting area and time so that we can complete a safety talk for all of our families.  We will cover personal safety, weather safety, fire safety and what to do should we have a lost scout. 

For all of you coming to camp, we would also like you to review the following information with your family prior to arriving at camp.  We are all passionate about keeping our scouts safe, healthy and having a good time.  Please join us in helping to educate everyone on staying safe at camp.

Yours in Scouting,

Blake Kite

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Safety Handout

(This is specific to our family camping trip this weekend at R-C)

For the Kids…

Don’t get lost

·        Stay with the group.  If you need to go somewhere away from the group, take a buddy.  

·        Wear a whistle.  Do not blow it unless there’s an emergency.

·        If you do get lost, stay where you are and don’t move. If you continue to walk, you may end up further away from camp. 

·        Everyone, I mean everyone will be looking for you!  You are so important that the whole pack wont stop until you are found. 

·        Blow your whistle and stay put.  That will help us find you.

Thunderstorms 

·        30 seconds from the flash to the bang – seek shelter

·        Get in your car or go into the R-C dining hall; the outhouse or your tent does not offer protection because they are not grounded

·        Move out of wide-open spaces where you are the tallest object. 

·        Move away from tall objects like trees or light poles;

Wild Animals: Not too many wild animals at R-C but there are some.

·        Please keep food secured and “smellable” items out of tents.  

·        Don’t approach “tame” wild animals as they may have rabies.

·        Be careful where you put your hands and feet.

Fire Safety

·        What goes in the fire stays in the fire

·        Maintain a 5 gallon bucket of water and a shovel next to fire

·        Ensure fire is completely out (no coals, cold to the touch)

Knives: No large sheath knives.  Tigers and Wolves may not use knives at all.  Bears and Webelos may use knives only if they are carrying their Whittlin' Chip cards.

Parents…

Alcohol and Drugs: Sorry, you can’t have any alcohol or drugs on cub scout campouts. 

Parking: Please drop off your gear and head back up to the parking area above the dining hall.  Please back in so we can evacuate quickly in the event of a fire.

Hello Pack 618!

Fall family camping will be September 5-7 at Camp R-C.  It's a great spot in the cool pines east of Payson, about 2 hours away.

You can sign up now by clicking here!

Most will be leaving right after school gets out on Friday, which will put us into camp around 5 pm. If you do want to leave sooner, you can arrive at camp anytime after noon on Friday the 5th.

If you do not want to camp, you can still come up for the day on Saturday. If you're planning to do that, please email Brett Carlson at brett.carlson@gmail.com.   

Many of you have been to Cub Adventure Camp at R-C, so you know what a great spot it is.  The staff is gone now, so many of the summer camp activities (BB Guns, horses, archery, etc) will not be available to us, but we can still hike, fish, explore, etc.   We will do the usual Saturday night group dinner (See below)

We have four sites reserved.  There are outhouses in each site, modern facilities (including showers) are a short walk away.   We should be able to have campfires.

This is a Cub Scout activity on BSA property, so pets, RVs, alcohol and projectile launchers of all kinds (firearms, BB guns, slingshots, archery, airsoft, etc.) are prohibited.

Thanks to the quick efforts of Debbie Bagley, our new Volunteer Committee Chair, signup for the Saturday Night Family Camping Potluck is open!   Click here to sign up for Saturday dinner.  Be sure to register for the number of burgers and hot dogs you want, as well as the side dish you plan to bring.   

Also, please note that there will likely be a charge for family camping so we can recoup the $500 cost to rent the site, and the cost of the dinner.  The final cost will be dependent upon the number of families who attend, but probably about $30 per family for the weekend. 

So to summarize: 

Sign up for overnight camping here.

Sign up for Saturday dinner here (if you are eating dinner and overnight camping, you need to sign up both places.)

If you are coming up for the day, email Brett (see above).  And also sign up if you are staying for dinner.

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!!!  
Just a friendly reminder as Dens start making plans for their first meetings of the year - Dues are to be submitted to your Den leader as soon as possible.  Our pack committee has increased dues to $120 this year.  This is a result of several factors, including a 40% increase in BSA fees and a major increase in fees to rent the Copper Canyon cafeteria (Pinewood Derby alone was over $700...).  We do make every effort to keep costs to an absolute minimum and we greatly appreciate your understanding. We ask that everyone tries to pay with check as it is easier for the Pack to track payments. Thank you.

Welcome Back Pack 618!!

The Steering Committee has met and we are ready to announce the tentative schedule for the upcoming 2014-2015 Cubscout year for 618.

First let me introduce myself.  My name is Mark Blair and my son Arjun is a Weblo 1 this year in Dr Mitre’s Den.  I’ll be taking over the helm as Webmaster for the pack this year.  I’ll try to keep things up to date and frequent reminders about important events without over-filling your in-box.  I will post anything you would like for the Pack to know about or any pictures you would like to share.  My e-mail address is hornetdermdoc@gmail.com

We’re all looking forward to a fun and successful year for our boys and our families.

Remember these are TENTATIVE dates, but the Pack is very good about staying extremely close to the schedule.  However these are subject to change:

September 5^th – 7^th – Family Camping (R-C   -   sign up to be sent out soon)

September 12^th - Pack Meeting – Kickball (Casey at the Bat  - Kick-off about 6 PM)

October 30^th – Pack Meeting – Halloween Party (Copper Canyon Cafeteria – 7 PM)

November 16^th – Pack Meeting – Rocket Launch (Coyote Basin Park – early PM)

December 18^th – Pack Meeting – Star Gazing at the North Pole (TBD – 7 PM)

January 24^th – Pack Meeting – Pinewood Derby (TBD – TBD by rank)

February 7^th – Scouting for Food (all morning)

February 15^th – Pack Meeting – Blue and Gold Dinner (TBD - 5 PM)

February 28^th - Scout-O-Rama – (TBD – 10AM – 2 PM)

March 14^th – Pack Meeting – Crossover (TBD by Weblo 2 Dens)

April 11^th – District Pinewood Derby (TBD)

April 17^th – Pack Meeting – Graduation (TBD – approximately 6 PM)

May 1^st – 3^rd – Family Camping (Woods Canyon Lake)

May 23^rd – Memorial Day Flag Placement (National Cemetary – 6:30 AM)

June – R-C (Sessions to be determined by Pack)

Here’s to a great year everyone!

Mark your calendars!

Mark your calendars now for family camping in the cool country!

September 5-7:  Camp R-C on the banks of Christopher Creek just east of Payson
May 1-3, 2015:  Wood Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim

Thanks for a great year!

Thanks to everyone for making 2013-14 another great year!   Special thanks to Fran Kite and everyone who helped on the Pack Volunteer Committee, as well as all of our leaders.  We've got a great team, and 2014-15 will be even better!

Don't forget to complete the parent survey if you haven't done so already.  Click here for the survey.

Thanks everyone, and have a great summer!
--brett

Graduation on Friday!

Hello Pack 618,

This Friday is our final pack meeting of the year.  Our boys will be graduating to the next rank, and enjoying a fun GPS/compass activity in the park.  We will also be enjoying our annual visit from the District Friends of Scouting representative.

***NOTE THAT THE MEETING HAS MOVED TO SERENO PARK on the northeast corner of 56th Street and Sweetwater (south of Thunderbird).    Here's a map.

There should be plenty of parking in the main lot (enter off Sweetwater), or you can park along Emile Zola Ave. on the north side of the park.  

Things to bring:

*  Your son in Class A uniform.

*  Chairs or blankets to sit on (none will be provided!)

*  Hat, water, sunscreen -- it is predicted to be about 100 degrees on Friday.

*  Checkbook or credit card for Friends of Scouting contribution

*  If you have a GPS or compass, you can bring it for your son to use. If you don't have a compass or GPS, don't worry.   (Note that many phones, iPods, etc. have compass/GPS apps that work very well, but please do not allow your kids to use such devices for game playing, etc.)

We do intend to start promptly at 6 pm so we can finish on time.  See you all there!

Crossover this Saturday!

Reminder that our April pack meeting is this Saturday, 6:30 pm, at Cave Creek Regional Park.  Our Falcons are crossing over to become Boy Scouts, and we have a very impressive ceremony (complete with pyrotechnics!) to send them off.

The meeting starts at 6:30 pm, and there will be a hike starting at 4 pm. Participants in the hike will receive special recognition during the pack meeting. 

  

PLEASE PLAN AT LEAST 45 MINUTES TO GET THERE. The park is located on 32nd Street about a mile north of the Carefree Highway.  I usually take Cave Creek Road north, then left onto the Carefree Highway, then right onto 32nd Street and into the park. Here's a map. 

We'll be in the "Large Group Activity Area", the ranger at the gate can give you more detailed instructions when you get there.  The pack will pay for your admission to the park, just tell the gate attendant that you are with Pack 618.  

Things to bring: 
* Your son in class A uniform (hikers may want to wear yellow shirts for the hike and change into their uniforms afterward).
* Camping/lawn chairs or blankets to sit on.  There is no seating provided.
* Flashlights.  It gets very dark there.

The Falcons will be providing refreshments after the meeting.

Hikers should meet at the same "Large Group Activity Area" (NOT the trailhead!) at 4 pm.  We'll be hiking the Overton Trail, which is a nice 3 mile loop that passes by some old mines and has nice views of the city.  It is in the full blast of the sun, though, so hikers should bring water, sunscreen, and hat.  We should be finished no later than 6 pm, so if you bring dinner you should have plenty of time to eat and get ready for the pack meeting.

February 27 is McScout Night!

McScout Night is February 27 at the McDonalds on Tatum & Bell.   This event will (hopefully) pay for our new Pinewood Derby equipment, so it is very important that we have good participation! We ask that the boys help out for a half hour at any time between 4 and 8 pm that works for you.  "Helping out" just means selling cookies and coupons, and the boys who do it have a great time with it.   

You can sign up for a half hour shift here.

Scoutorama is Saturday!
THIS SATURDAY is Scoutorama on the lawn next to University of Phoenix Stadium.  I'm told that Scoutorama will be bigger and better than ever this year; they even have a newer and bigger zip line!

I'm told that our pack will be in booth A49, near the dining area and the fire trucks.

We are in dire need of scouts to help out at our pinewood derby stand booth. Please sign up for a one-hour shift here.  

Your Camp Card provides entry to both Scoutorama and to the Bass Pro Outdoor Show being held inside the stadium at the same time. The outdoor show has air gun shooting, fishing, animal shows and lots more!

The event runs from 10 am until 4 pm, and it is well worth the drive to Glendale, so please do try to attend!