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..

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Rocket Launch yesterday!  Special thanks to Rocketmaster David Cramer and the launch crew, to Debbie Bagley and everyone on the pack volunteer committee who helped with lunch, to Scott MacPherson and Pete Leebrook who ran the soccer games, to all the dads who helped with rocket check-in, and to everyone else who helped with setup and tear-down.   Everything went really smoothly this year, and we greatly appreciate all of your outstanding effort!

We did find a baseball glove in the park afterward -- if it is yours, please let me know.

I'm very thankful for all of our great Scout families!  Wishing you all a happy, restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

--brett

Reminder that this Sunday is our annual Rocket Launch at Coyote Basin Park!   We'll start at with flags and lunch at noon, with rocket launching beginning shortly afterward.

We will have soccer games running throughout the day so all the boys can earn (and Webelos can re-earn) their soccer belt loops.

Coyote Basin Park is located at 2730 E Beardsley Road in Phoenix (here's a map).  Take the SR101 freeway to Cave Creek Road, then head south just past the Costco, then left on Beardsley to the park.  Plan to park in the southeast corner of the Costco lot and walk since there is very little parking in the park itself.   

The park has no restroom facilities.  We'll have a porta-john available, but the closest modern restroom is at Costco, so please plan accordingly.

Things to bring:  

(1) Your son in Class B (yellow t-shirt) uniform  (Phoenix Den should wear Class A uniforms for the flag ceremony, but can change afterward.)

(2) Your rocket!  (Be sure to give your rocket a name. We also suggest writing your Scout's name on the rocket so we can return it if it gets lost.)

(3)  Lawn chairs, blankets, etc. for your family. 

(4)  Sunscreen, hat, and water.  We'll have water with lunch, but you'll be in the full blast of the sun for the afternoon, and you'll probably want more.

(5)  Extra rocket engines if you want to do multiple launches.  The pack will provide one engine for each scout.  After everyone has had a chance to launch their rockets, we'll allow open launching to those who bring their own engines.   Model rocket engines are available at Hobby Lobby, Amazon, etc.  We use B6-4 engines, but if you can't find those, any other "A" or "B" type engine (A4-2, B4-2, B6-2, etc.) will work.   Engines larger than "B" size are illegal in Phoenix, and will not be allowed.   

See you all on Sunday!