Pinewood Derby Weigh-In Tips

Pinewood Derby Racers and Parents,

To make weigh-in (Sat 5-Mar-05 5-7PM @ Scout Hall) go smoothly, please be sure your cars meet all the rules before weigh in.  These rules came in the box with your car, so remember:

1. Weight not over 5 oz. Best to get close (4.90 oz.) rather than over. The mailroom at work, US Post offices, meat departments at supermarkets and the package store near Baskin Robbins are all places where you can pre-weigh your car. 
2. Length not over 7". This is overall tip-to tail, so nothing can be beyond this length.
3. Width not over 2 3/4". Again, an overall figure.  Nothing wider.
4. Width between wheels not under 1 3/4". Nothing tighter...it won't fit over the track.
5. Bottom clearance between car and track not under 3/8".
6. All four wheels must contact the track, and turn freely. Check this on a horizontal flat surface, such as a smooth kitchen counter or cutting board.
7. Wheels must be unmodified, unpainted etc....basically, as they came in the box. No extra holes, knife-edge profiles etc..  If you lost a wheel, or an axle, the Scout Store in San Rafael has more.
8. Keep the nose blunt, not pointy (best to have a 1/2" surface or bigger)

It's much better to get it right the first time than to have to hack your car under pressure if it fails weigh-in!  This is especially true if someone is bringing your Scout's car to weigh-in for you.

If you have any questions not covered by these rules, ask your Den Leader, who will find you the answer if they don't know themselves.

Thanks,

Dave Lundgren

PS: In response to an anonymous inquiry, the answer is sorry, no... you may not use depleted uranium to dial in your car's weight.  We will be checking for the telltale ionizing radiation that this crafty speed technique inevitably leaves.

Pinewood Derby Car Weigh-In Time Change

PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE

Everybody:

The Saturday (3.5.05) Pinewood Derby Weigh-In time has changed to 5-7pm. There was a time conflict with Pack 1 who was doing their weigh-in from 3-5p.

Thank you,

Israel

Cub Scout White Water Rafting Trip 2005

Pack 34 leaders,

I've received positive responses from everyone. So I booked a trip. We have till March 7 to make a deposit. Here's the scoop...

What:
Whitewater rafting on the South Fork American River. Class 3 river. One day trip.

When:
Arrive Saturday afternoon, June 11, play sports, eat dinner, overnight camp. 10am Sunday, June 12, raft meeting and then launch down river. They provide us lunch on the river. 12 miles of rafting, Back at camp by 5pm.

Whitewater Voyages is the outfit.

Where:
Coloma, CA 110 miles from Marin, 1.25 hours driving. Here are directions.

How much:
Original rate is $108/person. I was able to a get a good discount for the Cub scouts and then every twelfth person free. So if we have 48 people that would be $81.60 per person. This includes rafting, camping, lunch on the river, and transportation back to camp.

We need to have a headcount of who's going.
We need to have a $75/person deposit by March 7.

No cash refunds. If you must cancel, you will receive a credit
for future Whitewater Voyages trips as follows:
*60 days 90%
30 days 50%
10 days 20%
Less than 10 days** 10%
No Shows 0%

Joe Hiti

Webelos Woods

FYI, they are only taking 48 kids this year for Webelos Woods, first come first served.
 
I sent my application today. 
 
If you or others in your dens are going, I would send in this week to secure a spot.  This is a great event.
 
Bear and Web den leaders, please remind your parents.   
 
The application is on the Marin Boy Scouts Website, or here.
 
Kerry

Pinewood Workshop

Back by Popular Demand!!!

Chip Patten will be hosting another workshop to help Cub Scouts craft their Pinewood Derby cars.

Did you know that some lucky boy whose car runs in the finals (doesn’t have to win—only make the finals) at the Marin County Fair will win two tickets to the first ever Indy Car Race at Infineon Raceway? Value $180.00!

Scout Leader Training: Special Southern Marin Session

Leaders:
 
Due to popular request, a tentative date has been made to hold Scout Leader "Essentials" Training at the Cornerstone Community Church in Marin City.
 
The tentative date is Tuesday, March 8, 2005 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
 
When the date and time are confirmed, you will be notified and directions will be provided.  Please pass this on to all interested leaders and parents.
 
"Essentials"  is the first of two parts to Scout Leader Training.  It applies to ALL leadership positions.  The second part is called "Specifics" and as the name implies, has a different program for each category or leadership.  For example, Tiger leaders have a different program from the Cubmaster.  No schedule has been made for this portion, but it will be in the works soon.
 
This special program for Southern Marin makes it easy to attend.  The Marin Council HIGHLY recommends all leaders complete this valuable Leadership Training.  This program is the first half.  So mark your calendars!
 
To assist in planning this program, kindly RSVP in advance.  Thank you.
 
Best wishes,
 
Jim Simkalo
District Commissioner

Arrow of Light Ceremony: New date and place

Everyone,
 
Our Arrow of Light Ceremony will be at the Mill Valley Golf Course Clubhouse.
 
Date: March 23
 
Time: 7-8pm
 
No other awards will be given out at this meeting.  It is all about the Arrow of Light Ceremony.
 
Please notify your families to adjust their calendars.
 
thx.k

Webelo's Woods: Bears and Webelos

Current Bears and Webelo 1,
 
This is a Webelos only event. So, the current Bears that bridge to Webelos are eligible.
 
NO siblings on this trip.
 
Webelos Woods is coming up on July 8-10 at Marin Sierra at Tahoe. I went with Mac two years ago, it is awesome. I am taking Sammy this year.   
 
This is intended to be a father-son (or a mother-son) trip. Not many moms went last time (I remember one).
 
In addition to having a great time fishing, swimming, boating,....each boy will also knock out some key achievements.
 
There is more information here. When you click on Webelos Woods, you will get the sign up sheet.
 
 

Scorpion Patrol - Arrow of Light

Here is key information for Scorpions on the go!

Hot off the presses: Arrow of Light Award Information and Webelos Activity Badge Chart.

From Dave Lundgren

Angel Island Service Project

We are scheduled to do a service Project on Angel Island on Sunday April 3.

It's daylight savings that morning so I said we'd be on the 11 am ferry from Tiburon and we'll do a 1-hour project with the Maintenance Staff.
 
Please get it on your calendars and tell your parents.
 
Right now I'm thinking after the project we'll bike around the island and BYO picnic.
 
I'm open to any suggestions.

-Will

Candy Sales Plan

Den Leaders,

Candy sales kick-off will start this Saturday (2-12-05); see the schedule below:

I will contact the 3 stores and give them the date and times. Den leaders please contact the parents in your group who haven’t bought a box yet, the cost is $45.00 per box. I will also travel to each location during each time slot to insure that the scouts have plenty of candy to sell. Each Den should select a parent in charge of bring a small table to set up the candy display.

The pricing for the candy is $2.00 per bar or 3 for $5.00.

The Scouts who sell 4 boxes win a $25.00 gift certificate to BestBuy !

The Scout who sells the most boxes wins the Extra Special Grand Prize (TBD) !

Thanks,

Bill

Bus stop clean up, Saturday, 4pm, near Baskin Robins

Den 007,   Let's meet at 4pm for the bus stop clean up.

• Sam - Dust pan and broom
• Calvin - Pliers to remove staples and towels/rags
• Miles - simple green, squeegee
• Gabe - squeegee, ladder
• CJ - bucket of water, window cleaner
• Matthew - ladder, bucket of water
• Carter - garden sprayers filled with water

Rubber gloves are optional.

Bus stop clean up, Saturday, 4pm, near Baskin Robins. This should only take a half hour. After, we go home and get ready for the Blue and Gold Dinner at MVGC 6pm.

See you there,

Joe

Blue and Gold food and drink

Den Leaders,
 
Please remind your families that we can't have alcoholic beverages at this event.
 
Also, please make sure there are no peanuts, or peanut oils/flour used in any of the foods that are brought.
 
Thanks!
 
Kerry

Bus stop checklist

Den Leaders,

Each den will supply their own cleaning supplies. The following is a list of suggested supplies:

• Windex
• simple green
• bucket
• water
• rags/towels
• pliers or another tool to remove staples
• broom and dust pan
• rubber gloves

Thanks

Barbara

Friends of Scouting (FOS) 2005

Lets get 100% participation for Pack 34!

You might say, "Hey, I already paid my son's dues last fall for a fun filled year in scouts. What’s this about?"

Once each year, Marin Council conducts a fundraising campaign known as Friends of Scouting. It's a charity pledge drive without the phone calls or potlucks or carnivals.  Quite simply and seriously it's the council's opportunity to reach out to the community it serves and seek a measure of support so that it may continue to operate the rich, exciting programs that help the young men and women of Marin grow into productive citizens, and have a blast along the way!

You may check out the website listed below and watch the movie which explains the countless programs your funds will support.

Three Ways to Pay:

1. If you are ready to make a donation, you may hand your check made out to "BSA, Friends of Scouting" to Marianne Shine at the Blue and Gold dinner Feb.5
2. Mail it to her by Feb. 7 at11 Hill Street, Mill Valley CA 94941
3. If you prefer, you can go directly to the secure web store and make your donation online. https://www.boyscouts-marin.org but you MUST notify Marianne Shine so that she can make note of it.

***You see if Pack 34 gets complete participation by all families, we will be rewarded with a portion of the funds collected! Now that’s really cool!***

Minimum gift is $15.00, a suggested amount of $25.00 to $125 per family would be appreciated, but the sky's the limit. Pack 34 wants to get 100% participation, so do what you can.

Thank you.

Marin Council, BSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donations made through this campaign are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Blue & Gold Update: Bears

Hi Gang,

The Blue and Gold dinner is this Saturday night!!!!I hope you can all make this fun event. The entire family is invited and encouraged to attend, it is possible that we might have 14 adults and 13 kids so please bring enough for everyone.

I thought I would assign every family an item to bring, here it goes:

Mathew: paper goods (plates, forks, napkins, cups)

C.J.: Drinks (no alcohol, that is for later)

Gabe: Chicken ( KFC is always a hit) 2 families

Miles: Chicken

Calvin: green salad 

Sam: fruit (could be cut up or a salad)

Carter: Cake

Scouts please wear uniforms, and parents bring check books.

6:00PM Mill Valley Clubhouse ( new location this year).

Please RSVP ASAP.

Jan Hiti