This is a slightly different event registration tool than we have used in the past – we had some technical difficulties with our old one as it entered it’s end of life. this is a homespun one using google forms and square.

Fill out the form, confirm your scout is fully registered with Pack 34, and then follow the square link to pay for camping – $10 / person

Hello Pack 34 Families,

On October 17th Pack 34 will hold its October pack event – A pack Bike ride with a lesson on Bike Safety and Bike repair. This is going to be a fun event that incorporates a bit of learning so our scouts are ready and able to bike safely in our community and are prepared to fix and issue if one were to arise.

HOW THIS WILL WORK:

We will be grouped into dens and each den will get a starting timeslot. The dens will meet at Edna Maguire School at the designated start time. Mr. Ryan Loften, Founder and Operator of Mt. Tam Bike Camp will lead us in an important discussion on bike safety and good bikemanship out in the community. Den leaders (with parents in toe) will then lead a bike ride with the scouts to a second location where Mr James Gracey will lead a basic bike maintenance lesson. and then den leaders will lead the ride back.

GOAL:

the goal of this event is to get out for a ride with our friends and fellow scouts and learn a little bit about how to be considerate riders, good stewards of our environment and how to be prepared for unexpected mechanical issues. So we can stay safe, have fun and keep pedaling.

PLAN: October 17th 8:30 am – 12ish

• 8:30 am – Tigers meet at Edna for bike safety with Ryan – on the road by 8:50
• 9:00 am – Wolves meet at Edna for bike safety with Ryan – on the road by 9:20
• 9:30 am – Bears meet at Edna for Bike safety with Ryan – on the road by 9:50
• 10:00 am – Webelos 1 meet at Edna for Bike safety with Ryan – on the road by 10:20
• 10:30 am – Webelos 2 meet at Edna for Bike safety with Ryan – on the road by 10:50

Parents should plan to ride with their scouts. Each group is to be a cohort of no more then 16 people total. please RSVP using the scouting app. – This is very important as we need to keep strict attendance records for contract tracing purposes.

• Please be in full uniform
• Wear a Helmet
• Wear a mask
• practice social distancing
• Bring a snack
• Bring a water bottle
• be ready to have fun!

On September 26th, Pack 34 will help cleans up California’s coastline! – Please RSVP using the scouting app

California Coastal Cleanup Days welcomes more than 60,000 volunteers who will pick up hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables from beaches, lakes, and waterways each year. It brings awareness to the marine litter problem and provides a community event for direct involvement. Help us by joining in the fight to preserve wildlife by taking the trash out of the environment. Volunteer alongside your families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, and service clubs. If you’re not sure how to get started please let us know. Plan to spend a day outside connecting with your community to celebrate California!

Logistics:

Mill Valley Pack 34 California Coastal Clean-Up (Stinson Beach)
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2020
Time: 9 am– 12 noon
Venue: Stinson Beach – meet at Stinson Beach’s main central lot (parking lot next to “Siren Canteen”) near the entrance path to the beach by 9:00am sharp.

Due to COVID-19, Coastal Cleanup this year is a self-run program. Unlike in past years, we will supply our own buckets and pickers.

What to bring:

In an attempt to reduce environmental footprint:
– Bucket or reusable bag to collect trash
– Gardening/kitchen/work gloves
– Personal water bottle
– If you’re bringing a lunch, plan ahead to make it “waste-free” lunch. 
– Scouts, Please wear the full uniform for the event

this is an outdoor event:
– Good shoes for walking (closed-toe)
– Wear clothes that can get dirty
– Long pants for the cleanup
– bring rain gear and layers in case of changing weather.
– sunscreen
– waterbottle
– hat

it’s a beach so when we are done…beach day!!! bring beach stuff!

More info can be found on the Coastal Cleanup Website – https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html

Safety
– Notify Leaders / Parents of any needles/syringes dead/injured animals or human encampments. (Do not pick them up.)
– Be careful of glass, nails, and sharp items.
– Look before you reach and grab!
– Pick up human-created debris only – Seaweed is part of the natural beach habitat.
– Prevent sunburn and dehydration.
– Bring a hat and wear sunscreen.

Covid-19 Safety
– Wear a Mask
– Dens will work within their own isolated youth social groups of 15 youth or less
– the beach and parking lots will be broken into den zones – each den will work within their own zone.
– Beach activity afterward will remain in the den social groups. 
– Each scout should plan to bring their own individual snacks or lunches and please do not share. 

We will follow these additional guidelines from the costal cleanup – https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/guidance.pdf

What happens to the debris collected?
Recology uses a  processing line called the IMRF (Integrated Materials Recovery Facility) to makes sure that everything you collect is separated and as much as possible is diverted from the landfill.  Not only are the standard materials recycled—i.e. cans, bottles, hard plastic, etc.—but also scrap wood, metal, sheetrock, cement, and brick. For more information: California Coastal Cleanup Day –
https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html  

These past few weeks have been some of the most incredible days of my life. They have been full of preparation, the closeness of family – both near and far. acts of kindness and randomness. Invention and new ways of thinking. and also some frustration and uncertainty. These are days I will not forget for the rest of my life and I imagine you will not as well.

While a lot of our daily life has changed and we are all doing our parts to help flatten the curve of this illness. not everything has to stop. It may change a little, but we will learn new ways to be a scout and to participate in our scouting tradition, even if we are scouting from home…

Below are scouting resources to be used as you want. Maybe you need a break from schoolwork at home or from your Moms or Dads, or your brothers or sisters (let’s face it…social distancing sometimes is hard). Come here and find something fun to do. this will be a mixture of live online events (pack meetings) and advancement work or just some get out and hike with the family challenges.

Marn Council Bingo Card Challenge (click to enlarge)

Advancement Work

• Tigers – TIGER BITES – 4/6-4/12
• Wolves – PAWS ON THE PATH – 4/6-4/12
• Bears – BEAR CLAW – 4/6-4/12 (parent supervision needed)
• Webelos 1 – Date TBA – 4/6-4/12
• Webelos 2 – Arrow of Light part 2 (date TBA) 4/6-4/12

April Fun Activity Challenges

• Hiking Challenges
  • 5 days in a Row Hiking Challenge – go for a hike of any distance every day for 5 days – record your hikes in the scouting app
  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 mile challenge – Go on a family hike for each distance – record your hikes in the scouting app
  • Downtown Mill Valley to the Mountain Home Inn – Hike up from MV to the inn….If you go back down, its called a double mountain home. Record your distance in the scouting app
• Home Economics Challenge – when your grandparents went to school, they had a class called home economics, where they learned how to do things in the house – how to cook, how to sew and much more. Try these challenges and help your parents around the house. Its fun learning new skills!
  • THE DISHWASHER – clean the dishes and load the dishwasher for 7 days in the month of April
  • WISHY_WASHY – Help with the laundry. either bring all the laundry to the laundry room and sort the dirty clothes by colors OR neatly fold freshly dried clothes – do this 7 times in the month of April.
  • HOUSE CLEANING CHALLENGE – Participate in a full family house cleaning party 1 day a week for April. One week you must be the leader.
  • THE FRIENDLY LABORER – Choose one home improvement project (with the blessings of your parent)
    • Plan it
    • Make a material list
    • Ask a parent to help you get the materials
    • Enlist members of your family to help in different ways (delegate)
    • Execute the project.
      • Ideas:
      • make a birdhouse,
      • Paint a wall
      • plant some flowers
      • change the lightbulbs
• Exercise challenge – Make up an exercise routine and do it every day for 10 days

Service Projects

During this time of isolation, social interaction is missing from all our lives. Our friends and neighbors all need help throughout these hard times. It’s a perfect time for scouts to do a good deed and perform a service project for our community.

• WRITE A LETTER TO THE REDWOODS – More than ever, Scouts can play an important role in our community by helping others. At the April Pack meeting (via Zoom on April 1), we announced a program to send letters to seniors who are currently sheltered-in-place at the Redwoods with no visitors allowed. The Redwoods would like handwritten letters with hand-drawn pictures. You can write the letters and seal them into an envelope and leave them at scout hall – I will put out a cardboard letterbox to collect letters in on the Mountainview side – hike by and drop a letter off. Bring a smile to a senior!! Add your name and you pack #
• SEW A MASK FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS. There are not enough masks around for all the doctors and nurses who need them. They need our help!! There are all sorts of ways to make masks. you can fold bandana, you can sew scraps of fabric. you can cut vacuum bags. Find a fun way to make masks to share with hospitals

Live Scouting Events

• APRIL 16th – Bear Den Meeting – online Whittling Chip Course – A PARENT MUST ASSIST
• APRIL 27th – Online (zoom) Campfire program !!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we’ll see how it goes. Den leaders, I will be asking for content.
• May 6th, May Pack meeting.
• Other Den meetings to be announced shortly.

Car Impound – Date, Time, Location Instructions:
Date & Time:              Wednesday, March 4^th from 6pm – 8pm.

Location:                    Scout Hall, 30 Mountain View Ave

Held during our regular scheduled Pack meeting.

Instructions:

• Please ensure that your car has been completed, is fully prepared for racing, and that it conforms to the rules & regulations before bringing it in for impound.
• Be sure to specify that you are impounding your vehicle for Pack 34 just in case other volunteers are assisting or packs are impounding at that location.
• Paint must be dry, graphite must be applied, the wheel’s set correctly, dimensions within limits, and weight must be within the 5oz. restriction.
• Please ensure that your scout has a name picked-out before arriving at impound as we will need it for the racing software… plus it’s just plain cool to name such an awesome creation!
• If a car does not conform to the Racing Rules it will be rejected at impound and not allowed to race
• Once a car has been officially impounded it cannot be accessed until after the racing has concluded the following day
• Your car must be impounded within the timeframe specified above and no cars will be inspected or accepted on the day of the race.

Race Day – Date, Time, Location Instructions:
Date & Time:              Sunday, March 8^th from 12:00-2:00pm.

Location:                     Scout Hall, 30 Mountain View Ave

Instructions:

• Sign’s will be up showing where the racing will take place (hint… it’s in the main gym/auditorium area)
• All Scouts and Leaders should be in uniform, with neckerchiefs on and shirts tucked in.
• Our Scouts have worked hard for this event and everyone loves to have a crowd see them race so please do your best to stay for the entirety of Pack 34’s racing time slot.
• The track can be tricky and we don’t want to have anyone jumping over the track, tripping on cables, etc., so please keep all Scouts and siblings away from the track, behind any barrier lines and away from electronic equipment.
• Root for your favorite car and have fun!

Race Rules Reminder:

Racing rules for this year’s event are as follows:

• No Car Recycling: The car must have been made for this year’s race.
• No Prebuilt Cars: The whole point it to build it.  You can buy prebuilt cars on the internet.  Please do not.
• Weight:
  • Car’s must not exceed 5.0 ounces on a scale accurate to 1/10th of an ounce.
• Dimensions:
  • Width – Width between the wheels not to exceed 2 ¾ inches
  • Length – The derby cars are to measure 7 inches. Your car can be shorter, but please know that it will likely slow your car down. Cars cannot exceed 7″
  • Height – Not to exceed 4 inches
• Clearance:
  • Center Rail Width: Must clear center guide rails, typically no less than 1-3/4 inches minimum.
  • Bottom:  No less than 3/8 inches from track surface between center rails.
• Body Design:
  • Front of the car must be a minimum of ½” wide, centered, and no more than 1” off the track because the start system of the track consists of the cars resting on a slope against a pin. No part of the car can extend past the starting pin.
• If you choose to push the boundaries and try to get “creative” please be aware of the following:
  • Materials: Only the official BSA kit blocks, wheels, and axles may be used.  One complete kit will be provided at a pack meeting in January.  Replacement kits and wheels can be purchased at the Trading Post in San Rafael.  Again, only official BSA kits/parts may be used.  Please, do not purchase prebuilt or pre-cut cars or “aftermarket” parts such as wheels or axles.
  • Axels:  Pre-cut axle slots MUST be used and not modified in any way.  Only official BSA Nail type axles may be used. Axle nails may not be bent or grooved or in any way altered. Axle sanding or polishing is permitted.
  • Wheels:  Use only Official BSA wheels. All lettering/numbering, both inside and outside, must remain complete and be visible. The fluting and other BSA markings on the outside wheel area must remain visible.  Outer wheel surface may be lightly sanded, shaved, or polished to remove surface imperfections and mold casting burrs, but must not be reshaped in any way in an attempt to lighten the wheel, minimize tread contact or alter aerodynamics. Tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore. Coning the hubs and truing the inside tread edge is allowed. Tread width may not be less than 7.5 mm.

• Key Rules of Note:
  • No bearings of any kind may be used
  • Wheels cannot be painted, lacquered or modified in any way
  • Wheels cannot extend beyond either the front or back of the car body
  • All four wheels must be in contact with the flat surface when rolled on a flat surface

• Prohibited Modifications:
  • Rounding of tread surface/wheel edges
  • Grooving, H-cutting or V-cutting
  • Altering of the wheel profile
  • Narrowing the tread surface, other than truing inside tread edge
  • Drilling sidewalls
  • Hollowing, sanding, or otherwise removing or modifying material from inside the wheel
  • Filling of any wheel surface with any type of material
  • “After Market” wheels are usually lightened in a way that violates these rules.

• Prohibited Items:
  • Springs
  • Starting devices or propellants
  • Electronic or lighting devices that interfere with race electronics.
  • Liquids, wet paint, oil, sticky substance, or powders of any kind (other than axle lubrication)
  • Glass or excessively fragile parts
  • Bearings, bushings, washers, sleeves, hubcaps or inserts attached to or in contact with the axle, body or wheels.
  • Loose objects on car
  • Magnets
  • Motors

Racing Format:

Racing will occur by Den, and in the following order: Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos 1, Webelos 2, with one winner out of each age group.  This will be followed by an open race targeted primarily at siblings.  Open race cars must still conform to all of the above rules and be checked in on Saturday.

Each car will race in four heats – one on each of the four lanes of the track. Of the four heats, the worst time is dropped and the winner is the car with the fastest average time for its three best heats, measured in elapsed seconds. The five Den winners qualify to race in the Marin Council Meet, which annually is held on the first day of the Marin County Fair. The five Den Winners will be impounded at the close of our races, in accordance with Marin Council rules, in order to qualify to run at the Council Meet.

Design:

Funny, unique designs are encouraged.  There will be special design prizes awarded irrespective of car performance.  Cars can be accessorized with almost any kind of item provided the completed car meets all the rules, which are listed above.