Get ready for Pinewood Derby!  The Derby is coming up January 2010 so get your designs ready, pull out your saw, sandpaper and paint.  There are a lot of great ideas on the web, Google Pinewood Derby and start your research on how to build the fastest car!

Be sure to visit Scout Track's calander for up to date information for race day and time!

The complete Pack 978 calendar is managed in ScoutTrack.
You can directly access the calendar in Scout Track by clicking here. You may be asked to log in first. All Pack activities are available on ScoutTrack, you will also receive e-mails from the Pack reminding you of the activities.

View more activities on ScoutTrack

PACK 978 SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

The annual Pushcart Races is a competition between dens to see who can master the track using authentic scout pushcarts built by the dens themselves with (ahem) a bit of input from akela.

Pack 978 does many Camp Outs at locations that include Brazos Bend, and Sam Houston State Park. But a favorite campout is the trek to the USS Lexington. The Lexington is a WWII era aircraft carrier permanently docked in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Lexington is also conveniently located next to the Texas State Aquarium!  A personal favorite of mine is the visit to the three domes at the George Observatory. This activity is available while camping at Brazos Bend State Park. Imagine earning your Astronomy belt loop on a 36" telescope the size of your garage!

One of the premier events in cub scouts, the Pinewood Derby combines creativity, skill, and physics into the most fun you can have with gravity. Pack 978 holds one pinewood derby each year. The difference between placements can be decided by as little as a millisecond (that's 1/1000th of a second!).  

The peak Cub Scout event is the Blue and Gold Banquet.  In 1933 at a Cub Leaders' Round Table - Parent / Cub dinners was suggested. Soon thereafter, Pack 1 of Michigan   City started a tradition of pot-lucks where the dads were to bring utensils made of wood; whittled by the Cub with his dad. In the 1930s father / son 'bean dinners' and 'Cub family dinners' began to become commonplace. Finally, in 1943 the name "Blue and Gold Banquet" first appeared in BSA literature, and became synonomous with "celebrating the birthday of Scouting".  The Blue and Gold brings together the pack's families for a dinner and an evening of fun. The banquet peaks as a parade of scouts by dens showing their acheivements.

The Raingutter Regatta is a competition of 6 inch sailboats built by the scouts. The course is water filled raingutters (or in the case of Pack 978, two half sections of PVC pipe!) The fuel is a combination of the scouts lungs, skill, and determinination. 

Once a year, Pack 978 holds its Bridging Ceremony where the boys graduate and move to the next level.

Also once a year (but not at the same time), a separate Webelos to Boy Scouts Bridging Ceremony takes place. Both events are solemn ceremonies that recognize the scout's achievments and advancements. The bridge is symbolic of the passage to the next level.  The Arrow of Light is the highest acheivement in cub scouts.

OTHER EVENTS

The largest source of funds for the pack comes from the annual Popcorn Sales fundraiser. Each year the scouts do their best to sell and deliver quality popcorn to raise funds for the pack.

The annual Scout Picnic brings everyone together for great food and activities outdoors. 

There's the annual father-son cakebake which brings out the creativity in the scouts and the dads.

Note: This list is certainly NOT all inclusive! Every week each den is challenging their skills as scouts to accomplish new challenges on their path to promotion.  Be sure to visit ScoutTrack to get the entire listing of activities and events