Activities and Events

This page describes the activites the pack does on a regular basis and defines some of the terms you may hear at a pack event.

		I (name) promise to do my best
		To do my duty to God and my country,
		To help other people, and
		To obey the Law of the Pack. 
		

		I promise to love God,
		my family, and my country,
		and to learn about the world
		

		Search, Discover, Share
		

		Do Your Best
		

		The Cub Scout follows Akela.
		The Cub Scout helps the pack go.
		The pack helps the Cub Scout grow.
		The Cub Scout gives goodwill.
		

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 den show off their stuff.

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.

Pack 978 does many campouts at locations that include Camp Bovay, Brazos Bend, and Stephen F. Austin State Park. But a favorite campout is the yearly 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' 1/1000th of a second!).

This coming year, Pack 978 will be racing on a brand new aluminum track.

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.

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.

At times, the pack may conduct a scavenger hunt to collect food for those less fortunate.

There's the annual father-son cakebake and ensuing blind auction for these confectionaries.

And finally, but certainly not the least fun, is the Space Derby in which the scout build a 7 inch propellor driven ship and races against the others in the pack.

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.