The Year of Celebration Awards
Your scouts may have earned the patch for their rank already, but don't let the fun stop. Check out the Year of Celebration Awards that is ONLY available during this special 100th Anniversary year.
There are 5 award ribbons to it, and you earn each by fulfilling 3 out of 5 requirements. Sounds like a lot? Don't worry, the boys have until the end of 2010 to accomplish them and chances are, they have already accomplished one or two.
These awards are also open to adult leaders and alumni. So if you were ever part of BSA's 100 years of history, don't miss this opportunity to commemorate it and show your pride.
Danville Fourth of July Parade and a Huey Helicopter!
Pack 1776,
We have been offered a unique opportunity for the Danville, Fourth of July parade. Our Pack will be allowed to march along with a Vietnam era Huey helicopter. Select Cub Scouts will be allowed to ride INSIDE!!
- Safety is IMPORTANT. The helicopter has large open doors on both sides
- Class A uniform in MANDATORY for both Scouts and adults
- IN the helicopter: ~8-12 scouts (depending on size of scouts) & 4 adults within arm’s reach
- AT least two adults on each side of the helicopter
- No rotating scouts in & out of the helicopter during Parade (safety issues)
- Extra scouts can be an "honor guard" escorting (ie walking) in front with pack flag etc.
- We have an option to have another vehicle (possibly decorated) as part of the procession.
- Scouts can ride in 3rd vehicle (if desired)
- Bring plenty of water/sunscreen/a couple of extra garbage bags.
- Okay to bring bottled water aboard, but no soda, no candy, gum, munchies, and NO flip-flops.
Along with this honor goes responsibility. Our pack is being offered the opportunity to wash the Huey the evening before the parade. Buckets, wash cloths and clean water are provided, and the Scouts scramble around hand washing the airport dust off the aircraft. It's not a dirty job and we like to have parents stand near the doors for safety. The aircraft is at the base of the control tower at Buchannan Field (Concord, CA), at the end of John Glenn Rd. It is located on the edge of an active airport, and the FAA is looking over our shoulder. We need to do a good job of managing Scouts out there.
Does Pack 1776 want to spend an hour or two scrambling around in a Vietnam vintage warbird on Saturday the 3rd at 5pm? Participation in the helicopter wash increases your likelihood of riding in the helicopter during the parade!
Please respond to Evelyn Chin (Pack Parade Coordinator at Sons3bgt@aol.com ) and me (evans.scott.ching@comcast.net) with both your interest in the parade and the washing, ASAP.
We need to confirm our participation by June 11th!!
Yours in Scouting,
CC Scott.
USS Pampanito Update (with directions and parking info)
[stextbox id="download" caption="Update 6/9/2010: Directions, Parking, etc." align="center"]
Dear Submariners,
Attached is a few pages from the USS Pampanito manual (doc) (pdf) (so you don't have to print the whole thing) that gives directions, parking information, suggested clothing, and other important information. If you haven't filled out the medical release form yet, please do so and have it ready for one of the co-chairs (Steve J, John P or me) on Pier 45. The required paperwork must be in order before the USS Pampanito staff allows us to begin our activity.
We'll all meet on Pier 45 in front of the submarine at 1900 hours (7:00 PM). The parking garage is available to us at 1830 hours (6:30 PM).
Regards,
Harry[/stextbox]
[stextbox id="download" caption="Update 6/8/2010: Parking Pass Info" align="center"]
Submariners,
Here is the parking pass (doc) (pdf) for the USS Pampanito overnight adventure. The manual says 10 spots are free but...my contact at the USS Pampanito said to make as many copies as we need. I'm hoping this means free parking for all!
Regards,
Harry[/stextbox]
Date: Friday - Saturday, June 11-12, 2010
Time: 7:00PM
Dear Pack 1776 Submariners,
Almost everything you need to know, including directions, is in this USS Pampanito Overnight Program Guide!
Yes, school is almost over and our overnight adventure is soon to begin! We can meet on the dock in front of the USS Pampanito at 1900 hours (7:00 PM) Friday evening. After the staff of the USS Pampanito has finished reviewing our paperwork, we will have a safety briefing, a mandatory fire drill, and a special tour before re-boarding the ship with our gear.
Three of the four Officer’s Quarters are reserved for the women on board. These have at least two bunks and a curtain, which is all the privacy a submarine offers. The fourth Officer’s Quarter is larger, and is temporarily reserved for any scout and their Akela who may have medical issues (migraines, those who take medicine at odd hours, etc.). Everyone else is expected to sleep in the Crew’s Berth. We are not assigning berths (there are no better or worse berths). Two years ago most of our scouts wanted the bottom and middle berths, while their Dads took the top berths.
There is free parking in the garage next to the dock for the first 10 automobiles. Additional cars can park for $15 (half their normal rate).
What should you bring? A good list is on the USS Pampanito website (http://www.maritime.org/scout.htm) and in the attached program guide. Below is a summary:
- Money (we are passing the hat for late night pizza before the movie starts in the forward torpedo room.
- Sleeping bag. If you sleep with a pillow, bring one!
- Wash cloth and hand towel.
- Toiletries, including a cup (no paper cups on board) or bottled water for brushing/rinsing. Remember, there are only two sinks and no showers in a WWII submarine (fresh water was only used for drinking and the batteries).
- Flashlight.
- Something warm for the kids to sleep in and a change of clothes. The evenings can be cool in San Francisco.
- Camera. The best photo opportunities are at sunset, during the morning tour (with Alcatraz in the background) and anytime inside the submarine. We will have an opportunity for a group photo Saturday morning.
A list of participants is below, for those who wish to carpool.
Regards,
Harry B
PLAN OF THE DAY
Below is a plan that provides a general framework for the evening’s activities. As with the best-laid plans, sometimes things will not happen exactly as scheduled, so there is room for flexibility in this plan to accommodate the special circumstances that may arise with each group. From time to time, our staff may also find it necessary to alter the time and sequence of activities. The key word is "flexibility." All times are approximate.
Evening:
1900 Arrival; obtain parking instructions; group leader meets with staff to complete necessary paperwork.
2000 Group tours pier exhibits, accompanied by staff member.
2030 Rules of conduct,audio tour of submarine, pierside activities/instruction).
2100 Fire Drill (mandatory)
2130 Conning tower tour.
2200 Load Gear
Nighttime:
2400 Lights out. Night watch established and begin watch activities
Morning:
0700 Reveille. Dress; begin packing up gear.
0800 Colors. (If your group would like to raise colors, let us know!)
0800-0900 Clean up time; pack gear off the boat; take group photograph. (All gear must be off the boat by 0900, when we open to the public.)
Remember that this is a general framework - events may unfold at different times!
Adult Participants:
- Daniel A
- Harry B, Co-Chair
- Lisa C
- Scott E
- Christel H
- Steve J, Co-Chair
- Jeffrey K
- Suchit K
- Ed L
- Alan & Stella L
- John O
- Tommy P
- John P, Co-Chair
- Christopher S
- Yuji Y
Cotton Candy Wrapup
Dear All,
Thanks for a very successful cotton candy booth at the San Ramon Art and Wind Festival.
Lines were long and business was great as we pulled in over $2000 to support Pack1776 for 2011.
Most thanks goes to the parents and cub scouts that attended during the 2 day event. I must say we definitely have future sales people in our cub scouts.
I would like to congratulate the following cub scouts who helped made this event a complete success.
Josh K, Jacob & Joshua L, Morgan J, Jared O, Emmett & Aidan L, Gurveer S, Ishaan K, Zoe & Ethan M, Evan Y, Brandon and Alexander B, Andre B, Abhilash P, Landon S, Mimi & Harrison E and my best buddy David O.
I also ESPECIALLY would like to thank those parents that volunteered for the pack. Being the organizer and never really doing this before I am so grateful for those that signed up.
A special thanks goes to Josh K who came early the first day and tirelessly was out front of the booth asking people to buy cotton candy. Keep up that sales attitude.
COTTON CANDY GET YOUR COTTON CANDY HERE.
Thanks to all.
Richard N
Cotton Candy Coordinator
Cotton Candy Booth Info
Date: Sunday - Monday, May 30-31, 2010 (Memorial day weekend)
Time: 10am - 5pm
Location: San Ramon Central Park (map)
Parents of Pack 1776-
As you all know, we have our Pack’s biggest fundraiser of the year (Cotton Candy Booth!) coming up this Memorial day weekend at the Art & Wind festival @ Central Park in San Ramon.
We will be at booth #5 on the Alcosta side (see map of booth location and map of the festival).
Scouts are also encouraged to help out. Full Class A uniform is recommended.
Parking Instructions
Print out a parking pass. The parking pass must be visible on the dashboard of the vehicle at all times. Make sure to include a cell phone number in case the event coordinator needs to locate you.
Your FREE parking area for the duration of the Festival is located in the dirt lot at the corner of Bollinger Canyon Road and Camino Ramon. Access to this lot is off of Bollinger Canyon Road.
The pass will also allow a vehicle to enter the curb area along Bollinger and Alcosta to unload food items during the festival—this person MAY NOT LEAVE their car. Please have someone from the booth meet the person at their car to unload. They will only be allowed a very limited time to unload.
District Safe Swim Defense LIVE Training
Date: Thursday, June 3, 2010
Time: 8:00pm to 8:40pm
Location: LDS Church - Overlook Chapel, 2369 Overlook Drive, Walnut Creek (map)
Cost: Free
To Meridian Scouters,
The Iron Horse District is offering a LIVE in person Safe Swim Defense class on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 during their Round Table breakout session. For those who are not comfortable taking the Online Safe Swim Defense class, this is a GREAT TIMELY opportunity for you to "be prepared" for the summer when you take your scouts on aquatic adventures!!! -- Please see the attached flyer for more information...
Training is opened to ALL Scouters (from Tigers to Venture) -- Any scout leader planning to lead any swimming based activities MUST complete this training.
[stextbox id="info" caption="Notes" align="center"]This training is for adults only.
This is a classroom-based training. No swimming.
Registration is not necessary. Just show up at the church.[/stextbox]
--
Ray Chan
Training Chair
Meridian District
925-548-6179 - Cell
Pack Camping in Tahoe (Important Update!!)
UPDATE (7/15/2010): The CORRECT dates are check-in Saturday, August 7th @ 2 PM and check-out Monday, August 9th @ Noon! Please note this update and re-confirm your participation. thank you!!
Date: Saturday, August 7, 2:00PM - Monday, August 9, 12:00PM
Location: Lake Tahoe - Sugar Pine Point State Park (map)
Fees: $15 per person per night
Rated as one on the most scenic camp sites in CA and now with Wi-Fi! Park brochures here.
The Summer Camping Vitals - Scouts having a great experience Camping, Hiking, Playing at the Beach, Learning about Historical Points of Interest in the great state of California and learning survival skills and earning a few badges, loops and patches along the way.
Advisories - Weather in summer is great for Tahoe but night time temp still dips to the high 30's in August. The spots are limited and will go on a first come first serve basis.
Sign Up essentials - Should you be interested, send a check for $15 per person per night for your family marked to PACK 1776, directly to Committee Chair and send me an email stating that your check has been mailed. That is the only way to secure the spot.
Camping Chair Gapps
Flag Planting Ceremony (Updated again)
Update 2 (5/25 10pm): We have 32 people signed up so far. The coordinator told me that they only have 350 patches to hand out & they may have more scouts than that, so be sure to get there early. The program starts at 9am & he said it should only last "about 90 minutes". Keep in mind that the flyer says 9-12pm.
Scouts & Adult leaders- make sure you wear your full Class A uniform. It gets you free admission to the Exploratorium.
If any of you are still interested in going, it is not too late. Just let me know.
Update 1 (5/25 3pm): We have over 10 non-uniformed adults signed up so far and have secured a group rate of $10 per adult and $7 per child in case you want to bring siblings along. More details to come. Stay tuned.
Date: Saturday, May 29, 2010
Time: 9am - 12noon
Location: San Francisco National Cemetery, 1 Lincoln Blvd., Presidio of San Francisco (map)
Hi Pack 1776 families-
I know this is last minute but there is a Flag Planting Ceremony at the San Francisco National Cemetery this Saturday. It comes with patches and free admission to the Exploratorium. We need a quick head count by TODAY to reserve patches.
Let me know ASAP if you are interested.
- I need number of scouts attending & number of Adults.
- Uniforms get you in free to the exploratorium, so dress in full class A
- If we have enough people, we get discounts on the non uniformed adults & siblings.
Yours in Scouting,
Cubmaster Ed
P.S. Only scouts and adult leaders in full uniform will be admitted to Exploratorium for free. Parents will have to pay the general admission of $15 per person. If we have 10 or more non-uniformed parents, we should be able to get a group rate of $10 per person.
May Hike Wrapup
Hello All:
Thanks to all scouts and parents who went on a great hike today.
I uploaded some photos to SmugMug. If you took some pictures, please feel free to upload them to the same gallery.
We will be emailing shortly the information for the June hike.
Thank you!
Bernard & Eka
Hiking chairs
MDSC Family Camp (Memorial Day Weekend)
Date: Friday-Monday, May 28-31, 2010
Location: Camp Lindblad (directions)
Join in the Family Camp fun at Camp Linblad!
Camp out in a redwood forest.
Early registration of $90.00 per person ($15 for siblings under age 5) includes meals from Saturday breakfast to Monday lunch, a camp patch for Cub Scouts, and program supplies. Register by May 22 to avoid $25 late fee per person.
Earn rank advancement through archery, BB gun shooting, crafts, nature study, outdoor skills, and whittling (including knife safety).
Complete some of the requirements for the new Cub Scout Family Fun Award!
See the council website and see the camp book below for more information and registration.