Riverside Pack 24 Cub Scouts

Dozin’ with the Dinos at the Field Museum

Dates: Friday, March 24th – Saturday, March 25th (beginning of Spring Break)

Cost: $80 per person

See the Field Museum in a whole new light! Stay up late with museum scientists and enjoy activities like dissecting owl pellets and learning the steps of Egyptian mummification. Then, switch on your flashlight and explore your favorite exhibitions, including the Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet, like never before. You’ll also have a chance to see some of the Field’s special exhibitions open during our visit.

Our Pack has already purchased 35 tickets, so please register with the Pack using this form. If demand is high, we may be able to add additional tickets. At this time, registration is only open for registered Cub Scouts with a parent. If we have extra tickets, siblings (ages 6+) can register beginning Friday, February 17th.

Additional information will be provided to registered participants, but you can also read more here. Arrival time is 5:30-8:00 pm on Friday. An evening snack as well as continental breakfast are included in your registration fee. All personal belongings must be cleared from our group’s sleeping area by 8:30 am on Saturday morning. Overnight parking is included with our tickets (5:00 pm-9:00 am). If you and your Scout want to explore the museum on your own on Saturday, museum entry for the day is included, but you will need to pay for Saturday parking. Pack leaders will depart at 9:00 am on Saturday, so any additional time you spend at the museum will not be considered part of the Pack event.

All participants (Scouts, adults, and siblings) MUST have a current BSA health form on file with our Pack. All adults staying overnight are also REQUIRED to complete Youth Protection Training (YPT). This 2-hour webinar can be completed on your own by creating a free account at my.scouting.org. We will also offer an in-person training at the February Pack Meeting (Tues, 2/21, 6:30-8:00 pm). This BSA training is valid for 2 years from the day you complete it.

Questions? Let us know at pack24riverside@gmail.com.

Riverside Presbyterian Church, our charter organization, invites you to attend RPC on Scout Sunday, February 5. RPC’s Service of Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. with Coffee Fellowship to follow in the Social Hall. Please wear your Class A uniform and encourage family members to wear their uniform as well (Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, etc.).

The Scout Sunday tradition was started to make people in houses of worship aware of Scouting, and to allow Scouts to live out their “Duty to God” pledged each week. The Scout Law says that a “Scout is Reverent” and Scouts promise to do their “Duty of God” in the Scout Oath.

Scout families who would like to provide treats for the coffee hour after the service are invited to drop them off in the Social Hall kitchen of the church any time between 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. Thanks for your contribution & hope to see you there!

Please sign up to usher, etc. HERE.

If you can’t join us at RPC, wear your uniform proudly to whatever house of worship you attend to show the community what we mean when we say “a Scout is Reverent.”

Attention (Pinewood Derby) Race Fans, it is almost Derby Day! Pay close attention to the schedule and notes below so that you don’t miss out!

Friday Evening Setup and Akela Race
5:00 Track Setup & Decorating begins
6:00 Check-in begins for Akela Race
7:00 Akela Race

Saturday Morning Race Day
10:00-12:00 Check-in
If you want chances to make practice runs down the track, get there early. There will be a work table to make adjustments or repairs to your car if necessary. Definitely be there no later than 11:30 to be sure to get checked in. The inspection judges will check the scout’s car for compliance with the rules and talk with them about how they made it. Once cars are checked in they will only be touched by race officials.

12:00-12:45 Balloting for Design Awards
Once all cars are checked-in scouts will vote for the Most Creative, Coolest, Fastest looking, Most Creative, and Most Scout-like car. Balloting will close at 12:45 be sure to get back to the gym and see all the cool cars from your den and the pack

10:00-2:00 Food available in the church hall.
Snacks and Lunch (pizza, hotdogs, and broccoli cheese soup) will be available for purchase in the church hall. This is a fundraiser for local Girl Scout silver award projects. You should stay to support them and enjoy lunch with the pack.

1:00 Opening Flag Ceremony and Racing
After the opening flag ceremony races will be conducted by den from youngest den to oldest den. Den-level awards will follow each set of races. The racing will conclude with a 16-car final that includes the two winning cars from each den and the next four fastest cars overall by average time. After the races we will award overall place awards.

We expect the racing to end around 3:30. Clean-up will hardly take any time at all if available adults stay for 10-15 minutes to lend a hand.

See you soon!

Luke Wetzel
2023 Pinewood Derby Coordinator

Dear Scout Families,

Get excited, the 2023 Riverside Cub Scout Pack 24 Pinewood Derby is only a week away! Here’s what you need to know:

RACE DAY
Enter the door on the southeast corner of the Riverside Presbyterian Church and go up the stairs to the gym. Look for the big checkered flag!

Friday, January 27
4:00-7:00 Set-up and Decorating
6:00 PM Akela Race Check-in begins
7:00 PM Akela Racing and awards
Akela (adult and family) race follows the same rules as the Scout Race. Arrive no later than 6:45 to check-in if you plan to race.

Saturday, January 29
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Check-in
Scouts can make practice runs down the track, make adjustments to their cars in the work area, and get checked-in for the race. All cars must be checked in by noon and scouts should check-in their own car. Please bring the number stickers that came in your kit so we can get them properly labeled.
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Lunch available for purchase in the church hall.
Girls Scouts will have pizza, hotdogs, drinks, and snacks for sale in the church hall. Stay to support them and socialize with fellow scout families.
12:00 – 12:55 PM Balloting for design awards in the Gym.
Ballots must be turned in to the ballot box by 12:55 PM to be counted.
1:00-3:30 Flag Ceremony & Racing
All scouts should be present for the opening flag ceremony. Racing followed by awards will take place by den from youngest to oldest: (Lions, Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos 1, Webelos 2). The finals (2 fastest cars from each den plus the next 4 fastest), final awards, the closing flag ceremony, and cleanup will end the day.

ADULT VOLUNTEERS
We need adults who are willing to help with set-up and decorating, check-in, racing, and more. Fill out this Google form to indicate your willingness and availability to help on race day and we’ll plug you in and get you what you need to know.

OTHER QUESTIONS?
Check out the FAQ here, read the rules, and feel free to e-mail me, fr.luke.wetzel@gmail.com. It isn’t too late to make a car, let me know and I’ll get you a kit.

We are asking scout families to pay $10 for each scout entry and $20 for each Akela race entry to help with the cost of the event. If you haven’t paid yet, you can pay online here.

Let’s go racing!

Luke Wetzel
2023 Pinewood Derby Coordinator

What: Pack 24 Pack meeting

When: Tuesday 1/17 at 7pm

Where: Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Rd

Who: All Pack 24 Scouts

Join us for our first Pack meeting of the year as we GEAR up for the Pinewood Derby! We will be Playing games, cheering, and singing songs as we get ready for our Derby which will be on Saturday 1/28. 

If you don’t have a plan for your car yet, RACE on over to the LaGrange Scout Shop on Saturday 1/14 between 10am and 1:45pm. They will be doing car cutting and will have a demonstration seminar to teach you all of the best car-making techniques. This is the Scout Shop’s final car cutting event before the Pinewood Derby!

I am so REVVED UP to see you all at our Pack Meeting!

Anyone else trying to focus on WARM thoughts today? Registration for most summer camps will open on Sunday, January 1st. They do not typically fill quickly, but we encourage your family to register as soon as you are ready! Here are the options for summer 2023. We will update this post whenever new information is available (last updated 1/27/23). Feel free to email us with any questions!

***When you register for summer camp, remember that our official Pack number is 3024. You need to mark this properly on your registration so your family will be grouped with our Pack.***

CUB SCOUT DAY CAMP at Keystone Park, River Forest, IL (Saturday, 8/5, 9am – 4pm). This is the day camp hosted by our district, but you can consider other dates/locations at the link. Siblings and friends who are rising 1st-5th graders can also attend. Our Pack will need at least two registered Leaders to attend Day Camp. If you are interested in chaperoning at Day Camp please let the Pack know via email. If we do not find two Leaders, parents will be required to attend camp with their children (note that a parent will need to attend with any rising 1st graders regardless of how many Pack Leaders attend).

FAMILY CAMP at Camp Betz, Berrien Springs, MI (Session III: Fri, 7/21 – Sun, 7/23). There are five sessions of this camp offered. You are welcome to attend any of the sessions, but we are encouraging families from our Pack to attend the third session, if possible. This is a weekend camp in tents.

FAMILY CAMP at Camp Reneker, Twin Lake, MI (Week-long sessions in June & July). Currently we do not know of any Pack 24 families that plan to attend this camp. Let us know if your family registers so we can notify other families about when you will attend. This is a week-long camp in cabins.

WEBELOS CAMP at Camp Wolverine, Twin Lake, MI (Wed, 8/2 – Sat, 8/5). Rising 4th & 5th graders may attend this session with or without a parent (no siblings). Currently we have two Pack 24 Leaders committed to attending this session. There is a separate session on Sun, 7/30 – Wed, 8/2 that any Cub Scout can attend with a parent (but no siblings). This is a three-night camp in tents.

Pack 24,

Our December meeting will be a week earlier this month to leave time closer to the holidays for family activities. 

When: Tuesday 12/13 at 7 PM

Where: Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Rd.

Who: All Cub Scouts and their families

What: Fun Holiday Themed activities and a special guest speaker

We will have some fun Holiday themed songs and activities and will have a special guest speaker. A former Pack 24 Scout, an Eagle Scout, and a current Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force will be telling us about his time in Scouting and how it is helping him with his Air Force training.

Scouts and Parents:

The Pinewood Derby is coming up on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at Riverside Presbyterian Church. More details will be shared and cars will be passed out at next week’s Pack Meeting on Tuesday, December 13. You won’t want to miss it. The fee for participation which includes the derby car kit, awards, and event activities is $10. You can pay online here or bring your payment to the Pack Meeting.

There are a few details that we wanted to share this week for your planning for the derby.

The LaGrange Scout Shop (811 W. Hillgrove Ave in LaGrange) offers free derby car cutting help at on certain Saturdays. This year there are only two between now and our derby, December 10 and January 14 from 10:00 AM-1:45 PM. If you would like to pick up your car early to work on it this Saturday, contact George Condes, 312-909-3708 or gcondes@gmail.com.

Our racing rules this year will be the rules used at the All-District Pinewood Derby to be held on April 16, 2023, in Schaumburg. We hope that some of our scouts will be able to participate. There are some important differences between these rules and the ones that the Pack has used in the past. We will hand out copies of the rules with the cars next week. You can download the rules here.

There will be an Akela (Parent) Race again this year on the Friday evening before the derby with awards for the fastest car and “Best in Show” design. Have fun building a car alongside your scout. The entry fee is $20 to cover the cost of the kit/awards. Pay in advance at the link above or bring payment to the Pack meeting next week and pick up your kit. We are limited to 24 entries.

Look for more information about the derby at the Pack meeting next week including ways you can volunteer to help make it a great day for the scouts.

Luke Wetzel
fr.luke.wetzel@gmail.com
2023 Pinewood Derby Coordinator

Join our Pack on a rock climbing adventure!

The indoor climbing walls at Life Time feature a variety of challenges with hand and foothold routes that create appropriate levels of difficulty for all abilities and ages (5+).

All gear will be provided.

When: Saturday, December 3rd

Time: 2:30-4:30 pm

Cost: $10 per climber (no charge for non-climbing parents; as always, Scouts must be accompanied by a parent)

Where:  Life Time Burr Ridge, 601 Burr Ridge Pkwy, Burr Ridge, IL 60527

In order to maintain the $10 per climber cost, we need to have a minimum of 35 climbers. There are 40 climbing spots available — we will keep the sign up open until November 29th for Scouts only. Please sign up and make payment for your Scout by the 29th. If there are open spots remaining, we will then open registration for siblings and parents. If the spots fill up quickly, and there is still interest, we may be able to add additional staff for the rock wall in order to open up more spots.

Update 11/27: We still have 13 climbing spots remaining. If any additional Scouts, parents, or siblings (aged 5+) would like to participate, please email the Pack at pack24riverside@gmail.com for payment information.

When: Tuesday, 11/15 7 pm

Where: Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Rd

Who: All Cub Scouts and their Parents

It’s a Popcorn Party!

We will be celebrating the hard work the Scouts have done in having our best popcorn season ever!

We will be passing out all popcorn prizes to the Scouts who earned them. Also, the Pack achieved the goal of selling $30k of popcorn, so the top seller from each den will be shearing the sheep . . . er. . . I mean cutting all the hair off our Cubmaster!

A few additional reminders:

-The Zoo Tree Trim is TODAY (Saturday, 11/12). Click here for details.

-Please be on the lookout for an email from your popcorn kernel, Jenny Hinson from Lotitero1@aol.com, in regards to picking up your popcorn order this weekend! If you don’t receive an email this weekend from her please check your spam. ALL popcorn orders need to be picked up before THANKSGIVING!

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