Riverside Pack 24 Cub Scouts

What: Pack 24 Meeting

When: Tuesday, 3/21 at 7pm

Where: Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Rd

Who: All Pack 24 Scouts

Join us for our March Pack meeting! We will be learning about summer camp options, hearing about registration for the all-districts derby, and competing in a special building challenge.

If your Scout finished in the top 3 for their den at our Pack’s Pinewood Derby, watch for an email regarding registration for the all-districts derby. You must respond to that email BEFORE THE PACK MEETING to secure your child’s spot at the all-districts derby. Beginning at the Pack Meeting, we will distribute unclaimed registrations to other interested Scouts.

Let your excitement BUILD for our next Pack Meeting!

Calling All Cub Scouts! 

The Pancake Breakfast is coming up on Saturday, March 4^th, from 7 am to 1 pm at Riverside Presbyterian Church!

Please help make our Riverside Pack 24/Troop 24 Pancake Breakfast fundraiser a success! 

This year people will have the option of dining in the church’s Social Hall OR driving through to take pancakes home.  Sign up your Cub Scout to bus tables in the Riverside Presbyterian Church Social Hall, or to help assemble and deliver meals-to-go outside for the Drive-Thru.

Sign up for a shift, wear your uniform, and have fun!  Please note that Webelos can volunteer without a parent but all younger ranks should have a parent volunteer at the same time slot. Click here to sign up.

Don’t forget to turn in your Pancake Breakfast Ticket money to your Den Leader or Rachel Schrier (375 Uvedale Rd.) by Monday, 2/27.

Sign up here!

When: Tuesday, February 21st, 6:30-8:00 pm

Where: Social Hall, Riverside Presbyterian Church

Who: ALL the Cub Scouts in Pack 24!

This month the Bear den will lead our Pack Meeting! To complete the adventure “Grin & Bear It” they will lead the rest of the Pack in a variety of carnival-style games. Please note the earlier start time!

During the meeting, any parents who have not completed Youth Protection Training (YPT) in the past two years are invited to complete this important training in the Westminster Room (across the hall from the Pack Meeting). This training is required for registered Leaders and all parents who stay at our indoor overnights (Museum Overnight in March & Camp Tecumseh in April). This is the only time it will be offered in person! Prior to the meeting, please make sure you have created a free account at my.Scouting.org. (If you are new to the Pack, you should have created an account when you registered your child.) If you are unable to attend and need to complete the training, you can do so online using your my.Scouting account.

All Pack 24 Scouts and Families are invited to join us for our Blue & Gold Celebration on February 26.

Blue and Gold Celebrates:
● The Anniversary of BSA founded February 8, 1910
● Our Webelos 2 earning the highest rank in Cub Scouts, the Arrow of Light, and Bridging to the BSA Scout Troop

We will be entertained by a Special Blue and Gold chemistry show.
Light refreshments to follow the event. Please RSVP here so that appropriate amounts may be provided.

Who: All Pack 24 scouts and their families
When: Sunday, February 26 from 3pm-5pm
Where: Riverside Village Hall (27 Riverside Rd.)

February 11, 2023

11 am – 2 pm
Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve (Groves 1 & 2)
River Forest, IL

$8 per person 

The District is holding the Cub Scout Snow Bowl again this year! Click Here To Register. (We are Pack 3024 in the registration system.) They will hold the event Snow or No Snow.

What to Expect: Winter Games – Nature Walk – Warming House  (Cocoa and Snacks) – Obstacle Course – Lots More Winter Fun!!  Earn a Patch! 

***Please email us if you would like to be added to the wait list.***

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 sold all pre-purchased tickets, but we may be able to add additional tickets. Please e-mail us to request tickets, and we will add you to our wait list.

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!