Happy Thanksgiving

As families come together near and far to celebrate with food and fellowship while counting their many blessings, we would like to take this opportunity, too, to wish our Pack 1910 family a Happy Thanksgiving.

The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the culmination of a successful partnership and harvest between different groups of people and was a further testimony that people of all creeds can live in harmony.

So, this Thanksgiving, we give thanks to children of all beliefs who have joined into the brotherhood of Scouting for the purpose of the greater good. We are united in a common purpose to be a different breed of person... the leaders of the future.

Thankful are we for the opportunities presented to us through the Scouting movement and the ability to serve our chartered organization, our community, our family, our unit and our country.

Thankful are we for the opportunity to Do A Good Turn Daily by acts of selfless service to those in our family, school and community.

Thankful are we for the blessings of leaders and volunteers who give of their time and their many talents to lead these boys with purpose.

Thankful are we for the bright-eyed enthusiasm as we witness young men take on greater responsibilities and meet challenges they didn't know they could overcome.

Thankful are we for the freedom afforded to all Americans and for those who are willing to fight for it... whatever the cost.

Thankful are we to not get everything we want, but to continue to be grateful for what we have.

Thankful are we for the partnership with nature and the outdoors as we learn to live in harmony with our earth and protect it for the generations that will follow.

Thankful are we for the gift of a merciful and gracious God that hears our prayers. Oh great Scoutmaster of all, please be with all of our Pack families until we can join together again.

Until that time... Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Recharter Time!

It’s time again to recharter our Pack with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). As part of this process, each Scout and leader must register for the upcoming year (which includes payment of registration dues and ensuring your Health Form (Part A and B) is current). While our Pack operates on a SCHOOL calendar of June - May, registration dues for everyone are paid on a January-December basis.

Recharter dues for returning scouts for 2020 are:
$150 with Boys' Life magazine; or 
$138 without Boys' Life magazine  

Leaders are $51 and require a new Background Authorization Form

FEE EXPLANATION

1) National Dues - This fee is paid directly to the Boy Scouts of America and registers your Cub Scout for the period January through December. The annual National Dues were raised this year which is why we hadn't announced recharter amounts until now. Youth fees are $60, paid annually, prorated monthly ($5 per month) from month of joining.

2) Longhorn Council Fee - This $15 fee is paid directly to the Longhorn Council for the period of January through December. The annual Longhorn Council Fees is paid annually, prorated monthly ($1.25 per month) from the month of joining.

3) Boys' Life Magazine - $12 per Scout, prorated monthly ($1 per month). Boys' Life is the monthly magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. It’s a fantastic read that reinforces Scouting and the good family values that are part of our program. This is now optional.

4) Pack Fees - $63 (about $5 per month) The Pack charges an annual Pack Fee to help cover the cost of running the Pack. This fee includes all program costs and is set each year by the Pack Committee. At the very basic level, this covers your scout's rank specific handbook, neckerchief slide and neckerchief at bridging each May so that he may start his new journey off prepared as well as all of his advancement, awards, badges, patches, pins, adventure loops, hiking awards, ceremony supplies, and the like. As you can see, there is great deal of tangible goods that each scout receives annually just for doing what they do! This doesn't even begin to cover the other costs... just what our BOYS receive.

Thus, we rely heavily on fundraising to ensure an awesome program for our youth. Simply stated, our Pack is POWERED BY POPCORN!

Which is why I am so excited to tell you that all current Cub Scouts who are rechartering for 2020 will receive a $50 membership CREDIT on their dues from this year's fundraising success! That makes dues for youth only $100 for 2020 with Boy's Life Magazine or $88 without the subscription.

Membership renewal commitments are due no later than DECEMBER 1.

Our charter expires December 31 and there is a GREAT DEAL of paper chasing to take place before then. 
PLEASE do not make me chase yours for filing.

Say it with me now... ya didn't file your paperwork... 

Checks should be made payable to Pack 1910. If you would like to pay via credit card, that can be done through Paypal. A PayPal button for payments will be set up today. Be sure you are choosing the correct membership fee structure from our Payment Page as there are buttons for RECHARTER of current members, NEW members, as well as TRANSFERS. Choose wisely.  If you choose to utilize PayPal, the processing fees are passed onto you rounded up to the nearest $0.25.

Without registration commitments, we cannot recharter you (as a registered leader) your Scout. Awards and rank cannot be recorded for unregistered Scouts.

While we try to streamline this as much as process, there IS paper involved -- we need a new health form for anyone that hasn't submitted one within the last year. We need completed YPT certificates for all parents with their Scouts if you have not supplied those via e-mail.  All leaders must be trained for their positions prior to recharter. All registered leaders must complete the new background authorization form. Do NOT email those to me. Those need to be original signed documents, not scanned copies.

Thank you for your assistance in making this as painless and streamlined of a process as possible. I appreciate everyone's prompt attention to this matter. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact April Driggers.

PAYMENT PAGE IS HERE

ROCKET LAUNCH POSTPONED!

Projected wind speeds tomorrow are beyond the cap we are permitted for a safe launch so our rocket launch will be postponed.  We are already working on a new date!

Have a BLAST with us November 10!

The time is NOW to build your rockets so that you can join us for our annual launch Sunday, November 10. Weather permitting, we will be meeting at the KYA Soccer Fields (behind Blue Sky) at 2:30 pm.  Look for the Pack banner.

Our MC and host for the event, DARS (Dallas Area Rocket Society), has suggested that the only rockets we use should be those requiring a 1/4A, 1/2A and A motors (B at most) with streamers / not parachutes. These won't go quite as high, but we also shouldn't lose as many!

We have rocket kits for your scouts to pick up and build!  Contact April Driggers to get yours today.  If you wish to build your own, however, feel free!  Be sure if you use the kit, you put distinguishing marks on it so that you can identify which one is yours since we will launch rockets in succession and if they all look the same, it's difficult to know which belongs to whom.

For the rocket launch you will need to bring your fully assembled rocket, additional motors, pins and extra wadding. DARS will provide the launch pads and electrical igniter. You do NOT need to bring a launch rod or blast shield. If one comes with your kit, just leave it at home.

Estes rockets suggests something similar to either a Wizard or a Firestreak SST for launching. The major difference is that with the Wizard, the boys will have to measure, mark and glue the parts together to assemble the rocket and the Firestreak is molded from plastic and simply snaps together (requires no gluing).

Rocketry may be new to your family and seem somewhat impossible... please don't be intimidated because it is a LOT OF FUN! Hobby Lobby sells rocket kits and you can use an app or download a 40% off coupon as well. The kits come in a variety of levels of difficulty to assemble. Some are "RTF" (Ready To Fly), "ARF" (Almost Ready to FLY), "E2X" (Easy to Assemble) and so on.

Also to note, when we speak of "motors" or "engines," we are talking about these guys (pictured below). Packaged, these engines come complete with an igniter and pin for each. So, don't lose the little plastic pieces or the two pronged igniter. Please be sure to PURCHASE THEM as kits do not include engines since many rockets can be launched by several different engine sizes. Approved Estes engines for our launch are are A8-3, B6-2. If you want to buy Quest engines, we have a list of those as well. Please note, however, that the C size engines are beyond what the Fire Marshal wants us to utilize so stick with B and smaller.

Here is a little diagram that will help identify what all the parts are for if you're not familiar with model rockets.

Pictured below is the "recovery wadding."  You'll need a package to put in your rocket for any additional launches.

I warn you, however, rocketry can be quite exhilarating! Bring those cameras....and visit the DARS website for more information on their next public launch. They have some launches where they shoot off the BIG DOGS! It's definitely an amazing sight to behold.

As with all Pack events, this is open to siblings. So if brothers / sisters want to launch, they can bring their own rockets, too!

So.... get those rockets built!  Let's have a blast together.

Brrrrrr!!!

I heard some Scouts will have earned their POLAR BEAR PATCHES after this campout!  Glad you were able to BEAR the weather! 

Fall Back Tonight!