Memorial Day

While many Americans will celebrate Memorial Day with hot dogs, hamburgers and a day off... let us not forget what this day is really all about. Memorial Day is not about 20% off sales and lounging by the pool. Memorial Day is a day of honor and respect for our fallen... and sometimes forgotten.

From the US Memorial Day website, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.




I encourage all Pack 1910 families to engage in something meaningful this weekend to help instill in our Cubs a purpose for this day. Let's raise a generation that doesn't forget.

Take part in watching the National Memorial Day Parade. They will have a live feed streaming on YouTube. The parade is at 2pm EST. More on the parade can be found here.

Here is a Memorial Day Tribute you could watch with your family.

If you would like to do something local, at 11:00am CST at the Mt. Gilead Cemetery on Keller-Smithfield Road, the Keller Mt. Gilead Cemetery Association and the Rotary club are putting together their annual Memorial Day celebration. (The band starts at 10:30 am.) This is a one hour event inclusive of a flag retirement ceremony (conducted by Troop 1910 of First United Methodist Church of Keller.) Bring a chair and water. Once the ceremony concludes, hot dogs and drinks will be served.  Again, please come prepared for the heat. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, and your own cold water!

We have added to our Pack Calendar a special entry on Memorial Day. At 3pm -- no matter where you are, what you are doing or whose company you are sharing -- please stop and take a moment to gather your family and friends together to remember those who have fallen in service to our great nation. Memorial Day is more than a cookout, it's a time to be in thought for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as their families. The National Moment of Remembrance is at 3pm. Unite with Americans everywhere to show that we have not forgotten that freedom isn't free. We are the home of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

Memorial Day Flag Ceremony

While many Americans will celebrate Memorial Day with hot dogs, hamburgers and a day off... let us not forget what this day is really all about. Memorial Day is not about 20% off sales and lounging by the pool. Memorial Day is a day of honor and respect for our fallen... and sometimes forgotten.

From the US Memorial Day website, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.




I encourage all Pack 1910 families to engage in something meaningful this weekend to help instill in our Cubs a purpose for this day. Let's raise a generation that doesn't forget.



Take part in watching the National Memorial Day Parade. They will have a live feed streaming on YouTube. The parade is at 2pm EST. More on the parade can be found here.

Here is a Memorial Day Tribute you could watch with your family.

If you would like to do something local, at 11:00am CST at the Mt. Gilead Cemetery on Keller-Smithfield Road, the Keller Mt. Gilead Cemetery Association and the Rotary club are putting together their annual Memorial Day celebration. (The band starts at 10:30 am.) This is a one hour event inclusive of a flag retirement ceremony (conducted by Troop 1910 of First United Methodist Church of Keller.)

We have added to our Pack Calendar a special entry on Memorial Day. At 3pm -- no matter where you are, what you are doing or whose company you are sharing -- please stop and take a moment to gather your family and friends together to remember those who have fallen in service to our great nation. Memorial Day is more than a cookout, it's a time to be in thought for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as their families. The National Moment of Remembrance is at 3pm. Unite with Americans everywhere to show that we have not forgotten that freedom isn't free. We are the home of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

Scouts and families, you are cordially invited to participate in the annual flag retirement ceremony at Mt. Gilead Cemetery.

Troop 1910 will be on hand to lead the services.

The event starts at 11:30 am, but you'll want to arrive sooner to ensure seating (I suggest you bring a chair and water).

Scout should be in full field uniform.

Once the ceremony concludes, hotdogs and drinks will be served.

Again, please come prepared for the heat. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, and your own cold water!

If you have a personal flag you'd like to bring to retire, please feel free.  No other flags will be burned tomorrow as I think Lucas Funeral Home will take them to retire with Veterans.

All families are encouraged to participate.

November Pack Meeting TOMORROW

Don't forget tomorrow is the Pack 1910 November Pack Meeting at Bear Creek Park Pavilion 3.  We will be having a campfire and flag retirement ceremony followed by hot chocolate and snacks.  We hope you and your family can join us.  

Be sure to RSVP on ScoutBook for this event to ensure we have enough for everyone!

If there is a burn ban or chance of rain, updates will be sent out ON SCOUTBOOK so be sure you are checking your e-mail regularly.

WHAT TO BRING:  Scouts should be sure to bring a HEADLAMP if you have one (to keep your hands free for reading), water bottles, chairs and maybe a blanket... you may need it!  

Our event will commence at 6:30 sharp.  Once the service has ended, we invite pack members and their families to the pavilion for some hot chocolate and a sweet treat.  

Flag Retirement Ceremony

Friday, April 21 is going to be another amazing opportunity for Pack 1910 Cub Scouts and their families. Ridgeview Elementary is having their annual outdoor family movie night in the field by the school and Pack 1910 is going to do a full flag retirement ceremony before the movie.

What an amazing way to introduce Scouting AND citizenship to the student body at Ridgeview. All Scouts and Scouters are to wear full field uniforms to participate in the ceremony. Please arrive no later than 7pm. Those helping with set up please be there by 6:45 pm.

The event has been created and is on the Scoutbook calendar, please RSVP if you will be there so we know who to give speaking parts to for this very important event.

Families participating in the flag retirement are encouraged to stay and enjoy the movie. 

Again, please indicate your availability to serve in this capacity on Scoutbook. I hope we have an all-hands-on-deck representation of our boys and leadership for our school. It's a great investment of time for recruiting as well.

November Pack Meeting!

Don't forget tomorrow is the Pack 1910 November Pack Meeting at Bear Creek Park Pavilion 3.  We will be having a campfire and flag retirement ceremony followed by hot chocolate and snacks.  We hope you and your family can join us.  

Be sure to RSVP on ScoutBook for this event to ensure we have enough for everyone!

If there is a burn ban or chance of rain, updates will be sent out ON SCOUTBOOK so be sure you are checking your e-mail regularly.

WHAT TO BRING:  Scouts should be sure to bring a HEADLAMP if you have one (to keep your hands free for reading), water bottles, chairs and maybe a blanket... you may need it!  

Our event will commence at 6:30 sharp.  Once the service has ended, we invite pack members and their families to the pavilion for some hot chocolate and a light snack.  

November Pack Meeting -- RESCHEDULED

Pack 1910's November Campfire and Flag Retirement was scheduled for Tuesday, November 8 but it has been MOVED to Tuesday, November 15.  Same time (6:30 pm). Same place (Bear Creek Park Pavilion 3).

The rain levels over the last two days have left the campfire site area much too saturated and using a portable fire pit will prove to be a potentially unsafe, muddy mess.

So, please SAVE THE DATE for NEXT TUESDAY, November 15 and spend tomorrow night cheering for AMERICA in this epic election.  We look forward to seeing EVERYONE next Tuesday night at Bear Creek Park!

Flag Retirement Ceremony

THIS FRIDAY night is going to be a busy one for Pack 1910 Cub Scouts and their families! Not only is it Pinewood Derby Registration, but it is also Ridgeview's Outdoor Family Movie Night in the field behind the school. We will divide and conquer!

The Principal of Ridgeview Elementary has a flag that needs to be retired and has asked us to handle that.  What a better time to show the school how we can demonstrate Citizenship while we respectfully retire the flag.  So we invite all scouts in FULL CLASS A UNIFORM to come and conduct a flag retirement ceremony before Friday's movie at the school. Therefore, we need some scout volunteers in order to make that happen.  The event will be created on Scoutbook, please just RSVP if you will be there so we know who to give parts to.

We encourage everyone to get your pinewood derby car checked in early and scoot on over to the school to participate.

Ridgeview Elementary will be showing The Peanuts Movie. I still haven't seen it and I even owned a SNOOPY DOLL in a former life!  Families participating in the flag retirement are encouraged to stay and enjoy the movie.  After the movie, the Pack is assigned clean up detail of the area.  Adults, even if your children can't stay, we would certainly appreciate our leaders taking part in this important part of our representation.

Please indicate your availability to serve in this capacity on Scoutbook.  I hope we have an all-hands-on-deck representation of our boys and leadership at our school.  It's a great investment of time for recruiting as well.

Pack Meeting TOMORROW

Don't forget TOMORROW, at 6:30 Tuesday, November 10 is the November Pack meeting at the Bear Creek Park fire pit.  

Park in the parking lot by the sand volleyball court and go over the bridge to the opposite side of the creek.  The fire pit is near the running trail.  Assistant Cubmaster, Christopher Mahanna will be our fireman for the evening.

A word of safety before our event -- please do not allow any children to run near the fire.  Along the same lines, our fireman will be the only on responsible for putting **anything** in or removing anything from the fire until the flag retirement ceremony.  Parents, we would like you present beside them as they place their flag parts into the pit (safety first).    

We have a 50% chance of rain.  Which means, we also have a 50% change of NO rain. Please watch your e-mail.  If we have to reschedule due to rain, you will be notified both on the blog and through your e-mail.  Announcements regarding postponement will be made no later than 5pm.  The temperature looks good, however.  The low is only 66. That certainly beats the 30 degree temps and teen-level wind chill that we've had for the last two years!!  We are certainly hoping the odds are in our favor!

This isn't just an average campfire, this will be a flag retirement ceremony which we will attempt to make sure that ALL scouts get a part to play.  Webelos I and II need to be sure you let your den leaders know ASAP if you'll be present so they can reserve speaking lines for you.  

WHAT TO BRING:  Scouts should be sure to bring a HEADLAMP if you have one (to keep your hands free for reading), water bottles, a chair and maybe a blanket... you may need it!  

Our event will commence at 6:30 sharp.  Once the service has ended, we invite pack members and their families over for some hot chocolate and a light snack.  Thank you to our Webelos I, Attel family, for coordinating this.  Please see Monica Attel during set-up to offer assistance.

If you have yet to pick up your popcorn, it will be in April's car.  I am working on fixing errors on two orders.  I will have everything else there.

Flag Retirement

Photo by Tonya Polodoroff

Thank you to all who braved the chill to come out to our very special flag retirement ceremony and campfire Pack meeting at Bear Creek Park last month.  Each in attendance will receive a special segment for your brag vest!  I love that everyone got to be a part of something very special.

Thank you to the DeLeon family for coordinating the hot chocolate and snacks after the ceremony.  

Photo Source

Thank you to Mr. Harmon for keeping the fire going and to all our families for participating!  Thank you for the donations to the food pantry.  

Pack Meeting POSTPONED

Members and parents of Pack 1910 Scouts... please make note that the Pack Meeting Campfire scheduled for tomorrow night, November 11, is being postponed.

Yes, that's right. We are postponing tomorrow's pack meeting.

There is a polar vortex weather system moving through the metroplex which are going to send temperatures plummeting tomorrow from the high 50s to the low 30s. Winds are expected to be 15-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. 

Couple that with a burn ban in Keller. It doesn't have the components for a safe, fun, family-friendly opportunity.

The cold we can handle but the potential risk, we simply cannot.

We are RESCHEDULING our flag retirement ceremony campfire for ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW. Tuesday, November 18... same time... same place.

You will still be able to bring your canned good items and donate then.  Everything will stay the same, just delayed a week.

Thank you all for your understanding. It's never easy to coordinate an event and it's even harder to have to cancel it last minute. We wanted to give everyone enough notice so that you can make plans to join us NEXT WEEK. Hopefully the winds will cooperate with us then! Until then, stay warm!

You asked for it...

... and we're going to deliver it!

We had our den leaders poll the boys to find out what THEY wanted from THEIR Cub Scout experience!  And you know what? We are going to make it happen!

Some of the top requests repeatedly heard from boys at different age groups/ different dens were:

• Pizza party
• horseback riding
• fishing
• climbing walls

Guess what?  They're ALL part of the bigger plan we have in store for this year or the upcoming summers.  Pizza party? Check!  The end of summer is a back to school pizza party/rain gutter regatta! 

They want horseback riding?  That is on the rotation of summer events for next year.  

They want to go fishing!  We are working right now on incorporating one of the Trout-O-Rees held at Camp Tahuaya into our annual calendar!  They want climbing walls!  Well, guess what?  Those are going to be after the kingsnake show in August!  How's THAT for meeting the call!  

We're not stopping there, however!  Our new Scout year is going to be packed full of fun!  

Not only are we starting a PACK 1910 HIKING CLUB with scheduled hikes EVERY SINGLE MONTH!  But, for the boys that attend -- they're going to get really cool things like patches and hiking sticks and medallions for reaching certain milestones!  

Oh wait...there's more!  We typically have operated on a NASA/USS Lexington rotation for "big trips" but we're going to mix that up as well so that there is no repetition for those who will be in the program from Tigers.  We are going to start a NASA/Fossil Rim/NASA/USS Lexington rotation!  Since this year is the NASA rotation, we will make plans for Fossil Rim next year! Oh yeah!  That's right...an AWESOME program is in store for Fossil Rim!

Your den meetings will continue to be fun and productive... but our Pack meetings?  Yeah, we're kicking them up a notch (or ten)!  Our Pack meetings are going to have a THEME and ... well, they're going to ROCK!  There's simply no other way to put it!  A couple of things we DO want to make sure EVERYONE is aware of is that we will be checking attendance at these events for two purposes 1) if you miss, we want to know because a lot of the activities that we are working into our Pack meetings may cover rank and/or electives and most importantly 2) we want to send you a card and tell you that we missed you and hope to see you soon!  You see, these are going to be awesome Pack meetings that you just will NOT want to miss!!!  Here's a little idea of what is in store:

September - Our first official Pack meeting of the new scouting year.  Welcome back.  Walk right into a uniform inspection.  Each den will have all of their inspection totals averaged.  Highest average picks the first skit sack and so on and so forth.  There will be a title on the outside of the bag but no other contents of the bag will be revealed.  You have to choose based on name alone.  (Yeah, you know how your mother told you not to judge a book by its cover.... you're gonna be doing it!).  After that we will have awards -- (well, if you can CATCH them!)  Then, they will be given a kit and will have one month to work their genius on it to bring back to the October Pack Meeting to show it off!  This is just going to be the first leg on our journey upwards to bigger and better!

October - We are going to have a Halloween Party!  Not just ANY Halloween party but a COSTUME party!  EVERYONE should come in costume!   We are going to have games and relays and races and a costume parade.  Scary good time!

November - We are fortunate in that our Pack meeting falls on Veteran's Day.  Not only are we going to have a campfire at Bear Creek Park like last time.  But we are also going to have a very memorable flag retirement ceremony where our Webelos will be able to be a large portion of that.  We have also reached out to the VFW to be present as well.  It should be VERY special!

December - We are going to have a Christmas pizza party with games and treats... 

January - This Pack meeting is going to set the bar for how the rest of the year must resonate with the boys.,  You see.... we are hosting a CUBANOPOPLIS!!!!! It's a neat word but really, what the heck is that thing we can't pronounce?  It's a car race!  In December we are going to give each scout a box to take home with him.  He will have a month to turn that box into a car!  It can be ANYTHING  It can be a Lightning McQueen or it could be Herbie (I know someone has to know Herbie the love bug still and prove I'm not THAT old!)  I'm farily certain we will have SpongeBob Squarepansts here.  So... more information will be provided later but just know it's going to be  a blast!

February - This Pack Meeting is going to feature the "Minute To Win It" challenges.  They'll have to try them one by one.  And we can't forget that Blue & Gold will be later this month.  

March - The March Pack Meeting Theme is CSI - Cub Scout Investigations.  We will need our super sleuths to get through a laser grid and solve crime to make sure we know what to do to find the missing awards!!!

April - And we are saving the best for last.  You see, this month's Pack meeting is likely the end-all-be-all of Pack meetings.  Our theme?  LEGOS!!

May - We will have our bridging picnic at the H-center again.  Maybe we will have a den competition Dutch Oven Cookoff for best dessert! 

So as you can see... we are going to have TONS OF FUN!!!!

Oh and I completely forgot to mention... the REALLY COOL PATCHES we are going to start instituting into our program!  Attend a Pack event -- you get a patch.  Not just ANY patch, however, it's a segment patch.  Your initial patch will be about a 3" circle and then as you attend events, you'll receive segments that look like this (shown right)  and then by combining those around the provided base patch, your cub scout career is there for everyone to see!  It just grows over your cub scout's career into this (below).

So, as you can tell... we have a LOT in store for you this year!  I hope you stay along for the ride!