Pinewood derby rules

Here are the OFFICIAL Pack 280 Pinewood Derby Rules for 2009:
1. Width of the car must not exceed 2 ¾”
2. Length of the car must not exceed 7”
3. Weight must not exceed 5 ounces.
4. Axles, wheels and body must be from the materials provided in this kit
5. Wheel bearings, washers and bushings are prohibited
6. No lubricating oil may be used. Axles may be lubricated with powdered graphite or silicone. ONCE YOUR CAR HAS BEEN WEIGHED IN YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GRAPHITE YOUR CAR. NO EXCEPTIONS!
7. The car shall not ride on any kind of spring
8. The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices
9. No loose materials of any kind are allowed in the car.
10. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED ACCESS TO ANY CAR THAT HAS BEEN WEIGHED IN, INCLUDING THEIR OWN.
To be eligible to race, your car must be registered and weighed in the night BEFORE the race at the from 5:30pm-7:00pm. If you do not register your car the night before you will not race.

Christmas parade and Discoversea Museum

Wow, has it really been that long since I posted anything? Maybe the next cubmaster will do a better job :)

We had a great turnout at the Selbyville Christmas Parade! Many thanks go out to everyone who came to represent Pack 280 and especially those who made the float.

On Sunday, a bunch of scouts went to the Discoversea Shipwreck museum in Fenwick Island. This is a hidden gem (pun intended) of our area. Dale Clifton, owner of the museum, was one of Mel Fisher's divers who discovered the Atocha wreck off Key West...and it's $600 Million in treasure SO FAR! Dale has many items from the Atochia on display, but more importantly, he has many things that he has found right here on our beaches! It's an amazing museum for history lovers, fans of pirates, beachcombers, or those just interested in what lies in our sand and ocean.

Visit the museum at http://www.discoversea.com/

For pictures of the parade and the museum, click here: www.samellis.com/pack280.

Here's a few:

That's a gold chain made for the Queen of Spain- estimated value $700,000! He put it on Allison Douds :)

Sam won the challenge to find the item that had a dual purpose for hygiene- a toothpick/ear wax scoop! His prize was a coin with an undetermined value.

Henson 2008

What a great camping experience! For those who attended family camping at Henson in the spring...this was way better :) We got a little wet on Saturday, but it didn't last too long and cleared up nicely.
I think all the boys (and adults) had a great time. The weather was very nice, we did lots of activities, and we had a GREAT Boy Scout guide- Stitch. The boys got to swim, ride in a boat down the river, shoot bb guns, archery, games, fish, kayak or row a boat, and practice first aid. They even got to witness real-life first aid at the pool when Harvey cut his toe.

Below are some a few photos from camp. Make sure you check out even more-John Doud's Shutterfly gallery.

Resident Camp Information

I typed up a little information about resident camp to help people plan. I think this link will work:
http://samellis.com/ResidentCampPrimer.doc

Sam

Summer Update:

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It was nice to see so many people at the parade, it was a great time. MANY thanks to Dawn and Harvey for getting us the trailer and letting us pull it with their truck. Pictures are online here! If there are any photos you would like to have, just let me know and I am happy to email them to you or put them on a CD.





We are still waiting to hear about the White House tour, we'll keep everyone posted when we know something. IF that should fall through, we will be planning a water park activity instead. It's tentatively scheduled for August 17th or 24th (Sundays). We'd like other people's input, so take the poll to the right to vote if we should go to the Slide and Ride like we've done in the past or go to Splash Mountain at Jolly Roger. Some things to consider:

SPLASH MOUNTAIN

*we just got information in the mail, note the changes:

• ALL DAY!!! 10 am - 7 pm, but we will probably have a shorter "scout time"


• under 3 is free, $24.99 for anyone over 42", $12.00 for anyone under 42". THE PACK PAYS THE ENTRANCE FEE FOR ALL CUB SCOUTS! (We have to have a minimum of 25 people over 42" to qualify for the $24.99 price. Otherwise it is $36.99.)
  
• Everyone must pay to get into the park.


• LOTS of stuff to do for any age.


• it's a big park, so there's no way to supervise everyone all at once.


• you have the option to take your kids to the rides and go-carts. Check their website for times and prices. http://www.jollyrogerpark.com/

Please note, we will probably have a group time for us all to meet but you can stay all day. We will probably not be there the entire time.

SLIDE-n-RIDE

• 1:00-4:00


• no rides for under 3 year olds


• For a 3 hour wristband for the waterslides the cost is $12, no charge if you just want to watch. Pack pays for the scouts.


• Three slides (concrete), water balloon battle station, mini-golf, paddle boats are also available for an additional fee. Check out their website at http://www.slidenride.com/

Let us know which you prefer by voting to the right.

FISHING FUN!!!

Thanks to all who came out for the fishing event, it's nice to get together over the summer! The day started off with some small fish being caught, but the big bass started getting hungry later in the day. Check out the photos here.

Time to start thinking about Friday's Shorebirds Sleepover. I'll send out an email with details about meeting up before the game.
Sam

Here's some photos:

Summer activities!

Things have really slowed down now, so there hasn't been much to talk about...BUT there are some great summertime activities going on!

Fishing- Sunday, June 8th is the fishing event at Melvin Rust's pond. Fishing starts at 1:00 and goes until 3:00. Bring fishing poles and wear your pack t-shirt, but bring your appetite because the Webelos will be selling hot dogs, drinks, and snacks. This is a great chance to earn the fishing belt loop. Bring the whole family!

Where is it? The pond is on Wingate Rd, just behind the Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Rt. 26. Here's a map.

Shorebirds Sleepover- June 13th is the big event with the Shorebirds. Cubs wearing their Class A uniform will be able to particpate in the parade around the field before the game. There's a special ticket price that includes dinner and the best part is the camping out on the field. Pitch your tent in the outfield (after the game of course), hang out, watch a movie on the big screen, and try to get some sleep while hundreds of boys play football, soccer, frisbee, tag and whatever else around you. Good times!

The form to register for the Shorebirds Sleepover can be found on the Delmarva Council Website (www.dmvc.org). Click on "Camping & Activites" and then click on "Other Events for Scouts." You can access the form by going to "click here for more information." If you have trouble let me know, I can email the form to you.

Stay tuned for information about the 4th of July parade, day camp, resident camp, and other great activities to keep the fun rolling!

Spring Up 2008

Spring Up is this weekend (Sunday, April 20th) from 1:00-4:00 at Camp Barnes. Cub Scouts should wear their pack t-shirt. Each den has been assigned food items to bring.
Den 2- desserts
Den 4- condiments and chips
Den 5- juice boxes
Den 8- side dishes
Any questions, contact your den leader or email Tara at cubpack280@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to some fun and games! This is our last pack meeting of the year and you don't want the boys to miss the moving up ceremony!

View Larger Map

Dune grass planting

Please plan on attending the dune grass planting this Saturday (April 5th) at Fenwick Island State Park. This is a great community service opportunity to "help other people". We will meet at 9:00 (or earlier) at the Fenwick Towers Oceanfront Apartments parking lot. This is the white multi-story building by the surf fishing dune crossing. You can't miss it.

You don't need to bring anything special, the Department of Natural Resources will provide the stakes to make the hole for the grass, the grass, and maybe even donuts! There's not much to it, poke a hole in the sand, drop in a grass plant, pat the sand around it, repeat. We usually spend an hour or two, but feel free to stay the entire three hours.

Aircraft carrier passing by

The USS John F. Kennedy will be towed past our shores on it's way to Philadelphia sometime on Friday. This could be a cool site to see from Lewes or if you happen to have a boat!

Here's the article from the News Journal.

March 19th Pack Meeting 6:15pm

The next Pack Meeting will be held at the Ocean View Presbyterian Church, on Wednesday March 19th at 6:15pm. Come hungry! The Webelos den will be selling hot dogs, chips and drinks. After Wednesday night's meeting, there is only one more pack meeting, which is on April 20th at 1pm at Camp Barnes. Of course, that doesn't mean that Pack 280 won't be busy! We have summertime activities planned for June, July and August. More information is coming soon!

Pack meeting this week

Just a reminder that the March pack meeting is this Wednesday, March 19th, at the Ocean View Presbyterian Church.

Camping information

There are some great camping opportunities coming up and over the summer.

CAMPOREE: May 3rd-4th
Killens Pond State Park
Adults $15
Cubs $25
Siblings older than 5 yrs old) $25
Siblings under 5 yrs old free
meals included
We need to know ASAP if you want to go. Let your den leaders know if you and your family are going.

RESIDENT CAMP: July 31st -August 2nd
Deposits are due ASAP
$25 deposit for each cub and adult going
Total camping fees are $145 for cubs and $45 for adults
Camperships are available

Registration for both camps will be available at the March 19th pack meeting.

Parent meeting

Thanks to all the parents who came out to the meeting and to those who let us know they wanted to come but couldn't make it. We filled several positions but we would like to spread the wealth a little more. The key thing is that there are ways you can contribute without investing in a lot of time.

Specific thanks to the following people for volunteering to fill these positions:
Wendy Rayne- Treasurer
Andrea Douds- Fundraising/Popcorn Kernel and Blue and Gold Dinner Coordinator
Brian Gottschalk- Unit Camping Coordinator
Joe Tucker-Service Projects Coordinator
Tara Ellis, Jodi Thompson, Andrea Douds, and Corinne Keller- Spring Up

We would like to fill the following positions:
Media/Public Relations Coordinator- informs the local papers of upcoming cub scout events and submits press release information for some of the special events like the Derby and any community service projects that the pack takes part in.
Outings/Activities Coordinator
New Parent Orientation Coordinator/Scout Parent Coordinator
Racing Coordinator- organizes the Pinewood Derby and Raingutter Regatta (just two events a year!)
Scout Sunday Coordinator- this is a once a year event :)
Secretary
Youth Protection Coordinator
Pack Meeting Activity Coordinator-primarily for the pack meetings in September, October, December and March.
Skills Expert- This is anyone with a specific skill or talent that can be applied to scouting.
Parade Coordinator- we participate in the Bethany Beach Fourth of July Parade and the Selbyville Christmas Parade each year- that's just two events all year long and they're half a year apart!

If you have any interest in signing up for one of the positions above or just want more information, please email Tara at tarae@mchsi.com. Thanks and have a great day!

Parent's Meeting

The cub scouts organization is always changing. That is what we are facing as Mark and Kim West, Charlotte Ransone, and others who have pitched in over the years are leaving now that their boys have crossed over.
We need your help to continue keeping the pack strong. There are a lot of boys in the pack and we need the support of parents to run the organization. Your support could come in the form of running a particular event such as the pinewood derby or raingutter regatta or you could be an assistant cubmaster, den leader, committee member, or help in some other way.

We will be having a parent meeting on February 26th at the Ocean View Presbyterian Church. Please come out and see if there's any way you can support the pack for the good of the boys.

Thank you,
Sam

Eat pizza, support the Lions Club

The Lord Baltimore Lions Club, which is the charter organization for Troop 281 and Pack 280 is holding a fundraiser next Wednesday, February 20th at Grotto's Bethany Beach.

It's easy, simply have dinner between 4 and 9 next Wednesday at Grotto's Bethany and present the attached coupon. 20% of your total bill will go to Lord Baltimore Lions Charities, which supports many local organizations and youth groups. Take out is included also.

Your support is greatly appreciated. And feel free to forward this email to friends and neighbors.

Click here for the flyer.

Welcome to Cub Sout Pack 280

Hello and thank you for visiting the Pack 280 blog! This was started in the hope of giving everyone easy access to pack information. We will keep this blog current with important dates, reminders, answers to frequently asked questions, links to Cub Scout related websites, and much more!

We will continue using the email system, but this is just another tool to help keep things straight.

So what's a "blog"? Basically, it's a web log. It's a website that is easy to update without having to know any new software, and multiple people can contribute to it. There are two ways of contributing- one is to be a author. If you would like to be able to write posts to the blog, let me know and I will set it up so you can log in and contribute. The other way is to leave comments. Anyone can see the comments and they can respond with their own comments. Comments could be questions, accolades, an interesting website, a date change, or whatever you like.

For those of you really tech savvy, you can subscribe to the blog using the link at the bottom. There's a couple ways to set it up, so I'll leave you to explore it on your own.

There you have it, the blog in a nutshell. It is my hope that this will become a regularly used source of information for all. If you have any questions, please let me know. My email address is sam@samellis.com or you can get to Tara at Tarae@mchsi.com.

Thank you,

Sam