Blue and Gold Banquet

BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET - Sunday February 23, 2025 11:45 to 2:00 in Buckley Hall (St. Ed's Gym)

Everyone should have received an evite invitation to the Blue and Gold Banquet. If you did not, you can access it with this link: https://evite.me/hxss6XHQ8x

This is a potluck event, so please bring your favorite dish or dessert. When you respond to the evite invitation with how many guests you are coming with, please also include in the note what you are bringing so we don't have a lot of duplicate items. The Pack will be providing drinks (soda, juice, and coffee).

This year we will be having a live reptile show at the Blue and Gold Banquet. More information on the show can be found here: https://www.jgsreptileroadshow.com/

We will also be saying farewell to our AOL scouts as they cross over into our affiliate Scouting America Troop 904 that day. 

Lastly, I am anticipating having the Pinewood Derby cars by next week, so we will be handing those out at the B&G Banquet. Please make sure to grab one before you leave. 

SCOUT NIGHT AT UIC FLAMES BASKETBALL - Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. 

On March 2nd, the UIC Flames will be playing Valparaiso at home and giving away custom UIC Patches to the first 200 scouts in attendance! Patches are first come first serve and are expected to run out fast. See attached flyer. 

If you are interested, please email me February 24, 2025 so I can get tickets through the UIC representative for a discounted price. Tickets should be relatively inexpensive. 

PINEWOOD DERBY - Friday, April 4, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in Buckley Hall (St. Ed's Gym)

The 2025 Pinewood Derby will be taking place on Friday, April 4, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in Buckley Hall (St. Edward School Gym). This is different than all past years since we are not having it in the basement of the church like we usually do.  

All cars, no matter the design, must adhere to very specific rules:

1. Width shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches.

2. Length shall not exceed 7 inches.

3. Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.

4. Axles, wheels, and body shall be from the materials provided in the kit. Additional wheels can be purchased separately.

5. Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.

6. No lubricating oil may be used. Axles may be lubricated with powdered graphite or silicone.

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.

Due to the high volume of scouts expected to be at the derby, we will have weigh-in / car drop-off the night before the derby, which is Thursday, April 3, 2025 between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The weigh-in will be in the basement of the church. Please weigh your scout's car before bringing it to ensure that it meets the weight specifications. If your scout's car is overweight we may need to drill holes in it to get the weight down. If we cannot get the car to be at the right weight, it will be disqualified. Also, be prepared to make modifications to the car on the night of the derby. 

If you're looking for ideas or need help, check out this website: Pinewood Derby Car Design Plans with Templates (pinewoodpro.com). 

Here is another site that has some helpful tips: 5 Tips to Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car|Boy Scouts of America (scoutshop.org)

Please also remember that the design and build of the vehicle is intended to be something that is done with your scout, not for your scout. There is nothing wrong with helping your scout cut the wood, smooth out surfaces, apply paint more evenly, or put on decals. But the process should absolutely be your scout doing the work with you. Just the same, you should not just hand your scout the block of wood and expect him or her to do everything. A huge part of the process is building the car together and seeing your scout's design ideas come to fruition.

PACK WEBSITE

Pack 3904 has a website thanks to Assistant Cubmaster, Kurt Paradis! Please check it out here: Pack 3904 - Chicago IL

PACK MEETING CALENDAR

Please subscribe to the Pack 3904 Google Calendar to stay updated on all upcoming meetings and scout events for the year. All the den leaders will have permission to modify this calendar so they can add Den Meetings and any other outings to it. There are two ways to subscribe to the calendar:

If you have gmail, just click this link and it will take you to your gmail calendar and will ask if you want to add this one: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=c3QuZWRzLnBhY2suMzkwNEBnbWFpbC5jb20

If you do not have gmail, you need to open your e-calendar and choose “add calendar.” You then need to choose the option that says “subscribe from web” or “follow calendar” or something of that nature. Then paste this link there and click “import” or “add” or “save”: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/st.eds.pack.3904%40gmail.com/private-e66d948a8c1975af83bdfdc5c6f36c6c/basic.ics

FACEBOOK PAGE

Here is our Pack 3904 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cubscoutden3904/

If you have Facebook, please join the group. 

SURVEY

Please fill out this brief survey to let us know if you prefer having Pack nights on Friday nights and share any feedback (good or bad) with us. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtTcns80qghXInx6xl3C4PRmlYodQU2OfkZNBKTodqQdQR4g/viewform