Pack 843 Scouts are invited to attend Pioneer Days at the Laurel Highland’s Summer Day Camps. The closest one to South Fayette is at Settler’s Cabin Park on June 11-13, but Scouts are able to attend any day camp that fits their schedule. Day Camp is an introductory outdoor program for Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos with little camping experience. Programs are run by highly trained volunteers and are inspected and accredited annually by the Laurel Highlands Council. Adult leadership is required.
Partial scholarships are available for Scouts attending Summer Day Camp, and for sibling groups. Please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodd@msn.com for more information.
It was quite an emotional afternoon as five Arrow of Light Scouts crossed over to their new troops on February 23. These Scouts left behind fond memories of their times as a Cub Scout and embarked on a new journey into Scouts BSA.
Oliviya and Aghanya are looking to further their Scouting journey with Troop 9248 based out of Oakdale. We look forward to seeing them in action at their new Troop’s annual Haunted Cabin in the fall! Oliviya and Aghanya were welcomed to the troop by Eagle Scout, Abby and Senior Patrol Leader, Shreya, both of whom were former members of Pack 843.
Caden, Hansi and Akbar enthuastically joined Troop 228 and are looking to gain plenty of camping and chess time with their new troop and patrol members. The boys were welcomed to the troop by Senior Patrol Leader, Augie, as well as Den Chiefs, Advait and Landon. Both Den Chiefs are former Pack 843 members.
Arrow of Light Scouts with their family members. Akbar, Caden, Hansi, Aghanya and Oliviya.Den Chief, Advait, Cubmaster, Jon Spink, and outgoing Committee Chair, Karen Billingham, receive these Scout blankets to keep them warm on their camping trips.Den Chief, Landon, receives his Den Chief cords from Committee Chair, Deb Whitewood. Cub Scouts and their families peruse the Arrow of Light Scouts memorbelia.Den Leader, Evan Wolfson, presents Committee Chair and Den Leader, Deb Whitewood, with a commerative belt buckle representing 115 years of Scouting. They may now be full-fledged Scouts BSA, but to their Den Leaders, they will always be fondly remembered as the Phoenix Patrol! Den Leader, Evan Wolfson, Akbar, Hansi, Caden, Aghanya, Oliviya and Den Leader, Deb Whitewood.
We had a terrific PInewood Derby on January 25th. There were some very fast cars racing and the creativity was evident as we had Scout Spirit cars, lunar landers, rockets, and surfing cars. Sponge Bob, Minecraft, Flower Power and pickle cars were flying down the track too!
The winners of each rank are below. These Scouts are invited to attend the Frontier District Pinewood Derby on March 1st at the Robinson Mall. Information will be communicated to the families of Scouts eligible to participate in this derby. All Scout families are invited to come and watch the derby which runs from 10:30AM to 4:30PM on March 1st. Arrow of Light 1. Oliviya V. 2. Aghanya S. 3. Caden W.
WEBELO 1. Owen G. 2. Nathan H. 3. Luke B.
Bear 1. Brycen C. 2. Owen R. 3. Jedi A.
Wolf 1. Lincoln H. 2. Raphael Z. 3. Adhrit S.
Tiger 1. Lucy M. 2. Joe K. 3. Tair S.
Lion 1. Anderson H. 2. Kellen S.
Our overall Pack winners were: First Place – Lucy M. a Tiger Scout Second Place – Owen G. a Webelo Scout Third Place – Lincoln H. a Wolf Scout
Thanks to all the parent and Scout volunteers who helped to make this event such a success!
Our February Pack meeting is our Annual Blue & Gold Banquet. This event will be held at the Fairview Firehall (Sunset Room) on Sunday, February 23rd from 3-6PM. The Pack meeting will start with our Opening Ceremony and Advancements for all Dens. Buffet dinner to follow. After dinner we will have the Arrow of Light Ceremony for our AOL Scouts followed by the Crossover Ceremony for our AOL scouts crossing over to a Troop.
To purchase tickets, complete the reservation form at the bottom of the flyer and either return with a check for the proper amount made payable to “Pack 843” by mailing the form to: Deb Whitewood 173 Greenwood Drive, Bridgeville PA 15017
OR
Email Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com with the NAME and RANK of your Scout, and the number of Arrow of Light Scouts, Adults, Cub Scout or Children under 2 years of age. THEN make a payment via ZELLE to the Pack 843 Account administrated by Matt Bizzack at 724-350-2846.
This year we have five scouts crossing over to local Troops. This is a great event where the younger scouts learn about the Arrow of Light award and have exposure to local Troops. We encourage all scouts and families to join us for this event. Since there is a buffet dinner, there is a cost for this event which can be paid by cash, check (made out to Pack 843) or your scout account. If you have any questions, please email Deb Whitewood atwhitewoodd@msn.com
Pack 843’s Pinewood Derby will be held on Saturday, January 25 at The Table Church, 1120 Boyce Rd. in Upper St. Clair. Please see the schedule below for your Scout’s race time. Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes before your race time. The race schedule will be as follows:
9:00 AM AOL (Fifth Grade)
9:30 AM WEBELO (Fourth Grade)
10:00 AM Bear (Third Grade)
10:30 AM Wolf (Second Grade)
12:15 PM Lions & Tiger (Kindergarten & First Grade)
12:45 PM Winner Race – Championships
Weigh in will occur Friday, January 24 from 6:30-8 PM. Bring your completed car to be weighed and make sure they are in accordance with the rules, be dropped off, and officially entered in the race roster. If you are not available at that date and time, please make arrangements with another scout to bring your car. All cars must be at the weigh-in in order to race!
Information about the rules and regulations for the Pinewood Derby can be found here: pinewood_derby_rules_2025
To help prepare for this event, we are hosting a build night at the Oakdale Community Center on January 15th from 6 – 8:00 PM. We will communicate how the Pinewood Derby runs, discuss the rules, and help you transform your block of wood to the car of your dreams.
To add to the excitement on race day, we will have four awards for each rank: BEST DECORATED MOST CREATIVE BEST SCOUT SPIRIT BEST THEME Scouts are encouraged to release their creative juices while building and decorating their cars!
On Wednesday, December 11th Pack 843 will be caroling at Celebration Villa at Lakemont. We will gather at 6:15PM and sing from 6:30-7:30PM. The residents are always very appreciative of our visit, so please come if you are able. Scouts and leaders should wear Class A’s.
Please sign up in advance so we know who to expect and how many song books to print. Sign up here: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/
The Arrow of Light Cub Scouts led an entertaining evening of Scout Skits on November 15th. All the ranks participated by performing a den song or skit. Crowd favorites were “Go Bannanas” and “Emergency Broadcast System.”
The Pack collected a variety of items to create placement bags for the Foster Love Project. These bags will be given to children entering foster care or experienceing other distressing situations. Thank you to everyone who participated.
It took three tries, but Pack 843 finally was able to successfully perform the color guard duties on Sunday, September 8th at PNC Park prior to the Pirates baseball game. A big THANK YOU to all the families who stuck it out. It was all worth it to see the smiles on these Scouts’ faces!
We have had so much fun on our Pack Family Campouts at Raccoon Creek State Park! Our fall campout will be held September 20-22 at the Sioux B Camping site. This is a primitive camping site with vault toilets and water nearby. There is plenty of room for families to set up tents and for the Scouts to play.
On Saturday, we are going to be joining the Laurel Highland Council for its Cub Scout Fishing Derby where the Cub Scouts can fish, and work on advancement requirements such as knot tying, fire building, setting up a safe campsite, first aid, and tree & plant identification. Signup with the Laurel Highlands Council is required for the Fishing Derby event. You can follow this link to sign up: https://scoutingevent.com/527-CubFishingDerby
Our schedule will look something like this: Friday after 4PM– arrive at camp, set up tents, families cook their dinners, kids play and parents hang out by the campfire. Lights out by 10PM for the kiddos.
Saturday morning– families cook their breakfasts, kids play Saturday 8:30AM to 12PM – fishing derby and activities at the lake Saturday 12PM to 1PM – lunch Saturday 1PM to 4PM – swimming at the lake Saturday 4PM to 7PM – dinner – tinfoil meals or dutch oven (Pack provides) Saturday 7PM to 9:30PM – Scouts play and hang out by the fire Saturday 10PM – Lights out for the kiddos
Sunday morning– families cook their breakfasts, kids play We have the campsites until 3PM on Sunday. Families can choose to enjoy the amenities at the State Parks, including fishing, swimming and boating. Families choose when they would like to pack down their tents and head home.
All families will bring their own food and prepare their own meals, with the exception of the dinner on Saturday. We will have tin foil pockets for dinner that evening which adult leaders will assist the Scouts in preparing in a sanitary manner. There will be a $5/person or $20/family charge for this dinner meal. Exact payment expected at the campsite.
We understand that some Scouts and their families would prefer to not camp overnight, yet would like to join us for the activities on Saturday. We suggest meeting us at the lake no later than 8:30 AM so that you can join us for the fishing derby and activities (pack your own lunch), lake activities in the afternoon and cooking a tin foil meal for dinner at the campsite. Please wear closed toed shoes and bring a water bottle. Parents will want to bring a camp chair as well.
Here is the link to sign up for this campout: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/ (You will need to sign up both for the campout and the fishing derby.)
More information will be emailed to the participants prior to the event. If you have questions, or need equipment, please email Deb Whitewood at whitewoodd@msn.com.
On Friday, September 6th, Pack 843 will be serving as the Color Guard for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Our Pack will be going onto the field at PNC Park and presenting the flag for the National Anthem. Afterwards, we will have seats (really good seats along the baselines or behind home plate) to watch the Pirates battle the Nationals.
The Pirates are offering one free ticket per Scout. The cost of additional tickets is $30 each and include $10 towards the concession stand. You must sign up in advance and pay by a check made out to Pack 843, or Zelle to Pack 843. Please give all payments to Deb Whitewood, Jon Spink, or Treasurer, Matt Bizzack. Payments must be received by August 30th. You can also drop payments off at at Deb’s home, 173 Greenwood Drive, Bridgeville, PA 15017.
All scouts and leaders MUST be in Class A uniform to go onto the field. The game begins at 6:40PM, but we will need to assemble around 5:30 at the cul-de-sac on Mazeroski Way to get prepared. Bring the siblings and Grandparents to the game! In the past we have had 70 scouts and family members attend this event. It is always a memorable night for everyone!
If you have any further questions regarding this event, please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com
