Our March pack meeting will be at the Mt Lebanon Ice Center on Saturday March 21^st.  We will open the meeting and distribute advancements beginning at 11am and ice skating will follow ~11:30 until 1pm.   The entire family is invited to join.  Skate rentals are $2 for those that need them, otherwise there is no cost to participate.  Don’t forget we are collecting items for the Foster Love Project.  I have included the table below of items each den is asked to contribute.

Pack 843 is attending the Pirates baseball game on Tuesday June 16^th.  Scouts who would like to participate in the Color Guard and go onto the field need to be in full uniform and at the park by 5:30.  Tickets to the game are $29 and include a $5 food voucher.  Family and friends are welcome to attend as well.  Please sign-up for tickets via the website. http://pack843.org/sign-ups/

Also sign-ups for Resident Camp and Day Camp have begun.  If your scout is planning to attend Resident Camp there will be a pre-camp meeting on Monday May 11^th at 6:30 at the Elementary School library.

• Tonight is the 1st Wednesday of the month so that means Den Meetings. Please meet at the school unless communicated otherwise by your Den Leader.
• Resident Camp (Summer Camping) information available at the Elementary School this evening.
• March Pack meeting will be Ice Skating at Mt. Lebanon on March 21st 11:00 – 1:00. All family members welcome. We will also be collecting items for Foster Love Project – Please read message below:

Dear Pack 843 Parents, Guardians and Scouts,

In order to fulfill requirements for Community Service, Pack 843 will be collecting items and creating placement bags for the Foster Love Project which aids children coming into foster care. Items will be collected at our March pack meeting on 21st at 11am – 1pm at Mt. Lebanon Skating Rink. The Scouts will then fill the placement bags at our first Den meeting in April.

Please review the chart below which indicates which items the members of each Den will bring to the March pack meeting. If you have any questions about this Community Service Project, please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com.

Thank you

Resident CAMP for Pack 843 is scheduled:

Webelos & AOL : July 30-Aug 3

Cub scouts: July 31-Aug 3

Forms for Resident Camp will be available at the Elementary School during Den meetings and at our Pack meetings. Questions regarding camp can be directed to our Pack 843 Camp Leaders.

Pack 843 Camp Leaders this year: Deekota Yadav – Webelos & AOL and Jon Sperry – Cub Scouts

Resident Pack Camp provides a program for all age groups in the pack at the same time. Age groups will be divided up to receive age-specific programs and activities while at camp. All sessions include an option for Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts to come a day early for extra Webelos specific programs such as a hike to one of Heritage Reservation’s two Scouts BSA resident camps – Camp Liberty or Camp Freedom.

Scouts or Adults with food allergies or special dietary needs will need to fill out a form for special dietary needs 30 days in advance of camp date in order for food service team to order necessary items for meals.

2020 PACK CAMP FEES

DISCOUNTS AND INCENTIVES

• Sibling Discount – 15% off second and subsequent youth Scout camp fees. (Applies across different LHC resident camps – Boy Scout, Cub Scout, and Webelos sessions. Discount applied to second/later session)
• Low Rate Lock-In – Scouts joining after March 1 and campership recipients are locked into the lowest rate for camp.
• Camperships – Financial assistance is available for Laurel Highlands Council Scouts with financial need to attend an LHC summer resident camp program. Applications due March 1.
• Camp Keepsake – All campers will receive a camp specific keepsake.

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020

• No one does theme quite like Camp Independence. Join us for our Space Race!
• New program areas including Scoutcraft, Packtivities, and Outdoor Adventure offer exciting and engaging ways to get your Cub Scouts involved and excited about being at camp.
• Every Scout and adult who attend camp will receive a commemorative Camp Independence gift.
• Camp Independence Courage Conquest “Pebble Patch” program

RECOGNITION NECKLACES

Every Cub Scout coming through our gate receives a Camp Independence recognition lanyard. As they prepare for their Space Race, they’ll receive color-coded beads for their achievements. From passing a swimmer’s test to catching a fish, Cubs can earn beads for LOTS of things – providing immediate recognition for doing their best.

If you placed 1st or 2nd in Pack 843 Pinewood Derby Race then you qualify for the District Pinewood Derby Race. However, you will NEED TO REGISTER. Race day in on Saturday, March 7th. Racetimes are by rank and there is a $7 fee for this race. Please open click: Frontier District Invitation and Guide to see rules and details on the race. To register please for the race click: Register for Derby race to connect to Laural Highlands Council BSA website Derby Registration page. Once on the page, click on the register button.

IF YOUR SCOUT is placed 1st or 2nd is the Pack Derby and are NOT able to make the district race, please contact 3rd place winner or send text message to Karen Billingham 412-780-9757if you do not have a way to contact the scout. We want to send 2 scouts from each rack to the District Derby race.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SCOUTS THAT PARTICIPATED ON DERBY DAY. WE HOPE YOU HAD A LOT OF FUN !

Pack 843 Results:

• AOL:
• 1^st Place                Patiance Nugent
• 2^nd Place               Brenna Gibson
• 3^rd Place               Eli Miller
• Webelos:
• 1^st Place                Joey Kreuer
• 2^nd Place               Vedha Gandhi
• 3^rd Place               Luke Skrip
• Best in Show      Alexander Christoff
• Bears:
• 1^st Place                Arjun Yadav
• 2^nd Place               Nick Crull
• 3^rd Place               Alexis Sperry
• Wolf:
• 1^st Place                Danny Kreuer
• 2^nd Place               Rory Melville
• 3^rd Place               Saanvi Yerasi
• Tigers:
• 1^st Place                Andrew Pittman
• 2^nd Place               Gian Sainato
• 3^rd Place               Robbie Koblentz
• Best in Show      Kali Lewandownski
• Lions:
• 1^st Place                Michael Billing
• 2^nd Place               Rayan Puranik
• 3^rd Place               Ben Petruska

• If you ordered Hoagies you will need to pick them up at the Elementary School on Wednesday, 2/5 during the den meetings (between 6:45pm – 7:45pm). All hoagies must be picked up at the school before 7:45pm.
• Den meetings are tomorrow night at the School unless otherwise communicated by your den leader.
• Sign-up for Blue & Gold Banquet (February Pack Meeting) on Wednesday night during your Den meetings. The Banquet is on Sunday, 2/23, from 3-6pm. Forms will be available at the desk at the Elementary School or you can sign up at the Intermediate School Cafeteria on Wednesday evening during Den meeting times. You can also download the form by clicking here and mail it in BEFORE Monday, 2/10. Information on where to mail the RSVP is on the Blue & Gold form. More information on this event is on a previous post on our website (Pack843.org).
• We also need cakes for the cake contest for the Blue & Gold Banquet. These cake are also our dessert at the banquet. Be creative, have fun with your scout and enter a cake in the contest. There is a sign-up sheet on our website so we have an idea how many cakes to expect. Cakes must be 100% edible, have a scout theme and be homemade in order to qualify for the contest.

Reminder that Pinewood Derby car weigh-ins are tonight at Crossroads Church located at 1120 Boyce Rd, Upper St Clair, PA 15241.  We will NOT have an awards ceremony at this Pack meeting since we will not have all ranks present at the same time. On Saturday we will have information and sign-up sheets for February Pack meeting (Blue & Gold Banquet), Resident Camp (summer camping adventure) and Pittsburgh Pirate game (June 2020).

Weigh-in times for ALL DENS are from 6pm – 8pm. ALL CARS MUST be at weigh-in this evening. If you have any questions, please contact your Den Leader or Cubmaster.

Actual races are on Saturday, 2/1 at Crossroads Church. Race times on Saturday are as follows:

• 8:45 AM Webelos II Arrow of Light (Fifth Grade)
• 9:45 AM Webelos I (Fourth Grade)
• 10:45 AM Bears (Third Grade)
• 11:45 PM Wolves (Second Grade)
• 12:45 PM Tigers (First Grade)
• 1:45 PM Lions (Kindergarten)
• 2:45 PM Winner Race (If you place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in your rank then you are eligible to race in the Winner Race.)

Our February Pack meeting is our Annual Blue & Gold Banquet. This event is at the Fairview Firehall (Sunset Room) on Sunday, February 2/23 from 3:00 – 6:00pm. The Pack meeting will start with our Opening Ceremony with the Award Ceremony for all Dens. Buffet dinner and cake contest to follow. After dinner we will have our Arrow of Light Ceremony for our AOL Scouts and our Crossover Ceremony for our AOL scouts crossing over to a Troop. Please print this: Blue & Gold RSVP sheet. Fill out the bottom of the sheet and mail it in to the address on the sheet or drop it off at any Pack 843 event ON or BEFORE February 10th.

This year we have 13 scouts crossing over to 5 different Troops. This is a great event where the younger scouts learn about the Arrow of Light Award and have exposure to local area Troops. I 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 or your scout account.

We are also looking for Scouts to enter a homemade scout related cake for our cake contest. You can google Blue & Gold cakes for ideas. Reminder that all items in and on the cake have to be edible. Awards will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

REMEMBER – You will need to fill out and return the RSVP by Wednesday, February 10th.

Reminders:

• Hoagie sales are due TODAY. If you have an order and cannot be at the school between 6:30 – 7:00pm to drop off your 1 page with totals by hoagie type along with your check, please contact Karen at 412-780-9757.
• Den meetings are tonight unless otherwise communicated by your den leader.
• Pinewood Derby weigh-in is scheduled for 1/31. Derby races are Saturday, Feb 1st. Please scroll down on the web page to see times for your race. Click here for PINEWOOD DERBY RULES DOCUMENT

Updates:

• Popcorn prizes are still in process. Trail’s End is trying to fix the computer issue for Packs that are not able to submit prizes (ours being one of the Packs). I have been calling weekly trying to get this issue resolved. I will let you know as soon as we are able to submit prizes.

Future Dates to put on your calendar:

Pinewood Derby Race for 1st & 2nd place for each Rank/ Mall Show – March 7, 2020
Spring Camporee – April 3-5, 2020 (Option for Webelos only)
Cubmobile Races– May 2, 2020
IOLS Training (@Beaver District) – May 1-3, 2020
BALOO Training (@Frontier District, with Beaver District) – May 8-9, 2020
Program Launch – June 4, 2020
Day Camp – June 25-27, 2020
Fall Camporee – October 2-4, 2020 (for AOL scouts)

All hoagie order and money for orders are due next Wednesday.  Caterina will be at the intermediate school for the older scout parents 6:15pm – 700pm to collect orders and money. Karen will be at the elementary school from 6:30pm – 7:00pm to collect orders and money. Thank you.

Hoagie sale order forms links are listed below. Hoagies will be delivered to the Elementary School on Wednesday, February 5th and can be picked up after your den meeting.

In our previous announcment you were informed that the Pinewood Derby Race has been reschedule to 2/1. The race location is Crossroads Church on Boyce Road. Derby Car weigh-in is on 1/31, the evening before the race, from 6:30pm – 8:00pm. Your car MUST be presented and entered for the race on FRIDAY, 1/31, during weigh-in. If you are unable to be there for the weigh-in, please ask another parent in your den to bring your car to weigh-in. Cars NOT presented at weigh-in on 1/31 will NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO RACE in the Derby. Once the car has passed the requirements for the race you will not be able to touch your car until the race. ALL modifications and changes MUST be done before we enter your car into the computer for the race on Friday night.

Race times on Saturday are as follows:

• 8:45 AM Webelos II Arrow of Light (Fifth Grade)
• 9:45 AM Webelos I (Fourth Grade)
• 10:45 AM Bears (Third Grade)
• 11:45 PM Wolves (Second Grade)
• 12:45 PM Tigers (First Grade)
• 1:45 PM Lions (Kindergarten)
• 2:45 PM Winner Race (If you place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in your rank then you are eligible to race in the Winner Race.)