It’s Pinewood Derby Season!
Pack 61 in Harrisonburg was restarted in 2024 at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church after over 30 years since they had last been chartered and two years of there being no Cub Scout pack in the City of Harrisonburg. They held their first Pinewood Derby on January 25th and it was a great success!
For two Saturdays prior, the Cubmaster held a cut-out clinic where Scouts and their adult partners could come and select a template to trace on their block and the Cubmaster would cut it out for them on a bandsaw. He also provided sandpaper for them to smooth the car to prepare it for their decorations. Everyone was excited to see what would be brought out on race day.
On the 25th, 15 of the Cub Scouts brought in their cars and with the help of Troop 40 and our Den Chief from Troop 8, we had a great day of racing! We had a few hiccups along the way, but all of the Scouts had a great time and the older Scouts (including some of the adults) got in on the fun of racing their cars as well.
Tackling the Baden-Powell Trail
Crew 22 of Waynesboro has been going on an impossible mission across Washington DC. Their adult leaders, with the assistance of the youth leaders, create a plethora of clues and challenges for two groups of the crew’s youth to follow. Using these clues each group must race against time, and the other group, to score as many points as possible by solving clues, finding locations, and snapping group selfies in front of famous monuments in DC. Each year, the challenge is tweaked to keep returning attendees on their toes. Most recently, each group would be awarded a landslide of points if they could complete “The Baden-Powell Trail” created by the National Capitol Area Council. They followed tricky clues to important landmarks in the history of scouting. For example, the Willard Hotel or Boy Scout Memorial. After hours of running around the city and scoring points, both groups set aside their competitiveness and enjoy dinner together while discussing each other’s experiences.
Wilderness First Aid Training in the Cold
A lot of us in Ivy Scouts (Troops 114 and 3125) are going to high adventure bases this next year, so many of us (both Scouts and leaders) needed to get Wilderness First Aid certified. Wanting to have a cold weather camping trip as well, Ivy Scouts decided to do both at the same time. Fortunately we have the Misty Mountain campground nearby! The Scouts had a great trip with lots of good memories and skills learned. At the end of the day on Saturday, we had a little search and rescue competition. Each group had to find a CPR manakin in the woods and apply wilderness first aid to it. We camped in the back camping area at Misty Mountain and it got down to about 20º. It was chilly in the morning but everyone survived. To keep things simple, we ate backpacking meals so we only had to heat up water. Everyone who attended became Wilderness Survival trained and CPR/AED certified by Dr. Kyle Enfield and Dr. Adam Belsches. Dr. Enfield also brought along a few of his UVA medicine students for extra help and teaching. Overall, the trip was very fun and was great opportunity to hold a cold weather camping trip and an educational wilderness survival training.
Brady S.
Rock in Crocs Patrol Leader
Troop 114
Troop 79 to Support Families Impacted by Hurricane Helene
This year, we have so much to be thankful for, and today we want to shine a light on the incredible Scouts and leaders of Troop 79 from Crozet, VA.
In an inspiring act of service, Troop 79 filled their entire camp trailer with warmth—collecting blankets, socks, sleeping bags, and jackets to support families and individuals still impacted by Hurricane Helene. With colder weather settling in, these items are a true gift of compassion and care.
The items were delivered the week of November 18th, in care of @sequoyahcouncil Scout Executive Greg Leitch, just before the snow hit, ensuring warmth and relief arrived in time.
Thank you, Troop 79, for living the Scouting values and making a difference when it’s needed most. You remind us all of the power of service and the warmth of community.
