November 2024: A Scout is Reverent

Agenda

1. 6:30pm – Woosh Ball
2. 6:35pm – Presentation of Colors
   1. Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Oath, Scout Law
3. 6:40pm – Repeat After Me Song led by Cm. Dustin – Combination Underwear
4. 6:45pm – Welcome & Announcements
   1. Announcements by Cm. Dustin and Adult Leaders
      1. Schedule reminders, 1 meeting in December (Dec 12th 6pm – 8pm). Watch for Polar camp registration deadline!
      2. Popcorn sales final results and prizes
      3. Finalize date for Polar Camp (January weekend day camp)
      4. Pick new date for Blue & Gold / Pinewood Derby
         (Mid-late February)
      5. Sharing Tree purchase sign up, quick group research…Scouts help with purchases so they know this is something they fundraised for
      6. Hometown Heroes popcorn donations (we earned a LOT of HH popcorn to donate!!)
         1. Dates needed to visit/tour Lonsdale Police, Lonsdale Fire
         2. Can Pat check EMT donation options?
         3. Date to potentially visit a large metro fire station (Lakeville, Burnsville, etc)
         4. American Legion donation, asking for meeting date
         5. American Legion auxiliary donation, asking for meeting date
         6. Lonsdale Lions Club Donation, 1st wednesday of December
         7. Other group donation ideas
         8. Facebook and Flyer campaign (have local families provide info on veterans or enlisted people who we can send popcorn to)
   2. Achievements & Recognitions
      1. Belt Loops
      2. Popcorn Rewards
      3. Popcorn Gift Cards will come next month
5. 7:00pm – Cm. Dustin Introduces This Month’s Pack Theme –
   “A Scout is Reverent”
   1. 7:00 – 7:10 Wall of Heroes – Scouts come up and post their heroes and say something about each one
   2. 7:10 – 7:50 Special Guest, Navy and Gulf War veteran Joe
      1. Basic Training
      2. Life on a Ship
      3. Volunteering
      4. Q&A
      5. Uniform Check
6. 7:50pm – Cubmaster’s Minute
7. 7:51pm – Open Discussion
8. 7:55pm Retire the Colors and Dismiss

Next meetings:

Dec 12 – Pack MegaMeeting (Den, Parent, and Pack Meetings) Meeting 6pm @ Trondhjem

Jan 07 – Parent Committee Meeting 7pm @ Rail 19 in Lonsdale

Jan 16 – Den Meetings 6:30pm @ Trondhjem

Jan (TBD) – Polar Camp

Happy
Veteran’s Day!!

Happy
Thanksgiving!!

Repeat After Me Song: Combination Underwear

I got a pair of combination underwear
They don’t rip and they don’t tear
I wore ’em six days no exaggeration
That’s because I lost the combination

Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy
Boom boom ain’t it great to be nuts nuts nuts
Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy
Just like the Scouts at Pack 327

Welcome!

Thank you all for being here tonight. Before we dive in, I want to introduce you to our Wall of Heroes—a place to honor those who inspire us. I’ll start by adding the first hero: Sir Robert Baden-Powell.

Now, Sir Robert Baden-Powell isn’t a long-lost uncle of mine (though wouldn’t that make for a cool family tree?). But he feels like family because his leadership has influenced my life and my family’s life from when I was a Cub Scout back in the 1980s all the way to this very moment. And yes, we had color TV back then. Barely.

Quick history lesson time! (Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz.) Sir Robert Baden-Powell was born way back in 1857. He started out as a British Army officer who came up with some pretty innovative ideas to train soldiers and build their skills and character. His training involved all the cool stuff: tracking, mapping, signaling, knot tying, first aid, and outdoor survival skills.

In addition to being able to survive, he also wanted them to be good people—loyal to their country, always helping others, and living by a simple code of values that he’d have them memorize and recite regularly.

Does any of that sound familiar?

That’s right! Because those same values inspired Baden-Powell to write Scouting for Boys in 1908, which led to the worldwide Scouting movement. At first it was a program for boys aged 11 to 18, and later, for younger kids called Wolf Cubs. He based the themes of the Wolf Cubs program on one of his favorite books, Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Yes, you heard that right—our Scouting roots are tied to wolf packs, talking panthers, wise bears, but not so much the slightly-too-sneaky snakes.

From there, Scouting spread quickly around the world—Australia, India, Russia, Europe, and eventually the good old U.S. of A. And while we’re not training you to march into battle (yet—kidding!), Scouting in America, Minnesota, Lonsdale, and this very room in this very moment is still about building good character and living by the very same Scout Oath and Scout Law Baden-Powell wrote over 115 years ago.

At every meeting we have, and every campout, we recite that Oath and Law. We also work on duty to country and Scout it Reverent activities, which honor our nation’s veterans, and in doing that we’re connecting to those values. We’re doing our part to show loyalty, kindness, and reverence—values we need as Scouts and as humans.

Tonight, as part of that tradition, I invite all of you to add your personal hero sheets to our Wall of Heroes. Let’s celebrate the people who inspire us, protected us, sacrificed for us…whether they’re veterans, family members, people from world history like Sir Baden-Powell….

So grab those hero sheets, come on up, and let’s make this wall something truly special.

Thank you all for your contributions. I’d like add one more hero sheet, but before I do I need to fill in his details…so let’s have him come up and talk about his over two decades in the United States Navy, let’s all give around of applause as we meet United States Navy veteran and Gulf war veteran.

1. Basic Training
2. Life on a Ship
3. Volunteering
4. Q&A

Cubmaster’s Closing Speech

Reverence. It’s a big word, but what does it really mean? It’s about showing deep respect—whether for other people, nature, or traditions. As Scouts, we live this every day, like when we take a moment of silence for a veteran, clean up a park (even if it means picking up someone else’s mystery gum wrapper), or respect different cultures and beliefs.

Here’s the cool part: reverence doesn’t mean you have to believe the same thing as everyone else. Imagine if we all liked the same pizza toppings—what a boring world! Reverence is about recognizing that everyone’s beliefs and experiences matter. It’s about saying, “Hey, I might not totally get it, but I respect it.” Whether it’s stopping to admire a stunning sunset or being kind to someone who insists pineapple belongs on pizza, reverence is all about gratitude and respect.

Now, let’s talk about November. This month has a way of reminding us about reverence. We just had an election—yay democracy! Did I lock myself in my house because my favorite candidate, Smithers Smitherson, didn’t win? Nope. I went to dinner with friends who voted for Travis Traverson, the guy I swore I’d never agree with. And guess what? We didn’t spend the whole night arguing (though there were a few zingers). Instead, we laughed, swapped stories, and remembered all the things that unite us: being parents, Scouters, neighbors, and people who agree that pie is the real star of Thanksgiving dinner.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, November has Thanksgiving and Veteran’s day, two days where we are really reminded to be reverent and respectful. This Thanksgiving, noting things that are different about your friends and family, or someone you’ve never spoken to or met before. Get curious about how they’re different. Ask questions. Learn something new. Then, dive into all the amazing things that bring you together, family and strangers alike—like a shared love for mashed potatoes or arguing over who gets the last piece of pie.

Remember, reverence isn’t about being the same. It’s about appreciating the beauty in our differences and the strength in what unites us.

Thank you all for an amazing pack meeting. Thank you for another wonderful pack meeting, thank you to Joe for his time and great stories and for his service, thank you to all other veterans amongst us such as Sam’s dad Pat. Thank you to everyone on our wall of heroes and beyond.  Have a fantastic Thanksgiving filled with food, family, and maybe even a little reverence… right before the pie!

Color guard, let’s retire the colors.