Newsletter - Our Dist
Iron Horse District News
May 2009
District Pinewood Derby
On Saturday, May 25, John L Sullivan hosted 15 Cub Packs and 29 cars to compete in the second annual Iron Horse District Pinewood Derby. Many thanks go to Tim Gubbins and TJ Kay from Pack 507 for organizing the first and second race off which has grown in popularity. First, second, and third place were awarded to Alejandro H. - Pack 252, Kaleb S. - Pack 37 and Blake D. - Pack 37. Winners in the modified class were Warren B. - Pack 1592, Eric Box, -Pack 1592, and Harrison C. - Pack 1830. Stay tune for pictures and U-Tube videos of the event.
District Dinner
Come join use for a fun evening at the Iron Horse District Dinner on Saturday, May 16th at the Spanger Elementary School and to recognize special adults in your organization. Nominations for the Golden Spike Award can be found at:
District Award of Merit (Silver Bear) is awarded to adults for distinguished services to the Scouting program in the District. Nominations can be found at:
Deadlines for completed nomination forms are due at the May 5th Roundtable. Go to http://tinyurl.com/cp5l75 for the online dinner registration. For more information, contact Bill Patterson billatnhs@hotmail.com.
Friends of Scouting
The Iron Horse District leads all other Districts in the Golden Empire Council at 44% of our $89,000 goal for 2009. We appreciate all families who find Scouting program an important value despite the challenging economic times. For more information about the Friends of Scouting, please contact Justin Turman, jturman@gecbsa.org
Scouting for Food
Thank you for taking a March Saturday to collect canned and dried foods from our Roseville and Granite Bay neighborhoods. This year, the Units of Iron Horse District collected 23,366 cans or 19.472 pounds of food for the Placer County Food Shelter. The food demands were felt, especially this year, by families hard hit by the soft economy. Pam Kreiser wishes to her congratulations to the Iron Horse District on this excellent accomplishment and we wish to thank Pam for her leadership and commitment to a worthy community cause.
California Capital March
Don’t forget to join us for California Capital March, October, 24th, a pre-celebration of the 100th anniversary of Scouting in the United States. Scouts will assemble at Raley’s field, march to the Capital where the State of Scouting will be delivered to the governor, and return to ball field for lunch and fun activities.
Five California Councils have confirmed their attendance at this event. Early registration ends July 1, 2009 and early registrants will receive a commemorative centennial pin. We are also looking for a Pack and Troop to host events at Raley’s field. If interested, please contact Kathy Neuberger at istahap@jps.net and check the Council website for details at http://www.gec-bsa.org/program/capmarch
District Fishing Derby
There are rumors of an upcoming District Fishing Derby in Fall of 2009. Please stay tune for more information.
Twilight Camp
The location for Twilight Camp has been moved to 7009 Van Maren Ln, Citrus Heights to accommodate the growing attendance, facility and parking needs. For the past three years, the Iron Horse District has had the largest Twilight Camp attendance is the Council. The estimated attendance this year to date, adults and cubs, is about 700. Contact Trish Browning for more information brentandtrish@comcast.net.
Membership
Youth membership in Scouting in the Roseville and Granite Bay has grown 4% this year. This compares to negative 2.7% growth in the Council. We attribute this growth to an over 90% retention rate of Cubs to Boy Scouts and trained adult leadership. We continue to encourage Units to have key leaders trained to ensure we deliver quality Scout programs.
Camp-O-Ree
Scouts and Scouters converged upon Camp-O-Ree held at Camp Far West on April 16-18 under clear, warm weather. We were also excited to welcome Webelos and their parents to this year’s event entitled “Parsimonious” to recognize an important Scout law and value, a Scout is Thrifty. Forty-nine patrols completed in 5 events followed by a Camp-wide competition.
Special thanks go to Chris Cartano, Chairperson, and Camp-O-Ree committee, Terry Webb, Linda Webb, Kathy Neuberger, Virgil Anderson, Nanette Langston, Karen Kelso, Steve Horvath Glen Forister, Damon Hackney, and Rob Conlin for a competitive and successful District event. The committee acknowledges Crews 247, 863, and 2248 for their assistance in the program and security detail. Please check the Iron Horse Website for pictures and awards.
Roundtable
Wondering whether you should attend the May Roundtable? Here are a few topics we will cover:
1. March to the Capitol – Saturday, October 24th
2. Cindy and Dave Peters continue their discussions about light weight backpacking
3. Submit nominations for the Golden Spike and Silver Bear Awards
4. Scout Committee Chair breakout - Best practices and challenges
5. Pick up recognition patches for Camp-O-Ree
6. Presentation of Heroism Award
Thanks for your time and commitment to Scouting!