Cub Scout Cake Decorating Contest Awards

A Year With Pack 194

Most of these events happen every year, though not always in the order shown.

September: Bedford Day

Here is pack 194 marching in the Bedford Day Parade

September: Rocket Launch

October: Popcorn Sales

Show and sell — Popcorn sales are the Pack's main fundraiser. Here some of our scouts are working at a "show and sell" table at a local merchant.

pie face — The boys who sell the most popcorn get a special treat: They can hit their den leader (or other adult of their choosing) with a whipped cream pie.

October: Fall Campfire

Camping — After the campfire, the scouts take a night hike down the rail trail then bed down overnight in their tents.

November: Veteran's Day

In November we honor our country's veterans. We also participate in the Marine Corps' toys for tots program.

December: Providence Bruins

The Providence Bruins offer a package deal to scouts. This is one of our most popular trips every year.

December: Christmas Party

January: Pinewood Derby

The pinewood derby is one of the highlights of the cub scout year. The boys each design and build a car, starting with a block of wood and a wheel kit. We have three building sessions at the American Legion hall so even if the parents don't have tools or skill, the boys can find plenty of help. As you can see from the pictures, we have a great deal of creativity. In addition to the awards for fastest time, we have a "people's choice" award for the most creative car, which is voted on by the kids. The fastest car in each age group is invited to the district Pinewood Derby. The winners at district continue to advance.

Winter Overnight Trip

Pack 194 has one major overnight trip every year. While we try to have the trip in the winter, it is often later in order to take advantage of better weather. In the last three years, we have had overnight trips to the USS Salem, a heavy cruiser in Quincy, the Boston Museum of Science (where we slept in the exhibit halls) and in 2019, the USS Constitution, where we slept in the berthing deck on-board ship.

February or March is also our usual time for scouting for food. The cub scouts ask their neighbors to contribute food for the Bedford food pantry. The scouts then collect the food and bring it to the pantry. Public service is a central element of the scouting experience.

March: Blue and Gold Banquet

The Blue and Gold Banquet celebrates cub scouting. In recent years we have held the "cake boss" contest to see who can decorate the best cake. There is one catch: only male adults may help! In addition to the banquet and cake contest, this is also where we say goodbye to our oldest boys. The 5th graders will receive their Arrow of Light awards and then "cross over" to the boy scouts.

April: Raingutter Regatta

The Raingutter Regatta is similar to the Pinewood Derby but less intense. The boys build sailboats from kits and then race them in a water-filled trough. Boat construction is less important to winning that is the ability to propel the boat by blowing on the sail.

May: Spring Campfire

The spring campfire takes the place of our regular monthly pack meeting. As is the case in the Fall campfire, we have many skits and songs, and the meeting ends with roasting marshmallows over the coals to make s'mores. While we don't camp out in May, this is the meeting where most boys receive their rank advancements for the year. Scouting is not just fun and games: at their den meetings the boys learn many age-appropriate skills related to citizenship, ecology, and the outdoors.

June: Cookout

The June cookout is an opportunity to just have fun. The scouts have tug of war, water balloon toss, watermelon smash, gaga ball, and this year a slip-and-slide. We also ask the scouts to invite a friend who might be interested in scouting.

July: Lowell Spinners Overnight

In July, we attend a Lowell spinners game as a pack. after the game, we get our camping gear, pitch tents in the outfield, and watch a movie. It is the softest ground you will ever camp on!