Once a year in the fall we pay a registration fee, which is described in the Contact Us section. The one-time purchase of the Cub Scout uniform is about $60. Pack activities are optional and generally have a fee involved with them. Pack 61 has much to offer in return!
You are especially invited to the June pack meeting and Barbeque / Milk Carton Boat Race. Feel free to visit other pack meetings during the year. Visiting a pack meeting will help you understand a portion of the Cub Scout experience we offer, but there is much more.
New scouts are put together in a den of similar-grade boys. If there is more than one such den, then consideration is given to the new scout’s school and home location, and other issues. New Tiger Cub dens are normally created in September.
Once a den is formed the adults discuss scheduling and develop a consensus about timing and location that will work for all families involved. Some dens like to set aside the same evening as pack meetings. Others prefer a different weekday evening, a weekend afternoon, or a particular day just after school. Tiger Cubs may meet more frequently, for less time, to allow for their attention spans. Regarding the location, dens meet at scout’s homes, in school rooms, community centers or other locations. Some meet at the same location all the time, and others change every meeting.
In September we have a New Scout Orientation meeting which presents various aspects of Pack 61 and the Cub Scout experience. It is conducted by some of our pack and den leaders, there is time set aside for questions and meeting with other families with a boy in your son’s grade. In addition, den leaders orient their den with information they learn through training and at leaders meetings.
We are quite active. We participate in spring and fall Cub-Ons and Cub-Parent Weekends (camping experiences), summer day camp, the Scout-O-Rama, Memorial Day Grave Decoration and monthly Roundtable meetings, and we take advantage of training opportunities.
We sell BSA popcorn products in the fall. The “Show and Sell” portion occurs at local markets on planned dates and each scout is expected to sell during one of the time slots. Secondly, we sell in our neighborhoods and beyond, with gift certificate rewards for selling at various levels.
We strive to strike a balance between playing games, working on achievements, rewarding accomplishments, and performing skits, cheers and songs. We start and end our meetings with a flag ceremony. Some time is dedicated to discussion of past and upcoming events and general communication. We have a snack and drinks at the conclusion.
The uniform shows that we are members of the Cub Scout organization, and it is where patches and pins of each scout’s achievements can be proudly worn. We always wear our uniforms to pack meetings, den meetings, the Scout-O-Rama and Memorial Day Grave Decoration. Our “class B” uniform is the Pack 61 T-shirt and the appropriate Cub Scout hat, which may be worn to on camping trips and other, less formal activities.