January 2021 Newsletter

JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

OFFICE HOURS The Golden Spread Council Office and Scout Shop are open: Monday thru Friday 8:30—5:30

OFFICE CLOSURES The Golden Spread Council will be closed for the following holidays in 2021: New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; President’s Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Eve; Thanksgiving Day and the day after; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; New Year’s Eve

Additionally, the Scout Shop will be open from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm the following Saturdays in 2021: January 23; February 20; March 20; April 17; May 22; June 12; September 11, 18 & 25; October 2 & 9; November 20

Be sure to check out our website calendar for ALL of the exciting events happening in the Golden Spread Council or follow this link:

https://goldenspread.org/

SCOUT EXECUTIVE’S BLOG

Happy New Year to our entire Scouting Family in the Golden Spread Council! As I reflect on 2020, I am thankful for the Scout Spirit shown throughout the year by so many Scouts and Scouters. This new year is full of opportunities for our Scouts through unit and council activities. The Golden Spread Council has some great activities being planned including merit badge classes, OKPIK Adventure Camp, Spring Camporee, Polaris Camp, Shooting Sports Camp, Aquatics Camp, Summer Camp at M.K. Brown, Cub Family Campout, and more. As the weather warms up this spring, we will be able to do more outdoors and invite new kids to participate in these events.

Our in-council units are always allowed to camp at Camp Don Harrington and Camp M.K. Brown at no charge. We also have shooting sports, waterfront equipment, swimming pool, and indoor facilities available at a minimal cost to your unit, details can be found on our website:

Camp Don Harrington - https://goldenspread.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CDH-Fees-List-Apr-2020.pdf

Camp MK Brown - https://goldenspread.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/MKB-Price-List-Apr-2020.pdf

For reservations or details, you can call the Golden Spread Council Service Center at (806) 358-6500. Thank you to all of our volunteers who make Scouting possible in our community, we are grateful for your endless efforts to make this program available for the youth in our community. If there is anything we can do to support your efforts, please let us know how we can help. On behalf of the Golden Spread Council, I wish all of you a safe, healthy and happy 2021!

Look for Brian to share thoughts, experiences and good practices for Scouting in his blog each quarter!

COUNCIL EVENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE

Hello Golden Spread Council volunteers, parents, staff and board members! I hope this finds all of our volunteers and families doing well during this continued coronavirus pandemic! The good news for this month is: Welcome to 2021! Whew! We made it through the pandemic year of 2020! The new year always brings a lot of hope and excitement and the Golden Spread Council welcomes 2021! Look for new and creative ideas coming from the council on spring recruiting, earning merit badges, and even in the outdoor programs. We are excited and ready to put the challenges of 2020 behind us and more resilient than ever to keep the Scouting movement going in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles! Lots of events coming in 2021 so read all about it! Be sure to visit the council website at www.goldenspread.org regularly to get information on upcoming events, registration and deadlines and any date changes that may occur. The newsletter will be going out every month and will contain the most current information available for council, district, and unit events. Please send unit event information, dates and pictures to Gemma Mitchell at [email protected] or call 806-282-8296 and leave me a voicemail. Don’t forget to forward all of your unit fun and activities to your district executive! If you don’t know who they are or how to contact them, look on the green tabbed district pages here in the newsletter. We are really excited to get this newsletter out to you and we are even more excited to include you and your youth! The youth of the Golden Spread Council is why we all do what we do in Scouting and when we stay focused on them, we all win!

Yours in Scouting,

Gemma Mitchell

COUNCIL EVENTS

2021 GOLDEN SPREAD COUNCIL CUB SCOUTS AND

SCOUTS BSA CAMPING AND ACTIVITIES January 23: Merit Badge University February 20-21: OKPIK Winter Adventure Camp March 27: Scouting for Food (Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA event) April 9-11: Woodbadge Weekend #1 (Camp Don Harrington) April 16-18: Camporee April 24-25: Woodbadge Weekend #2 (Camp MK Brown) April 24-25: Cub Scout Extravaganza April 30-May 2: Philmont Family Weekend June 5: Cub Scout Adventure Day Camp June 6-11: National Youth Leadership Training Course (NYLT) June 20-26: Scouts BSA Summer Camp Week 1 June 27-July 3: Scouts BSA Summer Camp Week 2 July 16-18: Wolf/Bear Only Resident Camp July 23-25: Webelos Resident Camp August 21: Waterfront Day (Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA event) August 28: BB/Archery/Slingshot Day September 17-19: Webelos Woods Camp September 25-26: Cub Scout Family Campout October 16: Spook O Ree October 23: Spook O Ree November 13: Environmental Science Merit Badge Class For details on all of these camps, activities and to register, visit www.goldenspread.org. Click on the “Calendar” tab and scroll to the date to find the camp/activity. Please check with your unit leader for details on how to register for these events as some are unit registrations and others may be individual registrations. If you haven’t liked us already, go to the Golden Spread Council page on Facebook and like us! We also put a lot of information about upcoming events and news on this page.

COUNCIL EVENTS

CHECK OUT THE NEW MBU!

Due to COVID restrictions with WTAMU, Merit Badge University will have a little different look this year. Welcome to MBU 2.0.2.1.! The Golden Spread Council will have a lot of merit badges that will be offered throughout the year as opposed to just having a one-day workshop. This will give more scouts an opportunity to find the merit badge they want to work on at a time that may be more convenient to them. Go to www.goldenspread.org and take a look at all of the merit badges coming up (and there are several to choose from!) the deadlines for registration and the cost of the merit badge. Most of these will be done virtually; however, the Personal Management merit badges will be done in person - one at Camp Don and one at Camp MK Brown. Here is a small list of the upcoming merit badges in January:

January 13, 2021 - Salesmanship Merit Badge Class- Deadline to register is: Jan 8, 2021 January 21, 2021 - American Heritage Merit Badge Class- Deadline to register is: Jan 14, 2021 January 23, 2021 - Personal Management Merit Badge Class (CDH)- Deadline to register is: Jan 16, 2021 (In person at Camp Don) January 24, 2021 - Medicine Merit Badge Class- Deadline to register is: Jan 17, 2021 January 27, 2021 - Citizenship in the Nation- Deadline to register is: Jan 20, 2021 January 28, 2021 - Journalism Merit Badge Class- Deadline to register is: Jan 21, 2021 January 30. 2021 - Personal Management Merit Badge Class (MKB)- Deadline to register is: Jan 22, 2021 (In person at Camp MKB) February 2, 2021 - Genealogy Merit Badge Class- Deadline to register is: Jan 22, 2021

There is plenty for your Scout to choose from so don’t delay! Go to www.goldenspread.org and get signed up today!

COUNCIL EVENTS

ILST/ILSC/Den Chief Training Camp M. K. Brown March 6th 8am – 5pm Check In at Lew Benz at 7:30am Lunch will be provided Cost for the course is $15 per scout/$5 per adult

Register by March 1st @ www.goldenspread.org Questions?? Please contact: Chris Wagner (806) 663-2225 Erica Maddox (580) 651-0581

Camping available Friday night and Saturday night (If camping, troops will be responsible for setting up camp reservations through the Council office)

Skills Taught Benefits Troop Organization Clear Roles & Responsibilities Servant Leadership Better Organization Communication Stronger Youth Leadership Stages of Team Development Working Well with Others Leadership Values & Responsibilities Preparing for the Future

COUNCIL EVENTS

WOODBADGE

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Wood Badge is designed to meet the advanced leadership needs of all Scouters, particularly unit level Scouters, such as Cub leaders, Scoutmasters and assistants, Venturing Crew Advisors, Committee Chairs and members. Additionally, Scouters serving at the district and council levels can achieve greater effectiveness through Wood Badge.

To attend a Wood Badge course, individuals must: Be registered members of the Boy Scouts of America. (Youth 18 and older may attend as long as the appropriate Youth Protection guidelines are followed. They do not need to be registered in an adult leadership role.) Have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting position. Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment. All participants are required to complete the Annual Health and Medical Record form Part A & B. WHY ATTEND? By taking Wood Badge, Scouters will acquire valuable tools such as listening, communicating, conflict Management, project planning and leading change. Participants will better learn to understand and appreciate diversity and differences in our society. They will learn skills that will make them a better Scout leader. Units with trained leaders are able to deliver an improved program and a more meaningful experience for the youth Scouting serves. By attending Wood Badge, the participants will internalize the 5 themes of Wood Badge: Living the Values, Growing, Connecting, Guiding, Empowering.

Cost per participant is $260.00 and you can register online at www.goldenspread.org

Course Dates: April 9-11th at Camp Don Harrington AND April 24-25th at Camp MK Borwn

If you have further questions, call Joe Rahija, 2021 Course Director at 806-930-0645

COUNCIL EVENTS

HUGE SCOUT SHOP SALE! January kicks off merit badge season for 2021 and the Golden Spread council Scout Shop is equipped and ready for you! This month’s sale will be on ALL merit badge books at a 15% savings! Hurry in and get your merit badge book to be ready for all the merit badges the council will be offering in 2021!

Time is of the essence and supplies are limited so don’t delay! Hurry and come by the Golden Spread Council Scout Shop at 401 Tascosa Rd. today!

COUNCIL EVENTS

9 NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM SCOUTINGWIRE.COM

Six Easy Steps to Planning the Ultimate Pinewood Derby Race

Pinewood Derby can seem like a maze of tasks that make up a million-piece, very complicated puzzle, but it is time to uncomplicate things a bit and make this all about FUN for everyone! The steps outlined below will guarantee that you throw a successful and well-run PWD race day event, whether it’s your troop’s first time or 50th. This year, you may have to switch things up to comply with CDC guidelines, but the basic principles still apply! If you are moving to a virtual race, be sure to check out YouTube for some great virtual planning tips! 1. Pick a PWD Task Force Team (TFT)! This team will handle the list of to-dos and make sure that everything gets done on time. Depending on the size of your event, this can be anywhere from 2 – 6 people. If you can, grab a mix of veteran Derby-goers and newbies so that you can keep things fresh with new ideas AND pull in best practices from past Pinewood Derbies. Also… it never hurts to name your TFT and assign a hashtag to them for social media sharing purposes

2. Make a list of the essential to-do’s (tips to follow!) that cover your PWD event from start to finish. This is crucial to making this whole shindig run smoothly! Get the ideas out of your head and onto paper so that it is easy to see what needs to get done and where there may be gaps in planning. It also makes it easy to spread the workload evenly across your TFT!

3. Assign those specific tasks and dates to your TFT members. After you have created your list of essentials, re-review everything and put names and deadlines next to each line item. Again, this makes it easy to check in with everyone! Be sure to share the essentials list with your Pack Leader as well, so they can add if need-be and to keep them in the know (if they are not at your planning party).

4. Set a date to visit your local Scout Shop’s Champ Camp OR watch our Virtual Champ Camp (stay tuned for details on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts!) This is an easy way to take the pressure off of the TFT because all you need to do is check the dates they are hosting Champ Camps and grab a couple that work for people. The Scout Shops will have experts on-hand to answer any and all questions! It also adds an extra bit of fun – think of it like a field trip. It can also be fun to plan a cookout for after your Scout Shop visit so that you can talk about everything you learned at Champ Camp.

5. Assign a Day-Of PWD Team (a DO team!) and make a Run of Show list. The Day-Of team will be in charge of running the races, making sure that the venue is set up with everything from the track to snacks and decorations, along with breakdown. Obviously, tasks can be divvied up between parents and Cub Scouts, but having a core team in charge of the day will make everything run more smoothly, so people know who to go to with questions!

6. HAVE FUN! Remember that this is a gathering of all of your friends! Things may get off track, but in the grand scheme of things, the main goal of the whole event is to have a great time and celebrate your Pack and the amazing friendships that come from Scouting. Be sure to take lots of pictures to share on social media (usually there are a few people who love that sort of thing). Sharing exciting events like this can not only be fun to look back on, but they can also help with planning the next year, AND attract new families to Scouting!

The key to making things more fun and less “I might pull my hair out!” is to plan and write everything down. One of the tricks of the trade that I have found to be particularly effective is to have a couple little planning parties to hammer out all of the details. Get your TFT together, make it festive so everyone has their fun flag flying, and go over what you want the day to look and feel like.

PWD Event Essentials [To-Do List]

Looking for a list of tasks that will get you and your Pack up to speed on hosting a Pinewood Derby Race Day event? Well look no further… we have compiled a list of to-do’s that goes along perfectly with our “Six Easy Steps to Planning the Ultimate Pinewood Derby Race” that you just read about! All you have to do is check everything off the list, and you will be ready and set to race into the perfect day.

Even during the pandemic, this checklist is relevant! Be sure to check in with the SAFE guidelines to hosting an event before deciding to go the in-person route.

Interested in going all virtual to suit your Scouts and their families best? We've got you covered - check out this blog.

• Decide on a date [6-9 weeks out] This is a great time to also set a “pre” weigh-in date and time - don’t underestimate how long this can take! Some Scouts may need to make adjustments to their car that could involve tools and time, so this is best done hours to a day or two before race. After cars are weighed in, the cars can be locked away until race day time. • Secure the event space [6-9 weeks out] • If the Pack funds the purchase of the cars, have someone pick up enough car kits for all Scouts, siblings, and racing adults (if the Pack runs any extra race classes) [4-9 weeks out]. The Pack should hand out the cars 4 – 9 weeks before the race event to allow for adequate build time. If the Pack does not purchase cars, provide flyers with the “allowed” list and with your local Scout Shop’s address/details!

• Decide on rules and distribute them [4-9 weeks out] – if you have a Pack website, then post them there, and email them to parents • Decide on how many award categories your Pack will have and what they will be [4-9 weeks out] • Come up with a hashtag for the event [4-9 weeks out] – this can be one that is used every year so that you can follow annual progress on social media, or a different one for each year… you decide! It is good to pick and spread the word on this early, so that people can use it to share as they build. Be sure that you check the hashtag on Instagram and make sure you aren’t picking one that is already in use. You want this one to be unique to you, so that when you search the hashtag, it only comes up with the photos you and your Pack are sharing. • Reach out to your local Scout Shop to find out when they will be conducting PWD Champ Camp workshops for car cutting and building tips and tricks [late December – Champ Camps are in January and February!]. Publicize dates to Pack membership or set a date for everyone to go together • Reach out to local Scouts BSA troop for volunteers/support [4 weeks out] (If they get involved, it would also be fun to let them have their own race, too! Cub Scouts can see what kind of cool design the older Scouts come up with.) • Make event invites [4 weeks out] – paper fliers are a great reminder, and emailed invites are convenient for tracking RSVPs and sending out calendar reminders (there are lots of free options available through Paperless post and Evite). Then, you can send out a reminder to people at 1-1.5 weeks out! • Secure a track and finish gate [2-4 weeks out] • Choose how your Pack will score and run the races [2-4 weeks out]. You can use the timed method, a bracket and elimination system, separate by age, etc. • Gather the awards for the winners of the various categories [2-4 weeks out] • Pick a theme (if you want to guide décor) [2-3 weeks out] • Make or buy decorations [1-3 weeks out] Choose how you are going to manage food and snacks [2-3 weeks out] – this can be a great fundraiser for the Pack as well by selling food that has been donated from local businesses (or made by a few Pack Chefs!) • Compile a list of fun extracurricular activities that Scouts can do to keep their attention [2 weeks out]  Velcro darts  Race-themed cornhole  Non-official, for-fun races Prizes or giveaways (guess how many Hotwheels are in this jar, etc)

• Assign a Day-Of Task Force Team (TFT) – be sure to have a great mix of parents, Scouts BSA volunteers, and others from your local community who like to get involved! [2 weeks out]  Set Up team  Check-In  Manning the food table  Official Score-Keeper  Demo Team (a couple of people who can demonstrate how each race will be run)  Spare Parts Helper  Judges (for those contest categories!) – be sure to get the categories to these judges in advance so they are in the loop.  Master of Ceremony and Emcee  Official picture-taker (maybe you have a Scout that is really into photography or a parent that LOVES social media – recruit them and share the pictures on your Pack’s website and social media pages!)  DJ (someone who loves music and can put together the perfect playlist of fun music for all ages)  Break Down

• Make a spare parts table – nobody wants to be without a wheel or an axle if something happens on race day! (Psst… Scoutshop.org has race-ready supplies; it’s an easy one-stop shop) [1 week out]  Wheels  Axles  Fast-drying super glue  Graphite  Scales  Weights  Screw driver  Hammer

• Pull together tables, chairs, speakers, and boundary markers [1 week out]

• Make the final Run of Show list with set up time, official start time, race times, award ceremony times, and breakdown times [3 days – 1 week out]

And remember – this is all about having FUN at a family event! If anyone in your Pack has older siblings, this is a great place for them to get involved with helping out and coming up with new and fun ideas to keep it fresh and fun. Happy racing!

DISTRICT EVENTS

ADOBE WALLS District Executive: Gaylyne Manns—[email protected] Ph. # 806-207-0037 District Chair: Jason Eugea Ph # 806-335-6805 District Commissioner: Mike Savage Ph # 806-595-0315 Roundtable: 1st Thursday of the month from August thru May – 6:30 pm at First United Methodist, 201 E Foster, Pampa, TX

Adobe Walls January 2021

Pack 423 Pampa enjoys some visitors at Veterans day parade in Pampa. Pack 423 their recent pack meeting.

James Murry leads the planning meeting for OKPIK at MK Brown.

DISTRICT EVENTS

Adobe Walls January 2021

A Scoutmaster’s Minute!

Well, Scouts, did you make any NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS? I hope some of you resolved to bring up your grades in school and be more helpful around the house. I’m sure your parents would be delighted with those resolutions. In Scouting, we make a resolution every time we meet. Each time we repeat the SCOUT OATH and LAW, we’re resolving to do our best to do our duty and to make ourselves the best citizens we can be. I’m inclined to think that resolving to follow the Scout Oath and Law are the most important resolutions you can make – now and in the time to come. The Scout Oath and Law cover almost everything that makes a good person and a good citizen. So, I think as we start the new year, we ought to repeat the Scout Oath and Law now and think about what we’re saying.

Scout Oath: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

Scout Law: “A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverant.”

Gaylyne Manns your District Executive

DISTRICT EVENTS

GOLDEN EAGLE District Executive: Michael Lopez—[email protected] Ph. # 505-699-6552 District Chair: Jeff Sulik Ph # 806-651-3000 District Commissioner: Jon Hill Ph # 806-471-8648 Roundtable: 1st Thursday of every month from August thru June —7:00 pm at the Scout Office

Pack your golf bag and get ready to play at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Towa Golf Club! Contact Michael Lopez at (505) 699-6552 to get more information on your chance to win today!

Set your calendars for February 20th, 2021 and get ready to race at the District Pinewood Derby!!

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF District Executive: Erica Maddox—[email protected] Ph. # 580-651-0581 District Chair: Steve Walthour Ph # 806-922-7402 and Jim Lear Ph # 806-202-4507 District Commissioner: James Bentley Ph # 806-260-1596 Roundtable: 4th Thursday of each month from July thru April —7:30 pm at 1738 N Oklahoma, Guymon , OK

Lone Wolf District

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.: Vern McClellan

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy New Year! May your 2021 be filled with blessings, excitement, and lots of Scouting activities!

In this edition, we would like to take a few minutes to give you some fun facts about the Lone Wolf District. The district covers over 11,000 square miles in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle, or 11 counties! Our district committee has 13 wonderful volunteers serving on it! Our committee meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Our Roundtables are held on the 4th Thursday of each month. We host a Pinewood Derby, 2 lake cleanups, a Fishing Derby, 2 Day Camps, and multiple trainings each year! We have 11 Packs, 12 Troops (9 for boys and 3 for girls), and 2 Posts in the district! In 2020, these units earned over 160 rank advancements-4 that were Eagle Ranks!- and over 150 Merit Badges! Our DE traveled over 18,000 miles this year, down considerably due to Covid-19!

Come Visit the Lone Wolf District!

Please follow our district on Facebook!

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF

Congratulations to our newest Eagle Scout, Antonio Rodriguez of Troop 199!!

Troop 4145 working on Crime Prevention Merit Badge.

Pack 146 and 8145 provided Thanksgiving baskets in their community.

Troop 4145 learning about Rotary.

Pack 163, Troop 163, and Troop 4163 hiking Black Mesa.

DISTRICT EVENTS

Troop and Pack 258 presenting the colors and banner for the Shattuck Christmas Parade.

DISTRICT EVENTS

QUANAH PARKER (SCOUTREACH)

District Executive: Gemma Mitchell - [email protected] Ph # 806-282-8296 District Chair: Jeremy Bradford District Commissioner: Chrystene Speed

Scoutreach District Chair Jeremy Bradford (in the red shirt) sent this picture from the ADVO Christmas party. These gentlemen are so proud of their Scouts BSA uniforms that they insisted on wearing them to the ADVO Christmas party on December 17 and wanted a picture for the council to have! While ADVO is still on lockdown due to COVID; they have still been busy prepping their uniforms and working on the Communications merit badge through Scouting in a Box at their group homes! These guys sure are proud of Scouting and what it will do for them and I can’t wait to meet them when they come out of lockdown at the end of January! Yours In Scouting, Gemma Mitchell | Quanah Parker Senior District Executive