Local packs want you as part of the Cub

They’re doing their duty to God and country, helping others, obeying the law of the pack and, on Thursday, they’re recruiting.
Cub Scout packs across the community will hold welcome and information sessions Thursday night with hopes of adding a few Cubs to their dens.
The School Night for Scouting, in schools that sponsor packs, is designed to give boys a taste for the organization and parents an idea of what Scouting can do for their boys.
“We’re looking for first- through fifth-grade boys because that’s where our Boy Scouts tend to come from,” said Jackie Newton, of the Stonewall Jackson Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. “The idea is to give families a time and date when they can learn about Scouting and meet the people involved at their school. Of course, kids may join Scouts anytime throughout the year and don’t have to be in that age group.”
There are 29 Cub Scout packs in Central Virginia, including 20 in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Most are based in schools or area churches.

Rites of passage

Scouting is one of those things that many boys pass through as they move on to being bigger boys. I, personally, have very vivid memories of the two years I spent in Cub Scouts, all as a Bobcat.
I remember making candles for Mother’s Day and knocking a pan of hot wax onto Kerry Ferguson’s lap and watching him bust moves yet to be seen in any dance hall.
I’ll never forget Everett Elementary School Pack 223’s Halloween party when my then-best friend helped me bob for apples by holding my head down in the metal washtub filled with water and red delicious. I won’t forget helping him with his woodworking badge a few weeks later by chasing him around with a 2-by-4, trying to go upside the back of his head.
And who could ever forget the hike through Scott’s Woods when we discovered a local high school couple enjoying nature and later learned what poison ivy looks like on the stem and on the limb?

An evolving community

Some things have changed since 1968, but the organization’s goal for the estimated 2.97 million Scouts remains developing “ethical decision-making skills” for young boys.
Cubbing is also a gateway activity to more Scouting, including Webelos Scouts for 10-year-olds and the bona fide Boy Scouts for boys 11 through 17.
“There are a number of advantages to being a Cub Scout,” said Cub Master Mac, also known as Mauris Mackenzie, who heads up Pack 222 at Agnor-Hurt Elementary School. The pack serves students from Agnor-Hurt and Greer Elementary School.
“The idea is to help the kids learn to cooperate with each other, to build a sense of community, to help reinforce community values and national heritage,” he said. “We’re trying to help build good citizens and help them find a purpose in life.”
And have fun?
“And have fun, yes,” he laughed. “That’s the most important part of Scouting.”
It’s the part I remember the best.