Cub Scouts Recognized at Troop 62 Blue and Gold Banquet

Worth County Cub Scout Pack 62 held their annual Blue and Gold Banquet Saturday night and recognized many different scouts for their accomplishments. Scoutmaster Rick Frese said that there were 14 scouts to start with, dropping down to 12. These scouts accomplished a lot of different things with more than half earning their badges while the rest of them were really close to completing their requirements. They had a Space Derby in fall and their annual Pinewood Derby in spring, at which they performed well. Frese said that they were planning on a couple of camping trips this summer. Troop 62 meets every Monday night from 6-7 at the Fairgrounds Building.

Frese said that they were redoing the Scout Cabin, which had a leaky roof and which needs work done on the interior. He said that when the work was complete, hopefully, this summer, they would move back into the Scout Cabin.

There were various different crafts on display from the scouts; some of them were used to decorate the tables at the banquet.

Assistant Scoutmaster Dave Thomas gave a posthumous award to Kevin Austin for his contributions to the scouts. His widow, Charity Austin, received the award.

Maureen Gallagher, a biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, talked to the scouts about her job. She helps restore land back to its natural state. She gave the scouts real animal skins to play with and told them about each one of them. There was a muskrat, a raccoon, a mink, a beaver, a skunk, an otter, a short-tailed weasel, a fox, and a coyote. She said she was blessed to be able to do so many different things with wildlife. She has banded ducks and raised trumpeter swans, an endangered species, and turned them back into the wild. She has hunted bear, deer, coyotes, and foxes. She said that she had encountered wolverines as well and that they were not very friendly. Asked about what the best way to get rid of skunk odor was after being sprayed, she said that in her experience, V-8 works better than tomato juice.

Matt Becker of the Otoe District, which includes Worth and four other counties, talked about Friends of Scouting, which supports scouting activities in the area. Friends of Scouting does such things as leader training, camps, insurance, postage, and staffing. 20% of their budget relies on donations from people. Their goal is to raise $34,000 from the district this year.

Scouts were then recognized for their participation in the Pinewood Derby. Tiger Cubs who participated were Lincoln Moore, Brent Harris, and James Gladstone. Participating as a Wolf Scout was Reid Gabriel. Participating as Bear Scouts were Gabe Latham, Lucky Gladstone, Anthony Baxley, Avery Gabriel, Ethan Thomas, and Daniel Craven. Participating as Webelos were Trent Gabriel and Wyatt Frese. Winning in the Tiger/Wolf division was Brent Harris. Winning in the Bear Division was Gabe Latham. Winning in the Webelos Division was Wyatt Frese. First overall was Gabe Latham as well as the best design. Ethan Thomas took second at the district derby, while Latham took best design at the district derby.

Jane Gabriel presented awards for Tiger and Cub Scouts. Getting their Bobcat Badges were James Gladstone, Lincoln Moore, and Brent Harris. Dave Thomas presented Lucky Gladstone with his Bobcat Badge. Reid Gabriel got his Wolf Badge. All of the parents got pins from the scouts for their efforts in helping.

Receiving intermediate Bear Scout Badges were Lucky Gladstone, Avery Gabriel, and Anthony Baxley. Getting Bear Badges were Gabe Latham, Daniel Craven, and Ethan Thomas. After getting their Bear Badges, scouts can do electives; for every ten electives completed, they get arrowheads. Daniel Cravel got a gold and a silver arrowhead for completing 20 different electives while Ethan Thomas got a gold arrowhead for completing 10.

Two scouts got their Webelos badges. Trent Gabriel and Wyatt Frese got their Webelos badges and also got awards for three different achievements for their "Arrow of Light" badge, which is next on the list. They each received achievements in art, fitness, and citizenship.

Former scoutmaster Dan Jackson was recognized for his work for the program for many years. The banquet concluded with the Scout circle and the Cub Scout Pledge.