Not even a global pandemic can hold back our annual Pinewood Derby!

This year’s event will be a little different, as it will be livestreamed over Zoom, but it’ll still include everything* you love most about the PWD & more!

For those who aren’t able to join the event live, it will be recorded and made accessible online, but please be sure Scouts get their votes in before 5:30 pm on March 5.

Calendar: Pack 104
Event: Pack 104 Virtual Pinewood Derby
Where: Zoom
When: Mar 5, 2021 5pm-7:30pm (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Check your emails for zoom login info, and for the voting form!!

*pizza not included

Pinewood Derby Entries (FOR VOTING)

Pinewood Derby Cars by Friends and Family (NOT FOR VOTING!!)

Scouting for Food will be different this year (as everything else has been).

We are being asked to extend an invitation to our neighbors to bring food to the Saint Mary Magdalen Church in Berkeley on Nov 14th between 9 am and 1 pm. (2005 Berryman Ave. in Berkeley)

The flyer is attached if you would like to send this information to your friends, family, and neighbors.

There will be no Pack effort to collect food this year. We would not suggest trying to organize as a Den either. Encouraging our community to take the food on their own or make a monetary donation is the best and safest way to help in this time of great need.

Please be safe out there!

Berkeley Scouting-for-Food-2020-Flyer

The Pack 104 Bear Den met together on Sunday, October 25th 10 am to work on their “Baloo the Builder” projects on the picnic tables outside of the Craft Shack.

The den discussed tools and tool safety at the virtual meeting prior to the workshop, so the scouts were well-prepared and excited to work on their respective projects. Families brought their own hand tools and building materials, and each scout worked at a table with their parent / assistant.

Check out these great photos from the workshop (courtesy of Mayumi)!

Great job Bear Den and Den Leader John Bowen!!

Pack 104 met together at Briones Regional Park on Saturday, October 24th at 10 AM for some archery in the morning and a hike in the afternoon. Scouts (and parents!) did some orienteering training, and exercised their skills afterward by getting through five control points on a map provided by Scouts from Troop 24.

It was a beautiful day, great weather and good air quality, and all who attended had a fantastic time.

As always, we practiced social distancing and standard COVID safety protocols. Thank you all for attending and to Troop 24 for coordinating the activities.

We would like to let you all know there is are opportunities for in person scouting on Oct 24th. There will be Archery 10am – 12pm and a Hike after lunch.

Event: Briones Archery and Hiking
Where: Camp Herms
When: Oct 24, 2020, 10am – 3pm (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time

No big surprise but COVID Protocols  will need to be in place in order to make this outing as safe as possible.

1. Please take everyone’s temperature before you leave your home. If anyone in your family has a temperature of 99.5 or higher you must not come to the event!
2. When you arrive, please check in and get screened. Do not allow your scout to join everyone until your family has checked in and been screened.
3. No Carpooling please (I hate to say this, but its the safest way right now)
4. Face masks must be worn at all times. If you are eating or drinking you may take it off. If you need air, please walk away from the group and get a breath of fresh air.
5. We must use hand sanitizer often and will need to observe social distancing as much as possible.
6. If anyone in your family feels ill (headache, soreness, upset stomach, congestion, fatigue or fever) please do not attend. If you anyone in your family has any of these symptoms within 2 weeks after the event, please contact me asap. ecpack104cm@gmail.com

Make your way to the Bear Creek Staging Area.

https://bit.ly/31XlsN4

We will be meeting at the Parking lot at 10 AM and will shoot until Lunch. Please pack lunch, snacks and a water bottle! There is nothing around for miles!

Bring $3 for parking and $5 per family for use of the range CASH!! They do not except cards and there is no ATM. Do not forget your Bow and Arrow. There will not be any for rent or use there. If you do not have a bow and arrow, please check these kits on Amazon

CenterPoint Archery ABY215 Sentinel Youth Recurve Bow, Right Hand

rootmemory Recurve Bow and Arrow

Getting these sets or something similar is appropriate for Cub Scout age kids. These are recurve bows similar to what we use at Camp Herms when we shoot there. Compound bows are not ideal for beginners. Please try to share as little as possible. If you do share, please sanitize equipment after each use.

For more information about the Archery in Briones please see the club website.

There will also be an opportunity for a hike. Boy Scouts from Troop 24 may be setting up an orienteering course. Cub Scouts will be able to go on that hike and find out more about what orienteering is. If they do not end up putting together the Orienteering Course, we will take a hike around the hills in Briones.

Please shoot me an email so that I know you are coming. The archery range is a long ways from the parking lot and the cell reception is spotty. If I do not know you are coming and you show up late you may have trouble joining the group.

ecpack104cm@gmail.com
Please RSVP for this event through Scoutbook

My Dashboard > Events > My Calendar

Two weeks ago, Pack 104 Cubmaster RJ “The Great” Lane, shared that the Webelos visited a Cool Pumpkin Patch (called the Cool Pumpkin Patch!) in Dixon. https://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/

RJ reports:

“The farm and pumpkin patch are set up very well for COVID safety protocol. The staff is taking things very seriously. RJ noted that the majority of people were wearing masks and doing their best to socially distance.”

“They have a fantastic Corn Maze that is about 3 miles if you do not have to back track too much. I highly recommend bringing a backpack with plenty of water, snacks, hats and sunblock. There are not spots to buy water or fill water bottles along the Maze. I will be purchasing Corn Maze Patches if you plan on attending with your den or family, please let me know (and give me a number of patches to get for your den)”

The Corn Maze cost $15 per person (but worth it in the end) Parking is free. Pumpkins are reasonable (We got 4 for $16) They have pedal cars and hay rides. You can borrow a wheelbarrow and pick your own Pumpkin in the field.

On the weekends they have food and drinks for sale.

Some of the Pack 104 Bear Den already took RJ’s suggestion and took their families to the pumpkin patch. Photos from their visit are shown in the gallery below!

On Saturday, October 17, 2020, Pack 104 scouts convened bright and early at Camp Herms for the Annual Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA) event. There were 15 scouts who participated in this outdoor event.

All COVID safety guidelines were strictly followed. Attendees all wore masks, kept physically-distanced from others, and hand-sanitizer was used extensively.

Jamboree-on-the-Air is an annual international event in which Scouts and Guides all over the world speak to each other by means of amateur radio. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared, via the radio waves. Each year about half-a-million Scouts and Guides “get together” over the airwaves for the annual JOTA.JOTI is a similar event but uses the Internet. JOTA and JOTI will be different this year.JOTA will take place at Camp Herms.

For those of you who are interested, registration and info on the JOTA and JOTI events for this year are provided below. You must register to participate.

The Golden Gate Area Council International Committee presents Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA) 2020 and Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTI) 2020.

Jamboree-on-the-Air is an annual international event in which Scouts and Guides all over the world speak to each other by means of amateur radio. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared, via the radio waves. Each year about half-a-million Scouts and Guides “get together” over the airwaves for the annual JOTA.

JOTI is a similar event but uses the Internet. JOTA and JOTI will be different this year.

JOTA will take place at Camp Herms.
JOTI may be done from your home by signing up at https://www.jotajoti.info/ and using your computer.
Video introduction to JOTA-JOTI:. https://vimeo.com/191558208

Scouting Magazine article on JOTA-JOTI:: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/06/21/

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2020
Time: Come anytime from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. BUT YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A 1-HOUR TIME SLOT!
The typical time on site is 1 hour.

Place: Camp Herms, 1100 James Place, El Cerrito, CA

Cost: $15 includes JOTA patch

Registration: Registration required at https://www.scoutingevent.com/023-JOTAJOTI2020

Notes:

All COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed. ALL attendees must wear masks, keep physically-distanced from others, and bring a small personal of hand-sanitizer. All activities will be outside.
Snacks, drinks, or lunch will NOT be provided, so bring your own if needed.
BSA Jamboree-on-the-Air 2020 patches will be mailed out when we receive them.
For All Scouts:

All scouts will learn about amateur radio – what it is, how it works, types of equipment, and how to use it. Scouts will have an opportunity practice 2-way radio communications using UHF radios, and will have a chance to listen to and talk to other scouts and ham radio operators participating in Jamboree-on-the-Air.

For Cub Scouts:

Webelos/AOL Scouts will have an opportunity to complete Requirement 10.d. for Building a Better World Adventure.

For Scouts BSA & Venturers:

The Radio Merit Badge requirement # 9a or #9d may be completed. There may be an opportunity to take the rest of the Radio MB training at a future date.

On Sunday September 13, 2020, the Pack 104 Bear Den gathered in a socially-distant outdoor setting to conduct knife safety training and complete the requirements for the Bear Claws adventure. During this time, all scouts who attended successfully demonstrated their ability to safely handle and use a knife, earing their Whittling Chip patch and Bear Claws belt loop.

They each made a soap carving with butter knives before advancing to pocketknives.

Although each family brought their own first aid kits, we are thrilled to share that nobody had to OPEN their kit, and there was no blood or tears to be shed. Congratulations to the Pack 104 Bear Den for completing this exciting adventure!