Vinton’s Cub Scout Pack 235 held its annual Blue and Gold Banquet on February 25 in the old fellowship hall at Thrasher Memorial.
Each year at the banquet Scouts are presented badges, pins, patches, and awards they have earned to move up in rank to the next level with the beginning of the new school year next fall. Their achievements are celebrated in February because that is the month when the Boy Scouts of America organization was incorporated in 1910 by William D. Boyce. That inaugural year began with 2,000 Boy Scouts and leaders and has now grown to nearly 6 million.
Today there are 2,000 Scouts in just the Great Valley District, of which the Vinton pack is a part, with 850 adult volunteers assisting. The Great Valley District serves Roanoke City and Roanoke County, Salem, Botetourt County, Craig County and the Stewartsville Elementary School and Montvale Elementary School areas of Bedford County. It is part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Council Boy Scouts of America, which serves over 12,000 youths in 21 counties and seven cities in southwest and south central Virginia.
The Blue and Gold event gets its name from the Cub Scout colors and their uniforms.
Cubmaster Ryan Apple officiated at the banquet, opening with the Scout Law and Scout Oath and later presenting awards to the Scouts. He told the pack that he joined Scouting in 1983 and became an Eagle Scout in 1994.
This year the banquet featured a menu of foods from other countries as the theme was “Passport Around the World.” Scout families shared coconut chicken, sushi, crepes, empanadas, macaroons, and red chicken curry.
Tiger Cubs, who are first graders, earn their ranks and advance to the Wolf Cub Den when they enter second grade. Wolf Cubs advance to become Bears as they become third graders in the fall. Bear Cubs move up to the Webelos Den and remain there during fourth and fifth grades; and Webelos “crossover” to become full-fledged Boy Scouts in Troop 235 as they enter sixth grade.
Cub Scouts Kingston Lees and Franklin Apple have earned the rank of Tiger. Blake Webb and Nathanial Rucker have earned the rank of Wolves. Gavin Tucker and Royce Apple have earned the rank of Bears. Carson Bivens and Jhorden Sink will be entering their second year as Webelos in the fall.
Unit Stem Coordinator Janette Sink presented NOVA awards to several of the Scouts who participated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math projects, which help “educate children for jobs not invented yet.”
Webelos Carson Bivens and Jhorden Sink received engineering pins for building their own computers with parts donated by PC Land on Electric Road.
The Thrasher Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts meet on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Boy Scout Building in Thrasher’s lower parking lot and welcome new members. Cub Scouts include boys in grades one through five.
Cub Scouts are members of a Den, usually made up of four to eight boys, who meet weekly with a Den leader, typically a parent. All of the Dens make up a pack which meets once a month
More information is available by emailing Ryan Apple at johndeere13@gmail.com or calling 419-651-5227.
