KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Steven Pickel and Tiger Cub Andrew Pickel play in the den's lair as a robotic "mascot" assembled by the Scouts for the event looks on during the Blue and Gold banquet held Feb. 22 at the Vogelweh Elementary School cafeteria...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Tiger Cub Jayden Moffit receives his stripes from Achley Lyons during the Blue and Gold banquet held Feb. 22 at the Vogelweh Elementary School cafeteria. The event commemorated the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in F...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- "WEBELOS" Scout Michael Tate receives "Bobcat" stripes from Victoria Tate as Trish Swienton, the Scout's den leader, looks on and Maj. Michael J. Swienton, the Pack 69 cubmaster and 21st Theater Sustainment Command engineer...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Tiger Cubs help Maj. Michael J. Swienton, the Pack 69 cubmaster and 21st Theater Sustainment Command engineer, plant their den banner during the Blue and Gold banquet held Feb. 22 at the Vogelweh Elementary School cafeteria...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Mark Brandon, an exercise planner with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, applies face paint to a significantly younger Mark Brandon in recognition of accomplishments made over the last half-year as Maj. Michael J. Swien...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Warrant Officer Richard Vandeway, a human resources technician with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, and Tiger Cub Michael Ray Vandeway await the dinner bell during the Blue and Gold banquet held Feb. 22 at the Vogelwe...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Incognito Tiger Cubs play in disguise following the Blue and Gold banquet held Feb. 22 at the Vogelweh Elementary School cafeteria. The event commemorated the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in February of 1910 and in...
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The Vogelweh Elementary School cafeteria transformed into a banquet hall and parents into artists, auctioneers and chefs as more than 100 Cub Scouts, adult volunteers and family members from Pack 69 -- drawn almost entirely from the local military community -- and a few special guests celebrated the Scouting program's "birthday" Feb. 22.
The 2015 edition of the annual "Blue and Gold" (the Cub Scout colors) banquet commemorated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America and the 85th "birthday" of the Cub Scouts program.
The banquet also served as a bear of a pack meeting, with leaders and parents recognizing Scouts' formal accession to their current rank and achievements during the first six months of the Scouting year. Parents literally marked their Scouts' accomplishments and commitment with face paints and, for the artistically inclined, paw prints. For "WEBELOS," the banquet also marked the culmination of a five-year Scouting journey alongside "Akela" -- a personification of the Scouts' mentors based on a character in Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book."
The pack pow wow included the typical mix of ceremonial, educational and lighthearted activities. Scouts designed unique table decorations representing their dens. Some Scouts and families even brought along Lego displays and stuffed animals, including a gigantic "baby shark" serving as an aquatic den mascot. Organizers also auctioned a variety of sweets and gift baskets to raise money for the pack, with Scouts taking a keen interest in the bidding on cakes, pastries, chocolates, outdoor gear and toys. A WEBELOS den leader and designer of a squad car that competed in last month's Pinewood Derby issued "speeding citations" to Scouts in recognition of the swiftness of their wooden vehicles during the race. In a nod to recent "Carnival" activities, several Scouts and sisters donned paper masks as the banquet drew to a close. The event concluded with the retiring of the colors and, in a development that surprised absolutely no one familiar with Scouting, younger Scouts and siblings operating under the influence of sugar chasing each other around the cafeteria and adjacent outdoor areas.
Hunter Marks, the assistant district commissioner of the Barbarossa District -- the pack's higher Scouting headquarters -- participated in the event, offering words of wisdom and presiding over the "Arrow of Light" ceremony embodying Cub Scouting's highest honor and marking the culmination of WEBELOS' tenure as Cub Scouts.
"This celebration re-energizes the boys, the parents and the adult volunteers to continue on to the end of the Cub Scout year and also encourages everyone to remain actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America next year," Marks noted after the event. "Because February or March is also a common time for the oldest Cub Scouts (5th-graders or second-year WEBELOS) to move on to the Boy Scout program, the Blue and Gold banquet is often a farewell to these boys as they journey on to becoming young men in their quest to reach the Eagle Scout summit. I commend all of the boys in Pack 69 on their accomplishments, encourage them to always 'Do Your Best,' and challenge them to always journey on through the adventure of life."
Local leaders expressed similar enthusiasm for the event.
"What a great way to continue a legacy of a great program -- 105 years of building characters and character in our boys," Maj. Michael J. Swienton of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, the cubmaster, or senior pack leader, said with a smile. "The founders of this movement couldn't have imagined how it would take off. I think it's pretty awesome.
"Doing the event as Americans overseas, maybe we can appreciate even more the expanse of our council and the scope of the Scouting program across Europe," he continued. "Many different countries participate in Scouting -- and all from a pretty similar base philosophy and action. This was a great event and a big success. It was appropriate to see rays of sunshine literally shining through the cafeteria windows during the event."
The banquet held special meaning for Michael Stricker, leader of the "senior Scouters" participating in their last event with Pack 69.
"It was nice to have so many of the kids stick together for at least a couple of years," said Stricker, a dedicated den leader for the past three years and part of the local Scouting community for more than four. "It allowed them to build really strong relationships and good friendships. I got a little teary-eyed as we went through the narrative in the ceremony and I thought of everything we've been through over the last four years."
"We've experienced a lot of great things and seen a lot of places in Europe, but the main thing is the people," Stricker added. "That's one great thing about the Scouting program overseas. It brings the community together."
WEBELOS likewise reflected on their tenure as Cub Scouts and their future as Boy Scouts.
"I learned a lot of things in Cub Scouts," said 9-year-old Emory Michael Watson. "The most valuable thing was how to save people's lives -- how to do the Heimlich maneuver, stop bleeding and frost bite and treat bee stings."
"I feel happy to be a Scout because I can do things like campouts and those kinds of outdoor activities," he added.
Other WEBELOS emphasized the unique opportunities they enjoyed in Europe.
"It was great to participate in all the activities, especially the trips to Normandy and Brussels and all the travel," said 10-year-old Mark Brandon, son of a 21st TSC exercise planner. "We traveled to so many places for the historical trails. It was also great to make a lot of friends and participate in all the pack events. The Cub-Annapolis was the best and we were the winners this year."
Brandon expressed optimistic but reasonable expectations for his Boy Scout career. "I hope we can have more fun and learn more things," he said.
Younger Scouts looked forward to more pack adventures, picnics and races.
"My favorite part is traveling," said 7-year-old Tiger Cub Michael Ray Vandeway. "I like to travel on the Scouting trips, and plus my family likes to travel a lot. My other favorite event is the Raingutter Regatta because I got second place."
"My favorite thing about Scouting is we have so much fun and do so many things," added 8-year-old William Pickel of the Wolf Den. "I hope Cub Scouts never ends because it's so fun being a Cub Scout."
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