Elements of a Successful

Blue & Gold Banquet for Pack 697

 

Blue & Gold is the traditional ceremony and dinner for scouts and their families to celebrate the birth of Cub Scouting in February.   Cub Scouting celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2005.  It is also a time to honor the graduating Webelos-II scouts and acknowledge the accomplishments of their entire Cub Scouting career.

 

While there are many ways to present the Blue & Gold banquet and related ceremonies, Pack 697 generally includes these events in approximately this order:

 

Awards:  There may be other significant awards or achievements earned by the scouts, leaders, and/or parents/volunteers that are acknowledged during the Blue & Gold:

 

Arrow of Light ceremony:  The Webelos-II scouts have earned all the requirements toward their Arrow of Light badge and will receive it during the Blue & Gold.  A special ceremony to highlight the significance of earning the highest award in Cub Scouting is planned for this event.  Generally, the ceremony includes a segment where the parents pin on the Arrow of Light badge to the boys’ shirt and the parents present their son’s with the Arrow of Light plaque they made for their scout as a keepsake that displays the achievements earned during his entire Cub Scouting career.  Many ceremony variations and examples are available on the Internet.

 

Fellers’ Cake Bake and Auction:  This is a traditional Cub Scout activity for the scout and his father or adult partner to bake a cake together.  The cakes are decorated in Cub Scout themes such as camping, Pinewood Derby, the Blue & Gold theme, or just about anything.  Cakes should only be decorated with ‘edible’ items (no toys) and even includes vegetables like using broccoli for trees.  Cakes are brought to the Blue & Gold to be auctioned as a fundraiser to help the Pack continue to offer fun activities for the scouts and their families.  The Cub Master interviews each scout about his cake.  All scouts entering a cake receive a trophy and a certificate with best of some category as identified by the Boy Scouts in attendance.  Usually the scout’s own families purchase the cake.  Receipts are issued as this is a tax-deductible fundraiser.

 

Bridging to Boy Scouts:  The final ceremony of the Blue & Gold is the graduation of the Webelos-II scouts to their chosen Boy Scout Troop.  Often candles are included as a ceremonial ‘lighting-the-way’ symbolism.  Many ceremony examples are available on the Internet.  Generally, the parents of each scout are asked to come on stage with their son to remove the neckerchief and blue shoulder loops to signify he is ready to bridge (graduate) to Boy Scouts.  The scout then steps onto the Pack’s ‘bridge’ and salutes while a summary of his earnings during his entire Cub Scout career are listed.  The Troop he has chosen to bridge to receive him on the other side and puts on their Troop’s neckerchief*, red shoulders loops, and give him the Boy Scout book*.  *Parents of the Webelos-II den are responsible to purchase these items in advance for this part of the ceremony.

 

Baskets fundraiser:  Each den solicits local businesses to donate items for a themed basket of fun things to be raffled during the Blue & Gold.  Tickets are sold for $0.50 each, or 12 tickets for $5, or 25 tickets for $10.  All proceeds go to the Pack as a fundraiser to help the Pack continue to offer fun activities for the scouts and their families.  Suggestion - Consider drawing the tickets during the dinner and winners must be present to claim their basket as an incentive to encourage the Pack families to stay for the entire event.

 

Dinner:  Traditionally, the Blue & Gold banquet is a potluck dinner for scouts and their families to celebrate the birth of Cub Scouting, and fellowship between the graduating scouts, their families, and the Pack.  Pack 697 has often opted to cater this event.  Suggestions - Consider the budget and cost per plate when deciding on the appropriate menu.  Dinner at the end of the event gives time for the caterer to prepare the food during the ceremonies and gives scouts and families a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company after the event.  Sometimes if dinner is scheduled for the opening activity, it becomes too rushed to try to set up all the staging and eat dinner too.

 

Tips & Suggestions: 

This is a suggested order of events.  Parents planning this event may choose to organize the schedule in any order and select ceremonies that best showcase the scouts’ accomplishments and bridging.  Keep in mind it will take approximately 1½ hours to set up, 2-2½ hours for ceremonies and activities, and 1½ hours for dinner and clean up.  Note:  Often the February Pack meeting is skipped in favor of the Blue & Gold, so the other awards earned by the Webelos-II scouts during February are not acknowledged.

 

Preparation:

·        Begin preparation for your Blue & Gold during the summer.  If you are the Den Leader for the graduating Webelos-II scouts, when the regular den meetings start again in September it is difficult to juggle Blue & Gold preparations with den meetings, visiting Troops, participating in Pack activities, and other personal obligations.

·        Enlist parents in your den to assist with some aspect of the Blue & Gold preparations or arrangements, or lead some of the den meetings for you.

·        Inform the other Den Leaders of their responsibilities early – by October so they can plan their den meetings accordingly.  Give regular reminders and updates to the Den Leaders and Committee members.  Communication is the key.

 

Timing:

·        Typically, Blue & Gold is scheduled for the last Saturday in February in place of the February Pack meeting. 

·        February is a short month with many ‘holidays’ and other activities:

o       Promotion of Blue & Gold to the Pack must start by January; promotion to the Den Leaders/Committee Members by October.

o       Collect all dinner fees by mid-February (no ticket sales at the door for an accurate headcount in advance).

o       Den Leaders should coordinate their den activities for February in preparation for Blue & Gold such as table decorations or other displays.

 

Revised:  3/24/05