The Blue & Gold Committee

THE BLUE AND GOLD COMMITTEE
The key to a successful celebration

For the banquet to be successful, planning must begin early - at least two or three months in advance. Most packs must find a different meeting place because of the size of the crowd. The banquet committee reserves the location, arranges for the meal, sends out invitations, develops the program, and takes care of other responsibilities. Follow the guidelines for planning special pack activities and study the tips included in this section. They should make planning easier.
Involve as many people as possible on the various committees. Take care not to overload the den leaders, who will be busy working with their dens.

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BANQUET COMMITTEE ROLES
The banquet committee makes the following important decisions, then works in teams on individual responsibilities.
Set Date and Time
Select the date and time of the banquet if this has not been decided. In most packs, the banquet takes the place of the February pack meeting, although it is not necessarily held on the regular pack meeting night.

Ask about rental fee. This might determine which facility you use.

Check seating capacity and number of tables available.

Be sure there is adequate parking space, a coatroom, and rest room facilities.

Inquire about kitchen availability, if needed for preparation of the meal.

Secure permission to use special items-public address system, speaker's stand, etc.

Confirm reservations at least a month in advance.

Develop A Meal Serving Plan
Decide how dinner will be served. Possibilities are:

Potluck: Each family brings a dish to share either with the whole pack or with the den group. Families furnish their own plates, utensils, serving dishes. Food is pooled and served buffet style. The pack might furnish the drinks.
Or

Food Committee: The pack can buy the meat, bread, beverages, plates, utensils, cups, and napkins, and ask pack families to bring salads, side dishes, and desserts. The cost can be prorated among those attending. Some packs purchase all the food and have a parents' food committee prepare the entire dinner.
Or

Catered: A caterer can bring the food in already prepared, or the pack can go to a restaurant or cafeteria for the banquet, In these cases, the food is already prepared so there is nothing for the pack to do but decorate the room and tables. Each family pays for the cost of their own meal.

Arrange The Facility
Secure a suitable facility at least eight weeks in advance. The space needed will be determined by the type of serving arrangement used and the number of people attending. It could be the regular pack meeting place, a school cafeteria, church meeting room, civic center, town hall, restaurant, etc. Consider these things:

Rental fee, if any.

Seating capacity and number of tables available.

Kitchen availability, if needed.

Adequate parking space.

Convenient rest rooms.

Special Equipment. Secure any special equipment required such as - public address system and/or other required audio/visual equipment, speaker's stand, etc.

Confirm reservations. Do this at least a month in advance.

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Important Note:

Some of the information on this page was compiled from the "Cub Scout Leader's Book" (BSA 33221 - Copyright 1997) and the "Cub Scout Leader HOW-TO Book" (BSA 33832 - Copyright 1996.) It is presented here under U.S. Copyright free-use. It is not meant to replace those documents, but rather to supplement them as an educational tool for Cub Scout Leaders.

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