Blue and Gold Banquet

Dear Pack Parents:

I hope you enjoyed the Pinewood Derby as much as I did, and my thanks to Brian Kerner and his team for making it happen are boundless.

Our next pack event is the Blue and Gold Banquet. For new parents, it is like a pack meeting, but we use it to celebrate the birthday of cub scouting as we share a feast together, and say "farewell" to our oldest Cub Scouts as they ceremoniously move into Boy Scouting. This event will take place on Sunday, February 22. Reservations need to be made to Bonnie Kampen by February 15. Her contact information is included in the email message sent out on January 28.

As you plan your food item to bring and share, let me share a note regarding nut allergies from one of our pack families:

First, when a child is eating nuts, even though it may be in a confined area, proper washing of hands with soap and running water is required to rinse the nut oils and salts from the hands. If this is not done, the oil and salts can easily be spread to other common items and then transferred to another person. Even though we have bring medication for this, we would rather not spend the evening in the emergency room as a consequence of nut exposure.

The second reason, for which there is no medication, is the exclusion factor. It's difficult for a young boy to be excluded from any event and watching other boys enjoy something that he is denied is difficult.

I know there may be customs, such as enjoying nuts—and dishes with nuts—at a Scouting event, but moving away from nuts helps make our pack events safer and more inclusive for everyone.

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See you all at the Blue and Gold Banquet--

Ken
Cubmaster