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Pack 140 participates in several trips, often sleepover events, throughout the year. We pick local destinations that have special after-hours programs for scout groups.
Examples of popular sleepover locations include the Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium in Boston, as well as the Ecotarium in Worcester. Some years, the scouts go to Battleship Cove in Fall River, the world's largest collection of historic naval ships. This trip involves sleeping overnight on the original sailor hammocks of the WWII battleship Massachusetts. In the spring, the scouts look forward to events such as the Pawtucket Red Sox sleepover in Pawtucket Rhode Island to see a ballgame and set up our tents to sleep in the outfield. In the spring we also camp overnight at Scout-owned property such as Camp Resolute in Bolton.
Coordinating Pack events is very straightforward and fun to do! It consists of the following tasks:
- Publicize the event to parents and scouts
- Receive reservations and payments
- Work with the Pack treasurer to pays for our pack
- Preparing for / Going to the event
1. Publicizing your Event:
Start organizing 4-5 weeks before the event. You'll need to know sometimes these events are made available to us from the Knox Trail Council, the scouting organization we are part of. Other times our Pack has booked the event directly with the sleepover location. In either case count on a well-developed set of instructions, sometimes available online. In addition you'll be given a contact person in case of questions.
The first task is publicizing this event to our Pack members using email and personal announcement at Pack/den meetings. Check with the Cubmaster to get a copy of the pack email list. Here is a sample message to the pack.
Generally you will need to know the following:
- The date and time people should arrive, and when we need to depart the following morning
- The fun activities the kids and their parents will get to do
- Materials we should bring (i.e. sleeping bag, tent, mosquito net, flashlight, etc)
- What meals are included, or will be available for our purchase
- The price per person (usually around $50). Remember parents must pay for themselves as well as their scouts
- Know how many spaces our Pack has committed to purchase for the event - we try to guess correctly so the Pack is not stuck with unused spots. Sometimes you will be able to go over this number if you get a lot of interest, check with the Cubmaster or the location's designated contact person.
- Be sure to publicize your address and the deadline for members to pay you, usually one week before the Pack's own payment is due. The Pack Treasurer will help you with this (see below).
2. Keeping Track of the Reservations/Payments:
As coordinator, you will keep track of the reservations and make a list of the name of each adult or child attending, their email and telephone number, and very importantly track whether they have paid. No reservation is "locked in" unless you have payment from a Pack member.
Pack members can make their checks payable to "BSA Pack 140". Please bring these payments to the Treasurer as soon as possible so they can be deposited.
3. Working with the Treasurer to pay for our Sleepover:
Just as you work with the Pack Treasurer to be sure all the individual incoming payments are deposited into our Pack account, you need to be sure our payment to the sleepover location is mailed on time. Please verify the mailing address with the location's contact person so the Pack Treasurer sends payment to the right place.
4. Preparing for / Going to the Event:
Be sure to send followup emails so everyone is reminded about the event and where/when they have to arrive. It helps if you could send a link to a web page showing driving and parking directions. If tickets have been issued, please set up a system (i.e. a box on your porch) so they can be picked up. When you arrive at the event, identify yourself as the event coordinator for our Pack. There may be special information waiting for you.
That's it, thank you!
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