OPENING
CEREMONIES
Blue and Gold Opening
Circle Ten
Council
Props:
Candelabra with 3 candles and 1 larger candle
Characters:
Cubmaster and all present and former Cub
Scouts
Cubmaster: Tonight we will have a lot of fun
at this, the 75th birthday of Cub Scouting and Pack _____’s _____th
birthday. As Cub Scouts and leaders, we are following a trail blazed by
millions of other boys, men, and women, many of them who are with us tonight.
All of them have had the Cub Scout spirit,
which we symbolize with the flame of this one candle. (Light the larger
candle. Extinguish the room lights.) What is the Cub Scout spirit? That’s
easy. It’s the three things we promise to do in the Cub Scout Promise.
We say “I promise to do my best to do my duty
to god and my country.” That’s the first part. (Light one candle.)
The second part is, “To help other people.”
(Light second candle.)
And the third is, “To obey the Law of the Pack.”
(Light third candle.)
Now, while these candles burn as a reminder to
us, will all Cub Scouts, and former Cub Scouts who are with us tonight, please
stand, and repeat the Promise with me. (Lead the Promise.)
Cub Scouting is…
Baltimore Area
Council
Arrangement: Seven Cubs line up across stage holding up
posters as indicated. Each says his line, pausing a moment after the CUB
SCOUTING IS…
Cub # 1:
(Holds
up poster of Bobcat Badge) Let’s Celebrate Cub Scouting. Cub Scouting is…
That new Bobcat who the cub Scout promise makes.
Cub # 2:
(Holds
up a poster of Wolf Badge) Cub Scouting is… That Wolf Cub Scout with his
first achievement undertakes.
Cub # 3:
(Holds
up poster for Bear Badge) Cub Scouting is… That older Bear cub who can
tackle much more.
Cub # 4:
(Holds
up poster with Webelos emblem on it) Cub Scouting is… That Webelos Scout
who’s running up a fine activity badge score.
Cub # 5:
(Holds
up poster with word FUN on it) Cub Scouting is…All that plus much more too,
giving us the reason what we’re here to do.
Cub # 6:
(Holds
up poster with picture of a Cub Scout) Cub Scouting is…That boy clad in gold
and blue making, this meeting important to me and to you.
Cub # 7:
(Holds
up some type of patriotic poster) Cub Scouting is…Being a good citizen you
see, so won’t you now pledge allegiance to our flag with me. (This Cub leads
audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.)
Interpretation of the Cub Scout Promise
Baltimore Area
Council
Props: Each Cub Scout holding a sign with his part of
the Cub Scout Promise on it.
Cub # 1:
I,
_________ PROMISE - A promise is a solemn vow, where your good reputation is at
stake.
Cub # 2:
TO DO
MY BEST - Your best is giving all you’ve got when you have something to do...
and working on it with all your heart and all your strength and devotion you
have.
Cub # 3:
TO DO
MY DUTY - To do the job; to meet the responsibilities; to do what must be done,
not just half-way, but completely and fully so that you’re proud of your work.
Cub # 4:
TO
GOD AND MY COUNTRY - First, duty to God. Fulfill your religious
responsibilities and uphold our religious beliefs. Second, duty to country. I
know you’ve been told how lucky you are to live in a free country and I hope you
are aware of what freedom means. You should try to be a good citizen.
Cub # 5:
TO
HELP OTHER PEOPLE - To help... it doesn’t say how much. It could mean saving a
life or changing a tire or carrying a bag of groceries. To help other people...
not just your own family. The best time to help is when you have to go out of
your way to do it.
Cub # 6:
TO
OBEY THE LAW OF THE PACK - So that we will all remember just what this law
includes, will you please stand and repeat it with me?
MAKE AMERICA PROUD OF YOU
Great Salt Lake Council
Divide the following poem up into
parts. Assign each part to a Cub. Have each Cub make a large card with a
picture about America on front and his part in LARGE print on the back.
Make America proud of you,
In every thing you say and do.
Make America proud to say
That you’re a son or a daughter of the
USA
In America you are free,
To write your name in history.
But now it’s up to you,
So what are you gonna do,
To make America proud of you.
What ever the game you choose to play,
play fair!
What ever you are or hope to be—be
square!
What ever the road you choose to
take—take care!
Walk it straight with your head up in
the air.
Have the Cubs all repeat first 8 lines
and the have the Cubmaster (or someone lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
INFORMATION ABOUT BADEN-POWELL
Great Salt Lake Council
Assign parts to different Scouts.
Have them place pictures of Baden-Powell on cards and their parts on the back in
LARGE print.
Or maybe you just want to copy
this list and every so often during the night toss out a fact or two about B-P.
CD
1.
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell was born
Feb. 22, 1857. At 11 he was sent to boarding school, behind which was a wild
woody area. He would skip school, hide out and camp in it, even killing rabbits
for food.
2.
At 19 he took the exam to go to the University
and failed, so he joined the army. He took a test and became an officer. He
served in Afghanistan, India, and South Africa. They were peace-keeping forces
most of the time and the men needed things to do to keep them occupied so he
organized them into patrols and taught them scouting principles and skills. The
men liked it.
3.
In South Africa he was in the town of Mafeking
with 1000 men. The Boers lay siege to the town with 9000 men. He kept them away
by fooling them into thinking he had many more men and unlimited supplies. He
let them watch him bury ‘mines’ all around the town and once in a while one
would explode. Actually, they did not have dynamite in them as they didn’t have
any, but the Boers thought they did and it kept them away.
4.
He would ‘test’ his circle of searchlights that
surrounded the town at night. Actually all they had was one on a pole that they
would carry around and light it up once in a while. He held the town for 217
days.
5.
At night he would walk around the countryside
and sketch the Boers positions. When they captured him he had a sketchbook of
butterflies. On the wings were the maps but they didn’t know it. He was a very
good artist.
6.
He came home on sick leave and people in England
were already organizing themselves into patrols and were using his Scouting
handbook. He was decommissioned and became the leader.
7.
On Oct. 30, 1912 he married Olave Soames, she
was 22 and he 54, they had 3 children. They also started the Girl Scouts.
Flag Opening
Baltimore Area
Council
Needed: Flag, 3 candles (red, white, blue), board or
holders, narrator and three Scouts to light candles.
Have you noticed the strong bond between our
flag and our promise? Let me show you.
(Scout lights white
candle in center)
One of the colors of the flag is white. It is the symbol of purity and
perfection. It is like the first part of our Scout Promise, Our Duty to God.
(Another Scout
lights red candle)
The color red in our flag means sacrifice and courage, the qualities of the
founders of our country. Red is the symbol of the second part of the Scout
Promise. Our duty to other people requires courage to help anyone in trouble and
the self-sacrifice of putting others first.
(Another Scout
lights blue candle)
Blue is the color of faith. It represents the Law of the Pack, which we
faithfully follow. We do our best to grow and learn while helping others.
Let us rise and dedicate ourselves with our Pledge to the Flag and follow with
the Cub Scout Promise.
Campfire Candle Opening
Baltimore Area
Council
Equipment:
‘Campfire’ built of logs around a yellow light bulb, electric candle with blue
light, tape of crackling fire sounds.
Setting: Fire is dark as Akela enters and ‘lights’ candle
(turns bulb).
Akela: We will light our council fire tonight with this
candle that represents the Spirit of Cub Scouting, and the Cub Scout promise to
do his best
This light is a symbol of a Cub Scout’s promise to do his duty to God and his
country. This light is a symbol of a Cub Scout’s promise to help other people.
This light is a symbol of a Cub Scout’s promise to obey the Law of the Pack
(Akela stops,
touches ‘campfire’ with the ‘candle.’ Someone off stage then plugs in the fire
and starts the tape.)
Akela: I now declare this council fire open. Let the
ceremonies begin!
(At this point you
may want the whole Pack to stand and repeat the Cub Scout Promise.)
