'To do my duty to God and my country'
Scouting turns 100 this year and celebrations have already begun.
Willows Cub Scout Pack 68 incorporated the 100th anniversary celebration into its annual Pinewood Derby Jan. 30 at Murdock Elementary School.
Three generations of Cub Scouts, over 30 in all, joined the fun as first- to fifth-grade members raced brightly painted, homemade wooden cars on a track built by W. Allan Walker in 1980.
Garrett Otterson, Leslie Dalrymple and Dakota Roach took home trophies for their age groups.
The cars, a maximum weight of 5 ounces, must be built by the Cub Scouts and their parents, according to Pack co-leader Jesse Roach.
Jessie Lopez, head of the Boy Scouts of America Chico field office that oversees Glenn and Butte counties, said a big regional celebration will be held May 10 at Beale Air Force Base.
The Scout Expo is expected to draw some 12,000 boys from the Sacramento Basin and North Valley, he said.
During the 100th year of Scouting in America, scouts are commemorating the service hours they give to their local communities.
"We want to give more hours in terms of service," he said, estimating scouts will perform more than 1 million hours of community service nationwide in 2010.
For example, scouts of all ages in Glenn and Butte counties will put in extra effort this fall during their annual food drive.
Last year, scouts collected 3 tons of food. "This year they will try to collect 6 tons," Lopez said.
Scouting has changed over the years, adapting to new demographics in each community, he noted.
"We've made an effort to be more inclusive of the communities we're in., Lopez said. "Scouts are representative of the community as a whole in both Willows and Orland."
Scouting curricula now are available for Hmong, Hispanics and, in the Yuba City, the Punjabi population.
Roach said keeping the Pack going has been a struggle the last few years. But he hopes events like the Pinewood Derby will attract more boys.
For information about Cub Scouts in Willows, call Jesse Roach at 934-7933. In Orland, call Brett Silva at 865-1490.
News assistant Jenn Anderson contributed to this report.
