With good weather outside, the Cub Scouts of Pack 209 moved winter indoors at the Palmerton Rod and Gun Club for its Blue and Gold dinner. The annual event was held Feb. 25 with snowmen wearing blue and gold hats and scarves on the tables and two large snowmen guarding their fort in the front of the room. White balloon snowballs floated over the tables instead of the usual blue and gold ones.

Robert Mauro, in his Friends of Scouting program, said there are 12,000 scouts and 5,500 leaders in Minsi Trail Council.He said scouting helps scouts do well in school. They tend to have higher graduation rates than non-scouts. In addition to the scout items, Mauro brought from his personal collection a dozen different Norman Rockwell prints, all scout related, which were given to the first people to provide donations.Cubmaster Scott Long said the scouts were on the trail of the tribe of Webelos. As they waited for their chief, Akela, to come to the council grounds they could hear the bobcat, tiger, wolf and bear. A drum called everyone to the council ring. A final boom and the "council fire" was lit.Tomtoms began as Akela began his story. He told of his father, the Arrow of Light, that pointed to the Eagle. "Our tribe can only be strong when the boys of the tribe are strong," he said.Tigers Tyler Bechtold, Logan Connelly, Nathan Fink, Benjamin Imler, Elijah Imler, Josiah Kimmel, Owen Lundy, Justin Nansteel and Nathan Zhu were invited to the front of the room to be awarded their badges. With them came their parents, as in all age groups. The parents put the badges in the scout's pocket upside down. After doing a good deed they would be turned right-side-up and given to their mothers.During the year Tigers met alpacas, traveled to Lowe's, entered a rain gutter regatta and toured the TIMES NEWS. They plan a hike at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.The Wolf scouts played a rousing game of soccer, studied astronomy, and went to the library. They created a Pride Pelt, a frame, to hold their badges.Wolf scouts were Donovan Beers, Jacob Fenstermaker, Ignacio Gonzalez, Hunter Green, William Marks, Benjamin Slaw, Tristan Stano and Wyatt Werner.Bears William Drake, Derek Rea, Aaron Whitney, Alexander Whitney and Corlan Wood were developing the courage of a bear that would help them through scouting and life.The Bears wrote letters to veterans, built birdhouses, discussed family traditions with relatives, made the snowman centerpieces and built a tank for a cardboard box derby. They completed 12 challenging achievements and received belt loops for completing extra activities.Austin Ahner, Carson Allen, Michael Burnett, Logan Kresge, Joshua Long, John Lundy, Logan Pfaff and Tyler Roe were members of the tribe of Webelos I. They worked on 20 badges in five skill groups, including fitness and learning about Boy Scout ways.To make a catapult was one challenge that they met in an unorthodox way. They learned welding as they made their catapult out of metal.Webelos II scouts Nathan Borger, Mason George, Ezekiel Himmelwright, Kory Marlatt, Eric Nothstein, Ethan Rotella and Zachary Schoenberger received Cub Scouting's highest award - the Arrow of Light.Seven candles were lit representing the seven virtues of the Arrow of Light: wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope and love. The latter is the final ray of the setting sun on their Arrow of Light plaques.Badges worked on were showman including making puppets, artist, surveying, sign language, braille and communicator.From the distance a tomtom sounded as the boys prepared to cross the bridge to Boy Scouting.They were challenged to live by what they learned in Cub Scouting and to go upward and become Eagles. As they accepted the challenge they crossed the bridge where they were met by Boy Scouts of Troop 209.Scouts were readers and handed out bulletins for Scout Sunday at sponsor Jerusalem United Church of Christ. As a community service project they raked leaves in the church grove.Leaders were recognized and the scouts were told they had a lot of fun because of the leaders. Cinda Nothstein and Linda Marlatt are moving on and Angela Rotella is leaving but will be coming back. It was the first time all Webelos II leaders were women, but they credited the fathers with helping out. Rotella will be receiving the Patriot Award at the district recognition dinner.