ABCDE Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 I was wondering what your Dens or Packs do when they are walking in town parades? We usually walk in the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Memorial Day Parade. Last year, in the St. Patrick's Day parade, one of the parents brought a huge bag of candy for the Tigers to throw to the crowd. I have been told by one of the people from District that the candy is not a good idea to do again. In the Memorial Day Parade, it was a jumbled mess of kids and parents walking behind a banner. I personally would like to see the boys in an organized "march" or some kind of pattern walking the parade route. Maybe even singing some songs or soemthing. What ideas to you all have or what have your den/pack done in parades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 In these parts, we have an annual "Report to the State of Texas" parade in early February. Hundreds of units from all across the state come and participate. It's great! Most of the cub packs seem to ride on floats (flatbed trailers) decorated with some colorful theme. A lot of the Webelos ride their own go-carts (again, pulled behind a pickup). I'd estimate that only about 25-30% of the units march on foot. Some of the troops are in close order, dress right, but this discipline seems to be too much to expect of cubs. Some packs on foot have a theme but most are a lively mob. We've also been told not to thow candy. The crowd loves it but Council is probably afraid of lawsuits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutNut Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Good luck with getting Cub Scouts to do some kind of "pattern walking" or "organized marching"! They get tired out real quick with just walking & waving! Since Cub Scouts is all about family, we include the families in the march. So we also end up with the "lively mob" thing. We have the older boys or parents carry the banner & flags and we switch off periodicaly. Sometimes the families will bring decorated wagons so the boys & younger siblings can take turns riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo1 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Trying to get cub scouts to march? You'll have better luck herding cats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisabob Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Gotta agree - cubs and actual marching do not appear to mix. We do the Memorial Day parade. Even a short parade (as ours is) ends up tiring out the younger guys, especially if the weather isn't great. Maybe attempt to set up some very basic guidelines - no sitting down on the road, everybody stays behind the pack banner or flags, that sort of thing. But good luck going much beyond that! On the good side - even a "lively mob" of little kids are cute and the audience will be happy to see them. Not sure I understand the prohibition against tossing candy (we're talking small items, right?) but I've heard it here too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infoscouter Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Parade organizers in our area don't want us to throw candy. They are concerned about spectators running into the street to retreive misthrown pieces, or to have a better chance of catching a piece. In a situation like this, a child may not watch closely to avoid the vehicle pulling the next float, and be in danger of being struck by a pickup truck, SUV or horses hooves. Most of our small community parades do not have barriers to keep spectators out of the street. We are allowed to *hand* candy to spectators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtm25653 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 We have had some luck getting the boys to walk single file on the center yellow line. (You do need someone to direct them which line to use when there is a turn lane.) I agree that throwing candy is a bad idea - trying to get them to toss it underhand (instead of using their best pitching form) was not successful (and I don't like kids watching the parade darting into the street to pick up candy.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-in-KC Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 The Pack my son was in has ridden a float for Independence Day and walked/rode bikes for the same. 8-10 year olds can do 2 miles or so; I've seen it happen. Leaders should make sure they have plenty of water for hydration on the way, particularly in spring and summer parades. I caution any Pack who contemplates a float for a parade to read and heed the G2SS guidelines about youth on floats. Remember the thread we had here about the kid whose legs dangled... and who was then run over by his own trailer? That's not a good result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVCubDad Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 My Pack participated in our local Apple Harvest Parade (October) and the City Christmas Parade. We rode in the first one on a trailer pulled by a flatbed wrecker. It was only later that I read the G2SS and realized I was setting a bad example by sitting on the edge of the flatbed dangling my legs. Fortunately most of our boys were in the trailer and safely observing G2SS. The Christmas parade was a walker only because we did it at the last minute. But it was shorter than the Apple Harvest parade. We were a definite gaggle, but the boys enjoyed dodging the leftover foam from one of the fire trucks that was spraying it as they went along. Since they were walking the boys also had a chance to scarf up some of the leftover candy along the way. Next year we'll try to do a theme float. Quite honestly the old soldier in me wanted to form a couple three columns, swing the arms and march in step to a smartly called cadence. Fortunately I overcame that urge and enjoyed watching my son and his friends walk, wave, sing and smile. John Tiger Den Leader Pack 13 Shenandoah Area Council Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_toby Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 This past Christmas parade we tried something different... We had the cubs walk in two columns, with a rope down the center. Each scout had a hand on the rope. We didn't loose a single scout! Each scout carried a large cardboard square on his outward-facing arm (with a strap like a shield). They painted the cardboards to look like the sides of a viking ship (wood grain, round shields, etc.). The boys in front carried pieces that looked like a Viking ship bow, and the boys at the rear carried the stern piece of the Viking ship. A couple of Webelos in the middle carried a large sail. It was fun for the scouts, and the rope definitely kept them in line. It didn't really fit the Christmas theme, but c'est la vie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Bob Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 This is a great idea... I am not sure about the viking theme but you could do a bus, train or a number of diffent things. Thanks Mr. Bob A Cub Scouting Adventure - http://acsadventure.com Scout Roundtable Podcast - http://scoutroundtable.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubmaster Mike Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Just make sure you are in front of the elephants and horses. [couldn't resist] CMM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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