Don’t let the loud roar fool you, an Elizabethton Cub Scout Pack can back it up with their numbers.
The Elizabethton Cub Scout Pack #516 is among the largest in the region with having around 80 students, ranging from kindergarten to high school, recently and is looking at getting their new scouting year underway, scheduled to begin in September.
Greg Whitehead, a four-year member of Pack 516 and Cub Master for the past two years, is no stranger when preparing the area youth to become sociable and be active within the community.
“It is a great group to be part of,” Whitehead said. “We’re able to work with kids and teach them lessons and a fun atmosphere.”
Cub Scout Pack #516 had a laundry list of trips under their belts for last year’s scouting season, including trips to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg, the Smokey Mountain Air Show with Blue Angels, the Gray Fossil Site, an East Tennessee State University basketball game, placing flags at the Mountain Home National Cemetery, taking part in the Siege at Fort Watauga and collecting 3,020 food items.
Whitehead added the group’s most recent trip saw them travel to South Carolina to participating in a camping program aboard the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier that was used during World War II, in the Charleston Harbor.
“These young scouts know that freedom isn’t free,” Whitehead said. “It was the perfect opportunity for them to look back at history and remember those that served our country.”
The scouts became “shipmates” during the trip with other touring groups, touring the carrier, along with the USS Laffey destroyer vessel and the USS Clamagore submarine.
According to information provided by Whitehead, the scouts were given morning and evening meals, which were prepared from the kitchen inside the USS Yorktown, providing an all-immerse feeling of the trip.
Along with taking part in activities on the ship, scouts were able to raise the American flag one morning over Fort Sumter and tour the facility, take part in a flight simulation, test out their climbing skills on a rock wall and tour the Vietnam War exhibit in the area.
“Pack 516 would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone that played a part in helping the young men,” Whitehead said. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our military veterans, past and present, that allow us to enjoy the freedom we have today in the United States.
Cub Scouts recently introduced the “Lions Den” which allows kindergarten students to participate in the organization, the Cub Master said.
Whitehead encourages individuals with children looking to join the organization to get in touch by a variety of means. Contact Whitehead at 423-957-0928 or the Sequoyah Council at 423-952-6961. Individuals can visit scbsa.org and click the “Join Scouting” link to sign up. Meetings typically occur every Tuesday around 6:30 p.m.
“Pack 516 has excellent leaders,” Whitehead said. “They are trained and have had their background checks. Our Pack is large so we are always looking for great leaders to lead this next generation of great men from Carter County.”