Pinewood Derby

Newton Lodge #59 hosted a really fun event yesterday! We hosted Cub Scout Pack #354 in our lodge room for their annual Pinewood Derby. There were 28 Cub Scout "racers" and I know we had probably close to 100 adults in attendance.

I was one of the judges, along with John Billingsley and John Pohlman. It was a blast. It brought back a lot of memories for me from my Cub Scout days.

We had the track set up in our lodge room. What a track, lots more sophisticated than those old wood ones. This one was a alumnium and even had a laser at the end of the track to show which car was the winner. The den leader told me the track cost them $1200.

The kids really had a good time. It was organized confusion most of the time, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. After we finished with the races, we fed them hots dogs, chips, and ice cream in the dining room. We even had Al Jensen up there dipping up the ice cream. We told Al that he couldn't be smokin' and dipping at the same time!

All of the parents were so complimentary and seemed to really appreciate us inviting them up. I think we really did ourselves proud.

The bottom line is this is what Masonic Lodges are meant for...invite the public in and have activities. What better sales tools do we have. The Masons have for too long rode on their reputation...we need to be out in our communities doing things. By our obligations, this is what we should be doing in the first place. Participating in community activities will help us also. Let people find out who the Masons are and what they do.