Blue and Gold Dinner Checklist1
Cub Scout Blue & Gold Dinner Checklist
This document is intended to provide guidelines for organizing and planning the annual Blue and Gold dinner for a Cub Scout pack. It attempts to list the efforts needed and a general timeline. This is based on experiences with a fairly large (around 100 scouts) pack; it might not be completely suitable for smaller groups, but hopefully it still providesa general picture of the effort required.
Find out the Theme
The theme for the Blue and Gold is determined at the national level and should be available from pack leadership. Everyone will ask what the theme is; try to learn as much as possible about it before they do.
Determine the Budget
When: As soon as possible – it might have to wait until after popcorn sales or other fund-raising activities have been completed.
Find and Reserve a Venue
When: As soon as possible after the previous Blue and Gold dinner ends.
Things to think about: It needs to be able to accommodate the entire pack plus any teachers, principals and family members – assume at least three times the number of scouts.Depending on the approach to food (see below), a kitchen or kitchen facilities (sink, oven, stovetop, coffee maker etc.) should be considered. Other factors to consider include tables, chairs, podium, sound system, screens, projectors, ice/freezer/refrigeration and any other thing you might require. It needs to be within the budget.
Pack 415 specific: Quinlan center’s Cupertino Room is ideal for this event. It can seat up to 300 people; they provide and set up tables, chairs, podium, wireless microphone, screen and projector along with other options (see Seating Chart below). The attached kitchen has an ice maker, coffee maker and large tubs suitable for icing drinks. There is a stage and a dance floor. It can be reserved at most six months in advance (at this time, as I understand it).
Food
When:Start planning/researching at least four months before the event.
Things to think about: There are different options depending on the size of the pack, the available budget, the theme and the venue. One of the least expensive approaches is pot luck, where everyone brings a different dish. For smaller packs, pot luck might be the best option; for larger packs we have found that having the event catered works well (although it costs more). Note that traditionally there is a cake contest (see below) which provides the dessert. Sometimes the theme will make this very simple; other times you just have to wing it. Another thing to keep in mind is dietary constraints: try to accommodate vegetarians and/or those who don’t eat pork, for example, depending on the makeup of the pack. For catering, the number of people attending is a significant issue, but you might not have a firm number until a few weeks (or days, even) before the event, so you’ll need to be able to estimate – consult previous Blue and Gold coordinators and pack leadership for guidance.
Pack 415 specific: The size of pack 415 usually makes catering the better option, since it is very difficult to ensure that there will be enough of any one dish for everybody, it can be difficult to keep everything at the appropriate temperature, cleanup is potentially more complex, and people need to bring serving utensils and mark everything with their name. On the other hand, it could be a really fun experience depending on the theme, and it can allow people to showcase and try diverse foods. Pack 415 also has a relatively high percentage of vegetarians – this will be less of an issue with a pot luck approach, presumably, but try to be sensitive to this when arranging catering.
Entertainment
When: Start planning/researching at least four tosix months before the event.
Things to think about: Budget, theme and venue will determine the options for entertainment. Budget should be self-explanatory; if the venue does not support a 40-foot-tall high wire act, significant pyrotechnics, live exotic animals, live non-exotic animals, monster truck rallies, dinosaurs, death-match-cage fights…well, you get the idea – those sorts of things should be precluded. Theme can be much more difficult – one option might be to poll the pack, or make a contest out of choosing the entertainment (note that this will potentially require a greater lead-time). The pack could be asked to vote on pre-provided theme-appropriate options, or they could be asked to submit suggestions which are subsequently reviewed and/or voted on. And at the very least, you can never go wrong with a magician (clowns, on the other hand, should probably be avoided).
Pack 415 specific: Nothing extra, other than if the venue is the Cupertino Room at Quinlan you’ve got a stage and a dance floor (depending on the number of attendees) to work with, so you might want to coordinate the sizes of said stage/dance floor with potential entertainment providers.
Invitations/Flyers
When:At least two months before the event. There are two components: a flyer or invitation for the scouts and their families, and invitations for the scouts’ teachers. These should be distributed no later than the December pack meeting – request a brief spot relatively early on the agenda and make an announcement – here’s a sample:
“The annual Blue and Gold dinner will take place on [date] at [place] and will be taking the place of our regular February pack meeting. The theme for the dinner is [theme, possible description, comments on how fun that sounds/options]. Please be sure to pick up a flyer and invitation before you leave tonight’s meeting – they’re/see [location/person], thank you.”
The flyer (intended for families) should specify the theme, location, date/time, cost (if any)* and a useful feature is a place where the scout’s name, number of attendees and den number may be included, and to whom the information may be delivered. In addition, if possible, the flyers should reflect the theme (I told you everyone would ask about it).
The teacher/principal invitations can be done on card-stock (check with the local Scout store for Cub-Scout-specific stock) and can be as generic as the following.:
Dear______,
You are cordially invited to attend the annual Blue and Gold dinner as a guest of Pack ####. The Blue and Gold dinner celebrates the founding of the Cub Scout program and will be held on February ##th, 20## from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Place For the Dinner, 1122 Place Rd, Anywhere USA.
RSVP by January 99th, 20##, thank you.
______
(The above is intended to be an example only; please feel free to customize and/or spice this up – in fact, I recommend a less stiff/more friendly note, but I’m not a marketing guy.)
Things to think about: Note that, at least in our pack, we do not charge teachers/principals for the dinner (the pack pays), but we also generally restrict it to the teachers/principals alone (vs. their families) – that might be due to the relatively large size of our pack; consult pack leadership (and the budget) for further guidance on this matter (for example, smaller packs might welcome teachers and their families).
Pack 415 specific: Nothing extra, other than keeping in mind that we have scouts from two different schools.
*If there is no additional cost to attendees then this may be excluded, obviously, but if there is a cost try to include something like “Checks made payable to Pack 9437241”.
Centerpieces
When: Start den leaders/coordinators thinking about it at least two months ahead (three or four would be better).
Things to think about: Tiger leaders may not have any ideas about what to do – possibly bring samples from previous years to a pack meeting for people to see. The theme is provided by the Blue and Gold theme. Plan to nag the den leaders around once a month starting in December.
Pack 415 specific: Nothing extra.
Decorations
When: At least three months before the event.
Things to think about: The venue should be considered (i. e. how much room is there, can you hang things from the ceiling or on the walls etc.) when planning the decorations. The Blue and Gold theme will help decide what sorts of things to use – it can include theme-appropriate tablecloths, posters, bunting and/or crepe paper – any kind of thing you can think of.
Pack 415 specific: The round tables provided by Quinlan are 60” in diameter – assume you’ll need at least 25 to 30 (disposable)tablecloths.
Cake Contest
When:Two-to-three months before the event.
Things to think about:Blue-and-Gold Theme, contest categories, rules, check-in, serving, judging. Try to distribute a flyer with information either at the January pack meeting or electronically. Usually any attending teachers do the judging. You’ll need an anonymous way to identify the cakes (for example, a number) that you can tie back to the scout, judging sheets (for example a table with the category and a space for cake number). You will also need serving utensils (knife/spatula etc.), plates, forks and napkins. You will need to decide where to place the cakes.
Pack 415 specific: Typically the cakes are located in the lobby just outside of the Cupertino Room – at least four eight-foot tables should be placed there.
Slide Show
When: three-to-six months before the event.
Things to think about: How are you collecting the pictures, what music to use, is there a projector available, is there a screen available.
Pack 415 specific:The Cupertino room has both projector and screen (you need to ensure you’ve got a cable long enough).
Drinks
When: Within a week of the event.
Things to think about: What kind of drinks will be provided, where to get them, how to keep them hot/cold, what kind of cups to provide, how many to provide.
Pack 415 specific: Once again, there is an ice machine and large tubs suitable for icing down sodas, water bottles and juice boxes (our standard drink options) available in the kitchen. There is also a coffee maker which is hooked into the main water supply – all you have to do is put in a filter, add coffee, turn the machine on and press the brew button (don’t forget sugar/sweetener, creamer, stirring sticks and cups). Based on our usual options, Smart and Final or Costco are good places to shop for drinks.
Agenda
When: About three weeks before.
Things to think about: The chosen entertainment might make it necessary to adjust this, depending on such factors as when they’re available and what type of entertainment it is. Work with pack leadership and feel free to plagiarize previous years’ efforts. Things to include will be cake contest judging/announcing/serving, Friends of Scouting, summer camp announcements, slide show, entertainment, flag ceremonies and miscellaneous pack business. Some packs include the bridging of Webelo 2 scouts to Boy Scouts at this event.
Pack 415 specific:We do not, typically, conduct a lot of pack business or the bridging ceremony at the Blue and Gold due to the size of the pack.
Seating/General setup
When: Two-to-three weeks before the event (after you have a firm idea of the number of attendees).
Things to think about: Does the venue provide tables and chairs? If so, how many people will fit at a table? If you choose to seat by dens or ranks, you will likely need extra tables (unless the number of people attending for each rank is a multiple of the number that will fit at a table). Plan to seat teachers with the dens which invited them. Do you need any other items such as projectors, screens, microphones, podiums, flags? Is there room for the entertainment to perform? Where will the food and drinks be placed?
Pack 415 specific: Quinlan has 37 round tables (60” diameter) which seat eight each (more if you’re all friendly, but plan for eight) and they have eight 8’ long rectangular tables. We usually have at least four of the rectangular tables set up in the lobby for the cake contest and the other four in front of the stage for the food. They provide a blank seating chart form which is mailed to the person reserving the room, but you can also pick them up in the office at Quinlan. One approach to arranging the seating is to total up the number of people attending from each den/rank (including teachers), divide by eight and that lets you know how many tables you’ll need for that rank. We usually start with the youngest (tiger) cubs at the front and work towards the back by rank (tigers, wolfs, bears, Webelo 1, Webelo 2). Besides tables, they also provide the wireless microphone, podium, screen and projector, which can be specified on the seating chart (I believe the screen and rear-projector are built in and don’t actually have to be specified, but don’t assume anything). They will set up all the tables and put chairs around them.
Appendix A – Simple Checklist
Venue
Reserved
Food & Drink
Food will be at the venue at the right time
Serving utensils
Plates, napkins, silverware, cups
General dietary requirements
Drinks acquired
Ice/coffee/coffee extras
Clean up
Entertainment
Timing
Space/resource needs
Invitations (done and distributed)
Decorations ready
Cake Contest
Contest rules communicated
Location/setup confirmed
Slide Show ready
Agenda finalized
Seating planned
Feb. 2009