Another year of scouting started for Pack 3742.

After 13 years of scouting, Sue Roberts, Webelos II leader, will be retiring after her den crosses over into Boy Scouts in February at the Blue and Gold Banquet. The pack couldn't run if it wasn't for the great leaders they have: Webelos I leader Jennifer Heffler, Bear den leader Paula Smith, assistant Bear leader Tina Swanson, assistant Bear leader Michelle Olszewski, assistant Bear den leader Shelley Smith, Wolf den leader Kim McLennan, assistant Wolf leader Tricia Jackson and Tiger den leader Krista Cosme.

Round-Up this year drew a lot of interest, creating a line out the church door. The pack started out with 26 Scouts. The pack now has 11 new Tigers, 11 new Wolves, eight new Bears, four new Webelos I and four new Webelos II with a total of 64 Scouts in the pack.

The first project as a Pack was the river clean-up with 44 Scouts and their families showing up to take part cleaning Fox River Park. After cleaning, they enjoyed doughnuts, juice and water, then Brent Barron, chairman of the Ottawa Tree Board, asked if they wanted to help plant trees. Twenty-one boys helped plant trees with Mayor Bob Eschbach and members from the community.

The Scouts sold popcorn, raffle tickets, hot dogs, chips, soft drinks and water at the Scarecrow Festival. They took first place with their live scarecrow.

The boys are working on two fundraisers. They are selling popcorn and candy bars. This is the first time in more than 10 years the pack has sold popcorn. The pack handed out candy bars to the boys on Sunday and two hours after the meeting Wolf Sam Johns called for more candy bars.

September pack meeting theme was "What did you do at Day Camp?" They started out with flag ceremony, carrying the American flag was Dustin Redcliff and pack flag was Alex Bouley. Reading the prayer was Eli Roberts and new member Kekoa Gross stated the Cub Scout Promise. The boys drew raffle ticket winners. The candle and home basket (donated by Lara Haskins) winner was Chris Malaise. The winner of the cleaning car product basket (donated by JC Whitney) winner was Drew Anderson.

September birthdays were leaders Kim McLennan, Tina Swanson, Michelle Olszewski, Webelos II Scout Eli Roberts and Wolf Christian Close. The boys worked on making arrow head and bear claw necklaces, dinosaur picture frames, making veterans cards and getting dinosaur tattoos.

During all the spring rains, the pack lost its Pinewood Derby track due to flooding of the church basement. Pack 3742 would like to acknowledge donations from the following businesses: First National Bank, Ottawa Savings Bank, Handy Foods, American Legion, Senate Billiards, McDonalds, Farm & Fleet, U.S. Silica Company, Red's Truck Repair and lawyer Peter Ferracuti.

The pack had a frozen T-shirt contest and winners were Tigers den Ty Lewis and Peyton Sheldon, Wolf den Christian Close and Cody Cole, Bear den Lito Cosme, Matthew Peterson and Zachary Smith, Webelos I den Kyle Vernon and Webelos II den Dustin Redcliff. All new Scouts received a welcome certificate from the pack. Christian Cosme from the Tiger den received a pool patch.

Wolf den was busy over the summer and those who participated earned physical fitness, pool party, outdoor cooking, fishing and Jurassic pack patches as well as archery, weather, map and compass, baseball, ultimate, BB gun shooting, fishing and music belt loop. Boys earning those were Cody Cole, Steven Jackson, Christian Kelley, David McLennan and Jacob Wilson. Some of the new Wolf den Scouts earning physical fitness patches were Caleb Bolatto, Nickolas Burgwald, Christian Close, Tyler Close, Matt Hanson, Owen Heimsoth, Ethan O'Brien, Samuel Jackson, Nathan Pond and Quintrell Scott.

The Bear den has been busy working on Jurassic pack, outdoor cooking, pool party and fishing patch as well as map and compass, weather, music, ultimate, baseball, swimming, BB gun shooting and archery belt loops. Those Scouts who earned those were Noah Bouley, Lito Cosme, Trace Erickson, Kyle Haerle, Ben Heffler, Declan Kennedy, Koty Learned, Logan Olszewski, Vinnie Panepinto, Matthew Peterson, Jacob Smith, Zachary Smith, Kelby Swanson, Tommy Walker and Adric Willet-Leal.

Webelos II den was busy over the summer earning pool party, outdoor cooking, Jurassic pack patch as well as heritage, music, weather, geology, map and compass, baseball and ultimate belt loops and geologist, outdoorsman, readyman, showman, sportsman and device activity badges. Earning these were Alex Bouley, Ian Ellis, Kristopher Gerkitz, Aidan Kennedy, Dustin Redcliff and Elijah Roberts.

The pack hosted three events to win the Summertime Pack Award — June Fishing Tournament, July Day Camp and August Pool Party. Leaders who attended all three were Kim McLennan and Tina Swanson. The pack had five boys attend all three and they were Bear Login Olszewski, Bear Zachary Smith, Bear Kelby Swanson, Wolf David McLennan and Wolf Jacob Wilson. The pack thanked the American Legion for letting the pack use its hall for pack meetings because the group outgrew the church hall.