ABOVE: Members of Fairmont Cub Scout Pack #57 during a prior STEM activity night.

FAIRMONT– This week marks the 122nd anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Scouts commemorating the anniversary kicked off the week by observing Scout Sunday and held a klondike derby. The Scouts also have additional events planned in the coming months.

Locally, Fairmont has Cub Scout pack #57, which is made up of boys and girls grades K-5 and Boy Scout Troop #56, which is made up of youth ages 12 to 18.

On Scout Sunday scouts were encouraged to wear their uniforms to their places of worship and participated in a klondike derby at Norseland Scout Camp near St. Peter.

“The way I describe it to people is think of an Iditarod race but instead of dogs that pull the sled you have scouts that pull the sled and they do various challenges along the way,” said Erik Karre, the District Director of the Twin Valley Council BSA, the organization which facilitates scouting in the region.

During stops on the klondike derby scouts learned different outdoor skills such as first aid or how to rescue someone from ice and participated in activities like black power shooting and a sled race.

“It’s a staple of scouting,” said Karre.

This coming Saturday the Twin Valley Council will hold an ice fishing event in Albert Lea which will be an opportunity for newcomers to learn and experiment with a new kind of recreation and allow returners to fish in a social setting.

On Feb. 23 the council will hold a pinewood derby race for adults in Mankato as a fundraiser for the scouts. The event is another traditional scouting event wherein participants design and construct a small wooden car which competes in a downhill race. The top three finishers for speed and best design will receive trophies and the winners of each category will receive $250.

On Feb. 24 scouts will attend a Mankato State University men’s hockey game where they’ll get to be featured on the video board. The ice fishing event, the adult pinewood derby race and the hockey game are all new activities for the council, which may return in 2024.

The next day, Feb. 25, the council will hold its Great Penguin Race at Norseland. The event will feature a range of wintertime activities such as sledding and curling.

“We have a pretty steep hill at camp and they’ll be able to sled down that. That’s always a favorite … the kids really enjoy doing that,” said Karre.

March will feature another fundraiser run by the scouts, this time benefiting local food banks and relief agencies. The event is the council’s biggest community service project of the year. During the event scouts will go door to door collecting donations of food or money. Scouts will distribute notices announcing the fundraiser to area homes on March 11 and return to pick up donations on March 18.

“I’m 42 years old and I did it when I was 7 years old. As a scout it’s definitely a staple project and it’s the Boy Scouts of America’s biggest national service project,” said Karre.

March will also feature the council’s 4 Under 40 event on March 14. The event recognizes community leaders under age 40 and raises money for the scouts. It will feature Lydia Drees, a Sherburn scout working towards becoming an Eagle Scout and Jeremy Gaul, a former council president, as guest speakers.

Karre believes scouting provides kids with opportunities to participate in fun activities that also serve a higher purpose which help them become more capable adults.

“I think there’s a lot of life lessons kids learn through the program. I truly think for kids to be well-rounded young people they need a program like scouting. There’s a lot of character education programs and that’s what we are … kids need a character education program in their life,” said Karre.

Non-scouts are eligible to participate in some scouting events. More information about the scouts and these programs can be found on the Twin Valley Council BSA’s website.