We are now well into December and the Holidays are right around the corner! To one section of the population that only means one thing! Time is running out before the Blue And Gold Banquet season is upon Cub Scout Troops everywhere!

For those not involved in Scouting, the Blue And Gold Banquet is the most important time in the year for Cub Scout Troops. The Blue and Gold banquet marks the graduation of the packs oldest scouts from Cub Scouting and into Boy Scouting. It takes place, depending on the traditions of each pack, somewhere between February and June each year. It is a giant rite of passage with food, ceremonies and celebrations. And, hopefully, with entertainment!

Now some packs will have the boys provide the entertainment themselves, in the form of skits, much as they are used to doing around campfires. But many packs prefer the upgrade of hosting a professional school show of some kind. Sometimes it will take the form of a magician or a ventriloquist doing a variation on their standard school show. Sometimes a troop offering Native American dance routines may be found. many options exist, depending upon your area.

We used a variety of options when I was the Cub Master of my son’s pack, but my favorites were, of course, the ones that mixed the entertainment with something educational. Never one to pass up a “teachable moment” as a parent or a Scouter, I loved the programs that delighted the boys with entertainment while also opening their minds to something they had not seen before.

Currently, Mobile Ed offers many programs that fill these requirements quite nicely. I have written before about how well science assemblies, such as Chemistry! It Really Matters, or The Magic of Science, perform on these occasions. There is nothing like a ball of fire or a controlled explosion to ignite a roar of approval from a room full of Cub Scouts! Live animal programs such as Animals and The Environment are also very suitable and very popular, appealing, as they do, to parents and boys alike. But one should also not underestimate the success of historical characters! There is a magic in having a character out of history walk into your life and begin to tell tales of the past. A visit from an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, or Ben Franklin, or Thomas Edison can all be very exciting and successful as entertainment for the evening. So to, a visit from Piankeshaw Trails, our Native American program which, of course, fits in beautifully with all the Indian lore and rituals found within Scouting. 

Now most of these programs are tours, and so are available at different times and in different areas. For example, in 2012 our Ben Franklin will be in midwestern states such as Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky from mid February through the end of March. Though his schedule during the day is already filled, Packs in those states will have access to old Ben for banquets evenings and weekends. Chicago area packs have a ready resource as we have a totally awesome resident performer in that area for the always popular Animals and the Environment. Abraham Lincoln is available in Texas this February, while also managing to be in Michigan, Ohio and parts of the east Coast. My how he does get around!

is always available around the midwestern states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky, while the Chemistry program is working in Ohio and Michigan in February, Kentucky and Indiana in March and out on the East Coast in April.

So if you are seeking school assembly ideas to serve as entertainment for your Blue and Gold banquet, check with us soon and see which programs will be available in your area to meet your needs. We promise you a really good time!

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN