Sussex County's busy Scouts

SUSSEX COUNTY — Scouts in Sussex County have been busy earning awards, racing in derbies and even developing a short movie. Below are some details on what these busy scouts have been up to in the past few weeks. See more pictures online at www.townshipjournal.com. Cub Scout Pack 93 Cub Scout Pack 93 recently held their Pinewood Derby at the Knights of Columbus in Netcong. Scouts from Stanhope, Hopatcong and Netcong raced cars they carved and decorated themselves. Families came out to cheer on their favorites and have a fun afternoon at the races. Pack 93 is made up of boys from first through fifth grades.Girl Scout Troop 837 Cadette Girl Scout Troop 837 of Green Township organized and participated in the 4th Annual Carnival for Green Apple Academy in Green Township. "We are 125 girls strong in Green Township alone and excited about celebrating the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts this year," said organizer Mary Beth Holzhauer. Boy Scout Troop 85 Boy Scout Troop 85 of Andover-Newton participated in the 2012 Sussex District Klondike Derby held on Jan. 27-28, at Camp Allamuchy in Stanhope. The Scouts were challenged to pull sleds to skill stations where they were awarded points for their performance in 10 different events. The troop is proud to announce that, of the 24 participating sleds, their troops' two sleds earned second and 13th place honors. Troop 85 is sponsored by American Legion Post 86 in Andover and meets every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Cub Scout Den 2 The boys of Andover Township Cub Scout Den 2 are just one month away from achieving their long-term goal of crossing over into Boy Scouts after four years of dedication, community service and learning through Pack 181 of Sussex County’s Patriot’s Path Council. Mirage Productions of Newton, an internationally acclaimed full service production company that provides recording and taping services, generously helped the scouts complete the Showman’s Badge, one of the last and most challenging requirements for a Cub Scout. “My boys had the opportunity to spend over four hours with the owner/director, Brian R. Ochyrm, and his staff of audio and editing professionals,” said Lynn Cleary, leader of Den 2. The scouts were tasked with developing a short movie from beginning to end. They came up with a theme, assigned acting roles, wrote a script and set the stage with props. After that, the Mirage crew assisted them with the taping of their movie. The Scouts were given the opportunity to operate state-of-the-art recording, audio and lighting equipment. When the taping was done, the scouts were invited into the editing room where their taped shots were pieced together with background music and special effects. “The experience the boys were given at Mirage Productions will no doubt stay with them a lifetime," said Cleary. The finished movie, which was a Western, ran three minutes and took four hours to make. "We are so thankful for Mirage’s commitment to our young scouts and the skills they taught the boys that can be used when they become Boy Scouts,” said Cleary.