The Worthington Times

For Father’s Day...

To a father from his son—Dear Dad,

You asked me the other day if we did things as father and son together. I started thinking about this and started making a list of not only what we did but also what you have done for me, period. The list is not in any order by the way.

I remember the riding mower we started in the house one Christmas - boy, did we get in trouble!

You taught me how to ride a horse and not fall off.

You taught me how to ice skate and bend but not break your ankles.

You taught me what fun family is, from the trips to _____ to the cookouts on the river, _____'s lake and Grandma and Granddad's farm house.

You bought Smokie for me when I did not even know what end of the horse to get on.

You let me keep any and all animals, birds, creatures, etc as a kid, most of which never survived - oops.

You taught me how to love racing and even built me "The Phantom", the fastest soap box racer on Freeman's Hill.

You taught me how to hunt (remember my first hunt, and I did not get any squirrels but got bull frogs instead.)

You let me make a club house in the barn.

You built a tree house for me.

You rescued me from cows when I was in the field with Lassie.

You rescued me when I scaled the silo.

You came and picked me up (you were playing cards with Uncle _____ and I slipped away) at the neighbors with Lassie.

You got me to the hospital when I fell off Billy Boy on my head with help from my cousins.

You have taught me that it is better to have a good sense of humor instead of being a sour puss.

You taught me that there is a way a gentleman acts - I am still working on this, however.

You got me started in Sunday School and Church.

You have taught me what a father should be and how to act and love his children.

You took me out to eat in restaurants before I went to college because I was so shy.

You made sure that I went to college and stayed in college so that I can be the professional that I am today - I could not have made it if it weren't for you.

You taught me to draft and enjoy creating.

You drew really neat race cars for me.

You told me great stories of when you were in the jungle fighting man-eating plants.

You made a Zorro sword for me (which ultimately got me in trouble with _____, resulting in a paddling on me.)

You taught me that one of the best baby songs is "You are my sunshine."

Your musical heritage and skills inspired me to foster a love for music.

You let me have a set of drums and play them at crazy times and never complained.

You taught me that having a matching sweater the same as my dad's was a cool thing.

You taught me how to fish and slide down a lake bank (Shakamak family vacation).

You kept me in lawn mowers and lawn tips.

You purchased cars for me and also had to keep fixing my cars so that I would have a car to drive in college.

You built a wall with hinging windows around my hot tub.

You cut off the legs of my too-tall bed.

You helped me get summer jobs at Otis Elevator.

You came up and helped me start my company and worked harder than any of the other guys - this was after foot surgery.

You came up and did my laundry when I lived on 10th Street.

You helped me move my company belongings into the _____ Building downtown - boy did I have a lot of junk.

You came to see me play baseball, basketball and track and always had something encouraging to say even if I did not do so good.

You traveled everywhere to see me and _____ in marching band.

You always are trying to give me the shirt off your back, literally.

You let me store my boat in your back yard and helped me clean it up.

You let me fill up your garage over these past years with college and assorted space-taking things - I promise I will get that junk out of there real soon.

You have taught me the value of our heritage - I will always cherish the family letters, the sword and officer gloves.

You taught me that if you are going to do something, make sure that you do it right or at least try like hell.

You taught me how to give back change if someone didn't do the right math.

You went to war for your country and showed me what sacrifice and what a hero is.

The list goes on and on and on....

When I think about the things that you have done for me as a father and friend, I do not know how I can ever match that with my own kids - you are a hard act to follow! It finally occurred to me that you have been my best friend over all of these years and I did not even know it. I know that we did not ever have that business together that I wish we would have, but I still think what if? You get better and think about what kind of business we should have, it's not too late.

Dad, you are not only the best friend that I could ever have but you are the best man I have ever met in my life. You have and continue to teach me so much - thank you. I love you, Dad.

Name withheld by request

Cub Scout Pack 409 of Worthington, Indiana, had their first Raingutter Regatta and combination campout on May 19, 2007 at Woodland Bible Camp, just outside of Linton, Indiana.

The Raingutter Regatta is a race of small wooden boats, made from official Boy Scouts of America kits, down “rain gutters” constructed of a 10-foot PVC pipe cut in half.

Eleven excited scouts showed up with boats in hand, along with several “Little Scout Buddies,” not exactly sure what was going to happen, only sure they were in for lots of fun. They only knew they were required to make boats from the official kits and that their boats would only be powered by their lungs.

Each boy lined up his boat on the official table at the end of the two parallel rain gutters and darted off to first prepare their foil pack lunches. “We wanted our boys to get a taste of real camping out, and cooking over a campfire is a big part of that,” explained Rhoda Davis, den leader and committee chair. “We thought we’d get the boys to come out for the big race, get exposed to the campgrounds and enjoy cooking outdoors, too.” Each boy gathered with their families and wrapped up meat, potatoes, vegetables and spices in a big pocket of foil and set them on preheated coals near the campfire. Kevin Benham provided custom designed iron trays full of hot coals and led the pack in cooking their foil packs. The boys rushed back to the racing area as their foil packs sizzled.

All scouts lined up alongside the rain gutters as Andy Davis, leader of the Tiger Cubs, held preliminary races and prepared the competition bracket. Finally, two boys were called to line up their boats in the rain gutters.

Shouts went up as the race began, two boys leaning over their boats blowing with all their might, soaking their shirttails and uprighting their tipping boats. Cheering voices filled the air until the boats hit the end of the gutters and a winner was determined for that round.

Using a double elimination process, each boy raced their boat at least three times including the preliminaries. The races brought out the best in the boys, some stepping up to coach the less experienced, and all practicing good sportsmanship.

The final winners were Buddy Davis in first place, Cade Eaton in second and Sosh McHenry in third. All of the participants received a whistle and flint fire starter on a lanyard.

“This is harder work than the Pinewood Derby,” said Scout Aden Benham, referring to the necessity to blow so much to get his boat down the gutter. Aden was the first place winner of the Pinewood Derby in 2006 and 2007. Both of Aden’s parents, Kevin and Jana Benham, help lead the Bear Cub Den this year.

A majority of the boys camped overnight with their families, but some just came out for the day. The scout leaders are trying to encourage families to camp with their young scouts, but they also feel if the boys can’t overnight, they can still join in on the fun during the day. Bill Dove, the scoutmaster, includes in the campouts a mixture of fun, work and learning the scout way. Dove explains that responsibility develops character and fun keeps them coming back.

Curt Wilhoite designed and created the “fancier” PVC version of rain gutters and placed the two half pipes in wooden bases for extra sturdiness to avoid having a big spill in the middle of a race. Wilhoite, along with Joe Hickman, led the Wolf Cub Den this year. Mike Miller, leader of the WeBeLos, also helped with the race and campout.

The Cub Scouts meet during the school year twice a month at WRV Worthington Elementary School and have an activity once a month during the summer. The Pack has had two Lock-Ins, four campouts, the Pinewood Derby and the Raingutter Regatta since September 2006.

Raingutter Regatta Story by Cub Scout parents

All Raingutter Regatta Photos provided by Cub Scout parents