Council-wide Pinewood Derby
April 25 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, IL
World Wide Technology Raceway
April 25, 2026 9:00 AM to 1:00 pm
Council Pinewood Derby - Celebrating 73 years of pinewood car racing!
Join us on the morning of Saturday, April 25 at World Wide Technology Raceway for a council wide competition and other
fun. Sponsored by the generosity of WWT Raceway Gives.
For all Cub Scouts in the Scout Council. Don't miss this grand time!
The Pinewood Derby is one of the highlights of a Cub Scout's year and great memories for older Scouts. This event will bring Scouts from across the council to have some fun as they race their cars to see who has the fastest one.
This event is open to ALL Cub Scouts in the Council, regardless of a Scout's placement at their home Pack's or District race.
More information will be out soon, but please mark your calendars for Saturday, April 25!
Click HERE for more information to to register.
Taste of Venturing
Join in the fun at Taste of Venturing!
Whether you camp with your unit for the weekend or come out just for the day, its going to be an action packed weekend of fun.
The event is packed with activities including:
- Shooting sports - rifles, skeet shooting and more
- Leathercrafting
- Lake Activities
- Crate Stacking
- 3D Archery
This event is open to all Venturers, Sea Scouts, and Scouts BSA Scouts aged 14 or 13 and in 8th grade (great recruiting opportunity) and older!
DATE: March 27th – 29th, 2025
VSOA Celebration Event
2026 Celebration Event (Venturing + Sea Scouts)
Date: May 17, 2026
Register Here: https://scoutingevent.com/312-cele26
The annual event recognizing those who have achieved awards in Venturing and Sea Scouting. Venturing and Sea Scout Leadership Awards will also be awarded.
You are encouraged to bring family, friends, and prospective Venturers & Sea Scouts to this event. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase the excellence of our recipients, celebrate the events the VSOA led this past year, and then have fun meeting other Venturers and Sea Scouts.
Presentation Items:
If you have an award recipient that you haven't submitted yet, please get that information to awards@venturing.gslac.org by April 15th. That way we have time to add them to the script.
We will recognize the recipients this year of:
- Venturing Discovery and Pathfinder (Unit Provided)
- Sea Scout Ordinary and Apprentice (Unit Provided)
- Sea Scout Quartermaster (Let us know if you already have the award)
- Venturing Ranger, Quest, TRUST (Let us know if you already have the award)
- Venturing Summit (Let us know if you already have the award)
- Venturing Leadership Award (Council Provided)
- Sea Scout Leadership Award (Council Provided)
- VSOA Outstanding Service Award (Council Provided)
Swift's Big Kickoff
Description: Join in the fun as we kick off the summer at Swift. The day kicks off with improving our favorite summer camp. After some meaningful projects we’ll enjoy some of the fun of the Swift Base and have a party all on our own. Best yet, this is a free event!
When: Friday 05-30-2025 6:00 PM CT to
Sunday 06-01-2025 1:00 PM CT
Where: TBD
Registration: https://scoutingevent.com/312-swiftko25
Swift Base
Description: Home of the Venturing Summer Camp. Swift is full of adventure every week. Rock Climbing, High/Low Ropes Challenge Course, Equestrian Activities, Water Skiing, Mountain Biking, STEM Activities, Mountain Boarding, Tubing, and Repelling. Join other Venturers Sea Scouts, and older Scouts for a week of high adventure fun and exciting.
Venturing Week: June 14-20, 2026
Sea Scout Week: June 28-July 2, 2026
Registration: http://swift.stlbsa.org
Sea Scout Ball
Description: This annual event put on by the Sea Scout Squadron for the Council includes food, a dance, and often an evening on the water sailing. Don’t miss out on this unique event for all!
Date: September 12th, 2026
Registration: scoutingevent.com/312-ball26
Fall Fun Rally
Fall Fun Rally includes everything from climbing to cooking, sports to shooting for Venturers, Sea Scouts, Explorers, and Older Scouts (High School). It is a unique event where the main focus is fun!
Event Details: SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2026 at Beaumont Scout Reservation.
Learn More About Fall Fun Rally http://www.fallfunrally.org/
Scouting for Food
Nov. 14, 2026 (bag distribution) and Nov. 21, 2026 (food collection)
Scouting For Food is the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s one-of-a-kind day of service. Thousands of Scouts, parents, and leaders hit the streets on a Saturday in November to distribute blue bags to the homes in their area. Community members fill up those bags with non-perishable food items, and the Scouts return one week later to pick up those bags and distribute them to local food banks and pantries. On average, we collect almost 2 million food items each year.
Click Here to check out the 2026 drive details!
Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors:
77th Memorial Day Good Turn at Jefferson Barracks
May 24, 2026 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetary
77th Annual Jefferson Barracks Memorial Day Good Turn
Scouts of all ages are invited to participate in the 77th Annual Memorial Day Good Turn on Sunday May 24, 2026, hosted by Gravois Trail District. Registration will be from 10:30 am until 11:30 am at the VA Hospital Orange Lot with the procession into the cemetery beginning at 11:30 am. Upon check-in, the unit leader or designated adult will receive a map and participation ribbon. Patches will be available for $5.00.
Participants will attend the Flag Ceremony before proceeding to the flag boxes. No one will be allowed to begin placing flags until after the ceremony has been dismissed.
Register Here
About Memorial Day Good Turn
For more than seven decades, approximately 5,000 Scouts have gathered at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery before Memorial Day to decorate each of the approximately 280,000 graves with an American Flag. In its 77th year (2026), the tradition is one of the longest-running Memorial Day events within Scouting.
The public is welcome to attend the event. Scouts from across the Council will assemble at the VA Hospital Orange Lot and march into the Cemetery, where they proceed to the main flagpole for assembly and ceremony honoring our fallen soldiers. A flag presentation marks the opening of our ceremony, followed by a guest speaker who will address the crowd. The ceremony will close with the retrieving of the flags, Taps, and Amazing Grace by the Bagpipers. Everyone will be dismissed to begin placing the flags on each grave.
It takes approximately 2 hours to complete the Good Turn, and Scouts will have placed over 200,000 flags on each grave.
In 1866, Jefferson Barracks was established as a National Cemetery, and today is one of the oldest interment sites of the National Cemetery Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
Memorial Day Good Turns for Jewish War Veterans
May 24, 2026 at Various Cemeteries
Jewish Committee on Scouting Good Turn
Sponsored by the Jewish Committee on Scouting
The Jewish Committee on Scouting is also proud to assist Jewish War Veterans Post 644 by placing over 8,000 American flags on the graves of veterans at eight local Jewish cemeteries. For more information on this good turn please CLICK HERE.
Climbing, Rappelling, & Challenge Courses
The Greater St. Louis Area Council is proud to offer multiple different Challenge Course and Climbing opportunities for our Scouts! These include two high and low ropes courses, three climbing towers, and natural rock face climbing and rappelling. All ages (including Cub Scouts) are eligible to participate at our climbing towers at Beaumont, Camp Lewallen and Camp Warren Levis. Scouts BSA and Venturing members are welcome to climb, jump, and challenge themselves with our Challenge Courses and Climbing programs.
Learn More by clicking here.
Fishing
Valid state fishing permit is required for those between the ages of 16–65 wanting to fish on Greater St. Louis Area Council properties. You can purchase permits online at:
Missouri: https://mdc-web.s3licensing.com/
Illinois: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/LPR/Pages/FishingLicensesFees.aspx
Get on board and create your own adventure!
All the fishing resources you need in one place to learn, plan, and equip for a day on the water. https://www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/fishing-resources-events/everything-you-need-to-start-fishing/
Free Learn to Fish Course!
https://learn-to-fish.igfa.org/courses/intro-to-fishing
Select a state to find fishing and boating information:
Horses
Several opportunities exist to experience the adventure of horsemanship with
the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s herd of horses. Come out and enjoy a
weekend trail ride, year-round horse camps, horsemanship programs, or a
hayride! We have programs for all ages and skill levels.
Click HERE to learn more about our horsemanship programs.
Scouts BSA Winter Camp
Winter Camp Leader Meeting Webinar
Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00pm
Click To Join!
Winter Camp is a short-term camp experience for Scouts BSA members. Scouts will be able to work on advancement and merit badges similar to Summer Camp. Scouts also get to enjoy one of the GSLAC Camp Properties in the winter! Scouts may participate with their Troop or as a provisional attendee (individually with camp-provided adult leadership).
December 28-31, 2025
Rhodes France Scout Reservation
STL After Dark
Join us for a night of exploring St. Louis sites after dark and other rec-center fun activities!
Description: Part Lock-in, Part Behind the Scenes Tours! Join in the fun for a night (and early morning) of exciting fun as we tour sites then end at a lock-in site. This event has a bit of something for everyone!
Who: Venturers, Sea Scouts, and older Scouts BSA Scouts.
When: January 17th, 2025
Where: At St. Louis
Registration: scoutingevent.com/312-dark25
Click HERE to download the Venturing Calendar!