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Blue & Gold cost


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What's a common/reasonable fee to charge parents, scouts, and siblings to attend the Blue & Gold dinner? I think my Pack is on the expensive end, but before I mention what we're charging I want to get some unbiased opinions. 

Let me know what your Pack charges/charged and what you think is reasonable. 

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I’d never heard of charging to attend a B&G, to be honest. My experience has always been a giant potluck in a donated hall with donated placemats; dens do centerpieces and nut/mint cups; pack covers plates, cups, utensils, and napkins.

Making it a moneymaker would leave a bad taste in my mouth, frankly. If you need to charge, cover your costs and leave it at that.

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Charging people to attend B&G?!? :eek:

We have always had very lovely B&G events, but they have never been so expensive as to require additional costs from the family. For example, in our pack, the committee buys a dozen big lasagnas from Costco, and the leaders and a few willing parents each take one or two to cook and bring to the venue just before the dinner. A few bags of rolls and some easily thrown-together salads complete a filling, pleasant, affordable meal that boys this age enjoy as much as their parents do. Decorations are simple - blue and yellow tablecloths and eating ware, boy-made centerpieces, some pictures on the walls, etc. The entire cost to feed about 130 people last night was under $200, well within our modest budget without needing to charge families. If you can find any way to cut costs and make it easier for all of your families to attend, I recommend it with all my heart. The point of the Blue and Gold is to celebrate the history and purpose of Scouting, not just to put on a show. Make your presentations meaningful and your program relevant, and even the humblest meal can be better than a feast for the families who enjoy it.

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Our pack had a financial model where Scouts paid for events as they go.  So, one year we decided to have our B&G catered.  It ended up being about $5-10 per person.  We had no objections from families.  In fact, most of our families told us that they preferred paying a little bit to avoid having to pull together a potluck dinner.

I think you really just have to know your pack families.  $20-$40 to attend the B&G wasn't going to break any of our families, so we traded some convenience over saving money.  Worked well for us.  Had we been a pack with a different set of families, maybe we wouldn't have done that.

 

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""It Depends"".   Pot luck?  Catered by La Rive Gauche ?   It is up to the Pack, depending on their bank account, their desire for intimacy, simplicity, whether it's a "par-tay" to celebrate BSA's birthday or another Pack Meeting to hand out rank and awards.  AOL crossover?  Magician?  Clown in town?  Scales and Tales?  Charge a small fee, a large fee, sell a lot of popcorn, beefsticks  and campcards and the Pack pays for it? 

One year our ACM went shopping, found an Out Back whose manager was very Scout friendly and who evidently needed some "numbers"  for his district rating.  He catered our B&G FOR FREE !  Strip steaks,  potatoes, salad, rolls, butter and jam,  chocolate brownies....  we had to provide beverages...  mucho leftovers, little cleanup.  

"It Depends". 

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My stepson's pack in Michigan in was $25-35 a person. I believe the scout's fee was covered but I could be wrong. It was catered at a banquet hall. 

Our pack is having theirs today, it's a potluck, so people can adjust the cost to fit their budget. The pack covered the cost of renting a pavilion at a local park. 

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The pack that my family will soon depart has done it a variety of ways over the past 10 years we've been with them. Some years there was no cost as it was potluck style with everyone bringing dishes an desserts. Over time, it has moved to catered. First the Cubs and leaders were free. Then all adults and siblings. Now everyone pays. At first it was cost of the meal. But something caused the pack to lose money. As a result, it is now a "fundraiser" with tickets being sold to the community and pack. 

Turning it into a fundraiser left an especially bitter taste in some folks mouths, particularly the Webelos 2 families. Some families boycotted the meal,  and just showed up for the awards.

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So my pack charges $35 per adult, $20 per youth. It adds up quickly. For me, my wife, son, and daughter, it was $110. Not surprisingly, many families only went with the scout and one parent. It's a nice event at a catering hall, but it just seems excessive. And if the cost really is keeping some families away, it just shouldn't be like that. 

This might have to to go on my "we need to rethink this for next year" list. That list is growing quickly. 

 

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7 hours ago, FireStone said:

So my pack charges $35 per adult, $20 per youth. It adds up quickly. For me, my wife, son, and daughter, it was $110. Not surprisingly, many families only went with the scout and one parent. It's a nice event at a catering hall, but it just seems excessive. And if the cost really is keeping some families away, it just shouldn't be like that. 

This might have to to go on my "we need to rethink this for next year" list. That list is growing quickly. 

 

That's far too much. It's not a wedding.

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That does seem a bit heavy.  Not in a pack but our Troop has a Winter COH for families, friends, etc.  We get a meal provided (not exactly catered but you get the picture), cost is $12 per person.

$35 an adult does seem a might pricey

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