Scout stuff going on

Girl Scout cookies have arrived, which means orders should be delivered and booth sales have begun. The cookies are still $3.50 per box for all flavors, but they are slightly smaller. According to the Girl Scouts office, with rising costs, the choice was either raise the price or shrink the size a little bit. So they shrunk the size, which is fine with me.

Cookie flavors this year are: Samoas (chocolate, caramel, coconut); Thin Mints (chocolate-covered mint wafer); Trefoils (traditional shortbread); D0-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich cookie -- certified safe peanut butter); Tagalongs (my personal favorite -- cookie wafer with a thin layer of peanut butter and covered with chocolate); Sugar Free Chocolate Chips (diabetic-friendly chocolate chip cookies); Dulce De Leches (cookies with caramel striping and chips); and Lemon Chalet Cremes (sandwich cookie with lemon filling).

Don't forget that the Girl Scouts offer the opportunity to donate boxes of cookies to military troops serving overseas. The cost is the same but instead of walking away with a box for yourself, the money is directed to the Gift of Caring program for the purchase of cookies for troops.

As for the guys, the Three Rivers District will hold its annual District Pinewood Derby competition right here in Palestine at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 28 at VFW Post 3907 at 3800 W. Oak St. If you've never had a boy enter this event, it's a blast! The boys are Cub Scouts, which means grades 1-5, and they use the BSA Pinewood Derby kits - basically, rectangular blocks of soft pine with axles and wheels. The boys (with varying amounts of help) design the cars, cut the wood to the desired shape, sand and paint it, add stickers and wheel assemblies. Some choose to add weight to improve the distance that the cars will roll when released at the top of the track (they're limited to how much weight and where, I think). The designs are really great that these kids come up with and it's a lot of fun watching how excited they get to see their cars in action. In addition, the district is also doing a Raingutter Regatta at the same time, same location, so the boys can double their fun. This is the second weekend of Dogwood Trails -- same Saturday as the Gatherin' Steam Bike Rides starting a little earlier in downtown Palestine, so if you're coming through the downtown area to get to the VFW, plan in a few extra minutes, or take Loop 256 to US 79 West by Jack in the Box and avoid downtown.