New Cubmaster Hopes To Rejuvenate Neligh Cub Scouts

Neligh may officially be home to 39 Eagle Scouts, but there's another one in town who's already working hard to rejuvenate the local program.

This summer, Kraig Nelson - along with his wife Vanessa and their son Jaxson - moved from Fort Calhoun to Neligh as Nelson became the newest officer with the Neligh Police Department.

Coincidentally, Nelson happens to be an Eagle Scout and earned the honor in 1999 in his hometown of Fort Calhoun. Last year was Jaxson's first with Cub Scouts, and like his father, Jaxson fell in love with the organization.

That's why it was a no-brainer for the Nelsons to sign up Jaxson this fall with the Neligh Cub Scouts. After just one meeting, it was clear Neligh needed some new leadership in order to rejuvenate the local program, which has less than a dozen boys in it as of now.

Despite being new to the community, Nelson has stepped up to fill the void as the new Cubmaster and is determined to help local program return to its glory days and give young boys an opportunity to learn all of the great tools that helped him become the man he is today. 

​"It gets them outdoors. Anymore there is so much that keeps them indoors, but with the new Cub Scout program, everything is tailored to getting them outside," he said. "At our meeting last Monday, everything we did was outdoors. From making a bird house to going on a nature hike and spot animals and birds, we were outside, and that's what the Cub Scouts is about."

Nelson said there are different packs for each grade in school, beginning with first grade. Several adults have already stepped up to be leaders, so what the pack really needs right now are the Cub Scouts. 

"It's fun and something fairly inexpensive to get into," he said. "We're going to have a really fun year, and the boys are going to learn a lot. I hope more kids sign up and see what Cub Scouts is all about."

The next meeting is Monday at 7 p.m. at the Boy Scout Cabin at Fred Penn Park. Nelson said he encourages anyone with interest or questions to attend the meeting. The cost to become a Cub Scout is $12. Boys can be in Cub Scouts from first grade and beyond. 

Nelson said the Packs will decide at Monday's meeting how often they meet and what days, so he encourages people to share their ideas at the meeting. 

The Cub Scouts also started their annual fundraiser on Saturday, which is selling popcorn. If anyone is interested in purchasing popcorn from the scouts - or simply making a donation to the organization - they can contact the Troop 167 by messaging their Facebook page here.