Take a soft block of pinewood. Put some wheels on it that you grease with graphite and what do you have? The beginnings of a beloved work of art and engineering: a Pinewood Derby race car. For generations, young boys in Cub Scouts — with help from their dads, moms and other relatives — have made and raced these handmade cars during the quiet winter months. This year, 1,400 Burlington County boys are now participating in the Pinewood Derby at various pack meetings throughout the county.

A Minnesota boy is being called a hero after helping save his friend's life during a canoe trip. The 10-year-old was given a rare national award from the Boy Scouts on Saturday. Being a Cub Scout, he is younger than most who receive it. Antonio Vandal and his dad Rocky Vandal of Saint Paul embarked on their first ever canoe trip in 2010. The last thing Antonio expected to catch on that trip was national recognition for saving a friend's life.

The challenge: be active for an hour a day, five days a week, for six weeks. It was a challenge put forth by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and it was a challenge met by 13 children in local Cub Scout Pack 914. The scouts, all students at Jeffers Hill Elementary School in Columbia, were presented with the SCOUTStrong Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Thursday, Jan. 26, in front of a crowd of their fellow scouts, parents and friends at the school.

Mother Nature recently tried her best to dampen the Scouts’ spirits, cancelling the overnight program for the annual “Freeze-O-Ree,” but a great “Plan B” resulted in a day of fun and Scout skills for Troop 17 in the South Mountain Reservation. The day began with a surprise when the Scouts discovered that the entire day would be chronicled by “Boy’s Life,” the national magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. “Boy’s Life” has a national circulation of over 3-million subscribers. Troop 17 was selected from all troops in the United States for a story about winter camping fun and emergency training. The story will likely run in “Boy’s Life” next year. The troop demonstrated for the “Boy’s Life” photographers the annual Troop

On Saturday, the Allegany Museum will unveil an exhibit that pays homage to the history of local Boy Scout troops. This new exhibit, created by Andrew Sparber, will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in Cumberland and examine the mark these boys have made on the history of Cumberland. The exhibit will be open through Feb. 15.

It was a Wednesday morning like any other at the Williams house. Dad Gary and mom Sheila were up before dawn, working out to Tony Horton's punishing P90X DVD, a six-days-a-week ritual in their West Palm Beach home. Suddenly, five minutes into the warmup, Gary began losing consciousness, gasping for air, stumbling backward. Sheila caught her 55-year-old husband in her arms as he went into full cardiac arrest. She immediately called to her two oldest sons - Caleb, 15, and Ben, 13 - to start CPR.

It is the highest honor a Boy Scout can earn. It recognizes qualities such as citizenship, integrity, leadership and community involvement, and in 2012, the Eagle Scout program will turn 100. The first Eagle Scout badge was presented to 16-year-old Arthur Eldred of Oceanside, N.Y. in April 1912, after his completion of 21 merit badges. Today, more than 50,000 scouts (out of approximately 2 million) earn the Eagle Scout Award each year, reports the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA).

It happened so quickly — a May afternoon stroll turned dangerous by a sudden windstorm, and then Eric “Jordan” Evans’s grandmother was pummelled into the dirt by a falling tree. “That was the worst feeling I’ve felt ever in my life,” said Jordan. While he’s only 11, you could probably argue Monday night will rank among the best in his life.

Boy Scouting fosters a sense of good citizenship, fitness and personal achievement by developing new interests and skills. The self-confidence and sense of accomplishment boys get from fun skill-building activities are life skills they will take with them into adulthood. National Geographic Channel (NGC) Executive Vice President of Programming Michael Cascio today announced the greenlight of the new series Are You Tougher than a Boy Scout? (WT) from Thom Beers’ Original Productions.

Sunshine, mild temperatures and plenty of snow greeted Cub Scouts from Western Springs and the La Grange area on the prowl for winter fun and games Jan. 14 at the Bemis Woods Forest Preserve. The Voyager Trace District of the Des Plaines Valley Council of Boy Scouts hosted the popular Polar Prowl, which drew more than 50 scouts from the western suburbs.

Alex Huggins, 15, was honored Wednesday night in St. Louis with one of the highest awards presented by the Boy Scouts of America. It's all thanks to his quick thinking as a passenger in his mother's van on Interstate 55 near Cape Girardeau.

Fernando Espinoza always likes to read the Scouts in Action section first in his Boys' Life magazine. The section in the Boys Scouts of America magazine re-enacts stories of heroic acts by Boy Scouts in an illustration. So you can bet Espinoza got a kick to see that the main heroic story in the January issue was his.

Today, at the 2012 MLS SuperDraft in Kansas City, Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and MLS W.O.R.K.S., MLS’ community outreach initiative, announced a collaboration with the Boy Scouts of America, providing avenues for the league to support the BSA’s youth-focused program of athleticism, character, and leadership. Beginning with the 2012 MLS season, which starts on March 10, Scouts across the nation in MLS markets will receive special programming and connection opportunities at MLS games.

A Danville Boy Scout has been awarded the Congressional Silver medal. Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) presented Scott Talley with the award Wednesday; Talley worked in four core areas to receive the award: public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.

The Pack 55 Cub Scouts of Swampscott recently held their annual Pinewood Derby at First Church with checkered flag results. The Pinewood Derby is the classic cub scout event, going back to 1952, where scouts build and race miniature wooden model cars over a 40-foot track.

Six Webelos Scouts from Pack 2293 at Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church near Sharpsburg have earned Cub Scouting's highest award, The Arrow of Light.

BILLINGS - Eight-year-old Amilio Chavez is participating in Polar Bear Day with about 350 other Cub Scouts. "We have a lot of fun here, and it's really awesome, and I like it here a lot." The Scouts, ages seven to eleven, are competing in tug of war, relays, an obstacle course, and other activities. They're also learning outdoor survival skills. "My favorite part is the compass, so you won't get lost," Amilio said. "You always have to bring a compass, and then with a compass you will always know where to go."

NORTH SMITHFIELD - All Patrick Shea wanted for the holidays, besides the opportunity to see his family, was his Eagle Scout ceremony. He may not be home for Christmas, but thanks to his family, friends and Scoutmaster Steve Mendall of Troop 28 Primrose, his Eagle Scout Court of Honor became a reality during the few days he was home on leave. The journey to that moment was a long time coming, said his mother, Carol Godin.

Although Cub Scout leader Yvonne Burton consistently relates the organization’s motto “Be Prepared” to her young charges, she was anything but ready when summoned to help with the emergency delivery of a friend’s baby. The Munson Township woman’s heroic efforts recently were awarded with the prestigious Boy Scouts Medal of Merit.

After a fire broke out in a Farmington family's basement Tuesday and destroyed almost all its Christmas presents, among other things, Avon Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts mobilized within a day to help replace what they could. The Lazzari family, which used to live and Avon, has one son in Boy Scout Troop 274 and one of their younger sons is in Pine Grove Cub Scout Pack 122. Melissa Lazzari, her husband and four boys, ages 4 to 12, are checking into a hotel Friday as a result of the fire damage to their home.