For as far back as anyone can remember, the Milton-Marlboro Cub Scout Pack 73 has held an annual Pinewood Derby every spring. On March 31, the cafeteria at the Elementary School was crowded with parents, grandparents, siblings and friends to watch the Cub Scouts race their small homemade wooden cars along a designated track. Each heat had three pinewood cars shoot down a track with a digital timer calculating who crossed the finish line first.

This year Tara Noto is the new Scoutmaster of Cub Scout Pack 73. She often calls upon former Scoutmaster John Cantone for advice, saying, “he is like my right-hand man, he has really shown me the ropes and has been very, very helpful.” In addition, Noto said there are others who help with events, outings and fundraising for the Pack.

Noto said she stepped up to lead the pack, in part, because she has a son who is a Cub Scout. She said the Pinewood Derby is her favorite event of the year.

“The kids, the little ones especially, get really excited,” she said.

The youngest cub scouts, called Lions, are in kindergarten and Cub Scouts goes up to 5th grade, after which they move to Boy Scouts.

Noto said her forte is in organizing the Pack and started with a sleep out at the town park last September. That month the temperature was unusually warm but the one day they chose to camp out the temperature unexpectedly dropped into the 30s. She remains unfazed and will try again this year, but will plan it for a date in the middle of summer.

“We had 30 families signed up and we were going to sleep out on top at the park,” she said. “It was freezing cold with frost on the ground and only three tents ended up staying.”

Noto said the scouts recently took a tour of the Marlborough Police Department, they sang for the senior citizens at Christmas time and in November they brought canned goods to donate to the food pantry at St. Mary’s Church. They also wrote letters to military personnel serving overseas. Noto is hoping to have the Pack visit Howe Caverns, near Schenectady, in upstate, New York.

Noto said if anyone wishes to join Pack 73 they can contact her at (407) 399-2764 or through email at tcoupart@hotmail.com.

“We’re absolutely always looking for people to join. We do a rocket launch when we’re first recruiting; all the new recruits get these little rockets and shoot them off in the playground. The kids love it,” she said. “We’re trying to keep the kids interested doing fun things but teaching them to be a good citizen.”

After six years as Scoutmaster, John Cantone handed the torch off to Noto but still serves as the pack’s committee Chairman.

“It’s definitely been fun for me and you get to meet a lot of people in the community, It has been a good experience and I will continue to help,” he said.

Cantone’s son is now a Boy Scout and he has promised to also help at that level.

Individual Den Race Results:
Lions:
1st place: Eli Rowley
2nd: Ethan Macchiaroli
3rd: Zachary Scott

Tigers:
1st Place: Lee Piazza
2nd: Evan Stahli
3rd: Elliot Kotlyarevsky

Wolves/Bears:

1st Place: Jonas Mackey-Potts
2nd: Adrien Alvarez
3rd: Reilly Noto

Webelos 1:
1st Place: Gabe Appler

2nd: Ryan Stahli
3rd: Miles Giansante

Webelos 2:
1st Place: Finn Wakely
2nd: Dominick Dimuro

3rd: LIam Corbett

Grand FInals (Includes top 3 from each den):
1st Place: Gabe Appler
2nd Place: Ryan Stahli
3rd Place: Miles Giansante

Additional Awards for the race cars:
Most Creative: Blake Sullivan
Scouts Choice: Finn Wakley
Best Paint: Jonas Mackey-Potts
Scout Masters Choice: Ethan Sullivan