Blue and Gold Banquet and Crossover Banquet for our scouts is one and the same.
Where? This was easy.
Our church fellowship hall was booked a year in advance.
Who? Me – Decorations and food!
What I didn’t know when I volunteered? Low popcorn sales means little money for banquet!
When did find out my limitations? One week before the big night!
How was I going to get this accomplished for 17 excited 10 year olds and close to 100 of their families? God’s grace, mason jars, and a wonderful older daughter.
Searched the Internet for ideas and got a few. Most of them were very involved, amazing crafts from Mama’s that are more talented than I and seriously more time than my week to pull it off. My sweet grown niece was doing the same banquet for her son NEXT year and told me what she was doing with Mason jars for the big night. She had already started getting them ready. Did I mention her’s is next year and mine was next week! But the Mason jar idea got me encouraged. I knew I was hanging on to all those old mason jars in the basement for a good reason.
Time to shop & brainstorm. The boys and I walked around Hobby Lobby looking for ideas. Many were to be had, but at what expense? Finally, we came upon a Scout-symbol looking stamp. Hummm… I could put that on all those mason jars. Blue and Gold ribbon on large rolls very cheap today. After a bit we happened up on a big stack of American flag bandanas – $1 a piece. All right, now we’re getting somewhere. Okay tea lights are cheap. Get word from my husband that two half rolls of blue table coverings are left over from last year. Okay so the tables will be blue. To Walmart! Got blue and gold balloons and helium. What to put in those jars? After a while, we’re down the candle isle. Where else could we go to ease our despair? But there on right in the middle of the isle what was hanging but bag after bag of butterscotch candy wrapped in beautiful gold wrapping – $1 a bag! YAY! Last to Party City to get the rest of the table covering and 100ft rolls of table cover is on half price sale. Thank you, God!
I spent two days stamping those jars with the scout symbol using my son’s finger paint, filling the jars with butterscotch, and tying on ribbon round the tops. My college daughter took the afternoon/eveing off to help me set it all up. It all came together beautifully. The boys had a blast and each got to take home an American Flag bandana, candy, and balloons. It was a good night for $95. That’s less than $1 per person.
Oh yea – food!! Full Moon BBQ had agreed to do the banquet weeks before. Upon hearing of our money crunch, they lowered their quote and agreed to do the banquet for what we always charg
ed in the past for admission – $10 a person.
Thanks to the good Lord, great family, good friends, parents in the scouts, and Full Moon, it was a wonderful night of food and
fellowship and crossing over! 
