The Bloggers
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There are some people in our society that think children should play games in which there are no clear winners. They think everyone should be a winner so that nobody's feelings get hurt. There are some people in Boy Scouting that share these same thoughts.
In honor of the fiftieth video posted to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast at the beginning of October, we decided to hold a drawing. One person who left a comment at the iTunes Music Store, or a comment at PTC Media under forums post MSPP #50, during October would win a dvd of Buttons videos.
I recently received an email from Greg Jameson asking me to review a new "widget" on his website that allows Scout leaders to create certificates for all kinds of functions, activities, and awards. I took a quick look at it, and to tell the truth.
On October 2, 2008, the fiftieth video was posted to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. As a part of the video, Buttons, the radical Scout, gave instructions on how to enter a contest for a dvd to be given away this month.
It is time to announce the Buttons '08 campaign! After all, isn't it time we put someone in the White House who is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent? Isn't it time for real change?
Here is a skit you do not see very often anymore. At least I have not seen it performed by a troop outside of Troop 68 for a number of years. This post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast features the Submarine Skit.
Twenty years ago I bought a game called Scouting Mania, which is a trivia game based on Boy Scouting and camping knowledge. We used the game as an interpatrol activity for many a troop meeting. Now the trivia book is somewhat out of date, but much of it could still be used.
The year 1980 will always be a special year for me. It was the year I began life on my own, and began life as an adult. I was nineteen when I graduated from vocational college in April. I moved into a apartment.
I do not subscribe to very many magazines. I receive Boy's Life and Scouting magazines, of course. I own a Macintosh computer so I receive Mac/Life and MacWorld magazines. I also get Entertainment Weekly just for the fun of it.
Ah, the closing campfire program at summer camp. The final bit of fun and laughs. The place were awards are presented from a week of adventure. The last gathering of the campers and troops. And, if your troop is doing a skit or song, it could be the last time at camp for the Scouts…
I received an invitation by email in August, 2007, to participate in a Scouting-related podcast called The Leader's Campfire . The subject of the podcast would be Webelos Transition, and would include five pack and troop leaders from around the country.
The weekend had arrived for the mini-camporee. The Boy Scout troops from Albany, Avon, and Sauk Centre had arrived at the site Friday night. The Scouts from Melrose arrived early Saturday morning due to the high school homecoming football game held Friday night.
Earlier this year, a few adult troop leaders from neighboring communities got together after a roundtable and began talking about having a mini-camporee. The goal was to get the local troops together for a weekend, line up a few activities, and let the Scouts get to know each other.
Twenty years ago the volunteers at Mel-TV, our local cable access television station, filmed a program in which five men who were Scout leaders were interviewed about their Scouting experiences. I recently took that old vhs tape and transferred it to a dvd.
The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 recently have a pretty busy weekend. It began on Saturday morning when the Scouts and parents met for the annual Scouting For Food Drive and the bi-monthly paper drive. Both began at 9:oo am.
I received an email a couple days ago about a blog post written by a mother who has recently enrolled her young boy in Cub Scouting. I checked it out and it brought a smile to my face as I read it.
It is hard to believe, but this video is the 50th posting to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast ! When I started doing this I never even considered making it this far, and I would not have if people would not watch the videos.
The first time the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 went spelunking at Eagle Cave in Wisconsin they had a great time. So it was not a surprise that we scheduled another trip to the cave a few years later. (Pictures of the trip can be seen on our troop website HERE .)
There is a lot of talk today in the media about "being green". Isn't it funny that Scouting has been teaching some of these principles for decades already? Like conservation and recycling. But just in case you need a few more things to keep in mind, here are a few more green statistics.
The second time that Melrose Troop 68 spent a weekend at Eagle Caves in southern Wisconsin, we had a crew of seventeen Boy Scouts and six adults. This time we "camped" at one of the higher levels toward the back of the cave, instead of near the entrance like we did four years earlier.
Here is some big news for the Scouts in and around the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The Northern Star Council has plans to open an "urban base camp" near Fort Snelling. Here is a portion of the article found in the Star Tribune: The regional Boy Scout council's plan to create an "urban base camp…
The first time the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 scheduled a trip to southern Wisconsin to spend a weekend at Eagle Caves we had one young Scout who was very excited about going spelunking. In fact, after a month about hearing him talk about nothing except spelunking we finally had to turn down his excitement…
I have collected dozens of videos over the years that were produced by the Boy Scouts of America. Some od them were commercials, some were training films, and some were inspirational films. A few were a bit corny, but that only added to the charm.
I forgot to post last Friday that "A Scoutmaster's Blog" has received 50,000 visits since I began using Blog Patrol to gather statistics about the blog. It took over a year and a half to reach the 25,000 mark, but only only six months to add another 25,000 to that.
They are back! Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, and his friends Randall and Bones return in another video with more terrible jokes, more one liners, and more "Yo, dude"s. A fourth puppet joins the group and gives a quick little take on the thoughts of a wise man.
Yes, I am still here. Unfortunately, I have been so busy over the last several days I have not had the time to post to this blog very often. Between filming video for a couple new "Buttons, the radical Boy Scout" videos, editing the videos, going to troop meetings and parent meetings, and recording The…
If you have been a Scouter for any length of time you probably enjoy looking through old Scouting magazines and books, or checking out old Scouting memorabilia. I know I do. In fact, I have a nice collection of old handbooks and fictional novels about Scouting.
One afternoon, many years ago at Many Point Scout Camp, the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 had some free time. Raymond, a Scout from Alaska who was a cousin of one of our troop members, was staying with us for the week.
When I was a Boy Scout I attended summer camp at Parker Scout Reservation in Central Minnesota. We ate our evening meals in a dining hall. Once the troops were seated, one of the staff members would get up in front of the troops and lead us in a song.
Two years ago I wrote a blog post that became one of the most read posts I have ever written. It was during the time when many packs and troops were conducting recruitment drives and school nights. The article listed some reasons on why a parent should get involved as a leader in Scouting.
In addition to reciting the Scout Oath, Scout Law, or the Outdoor code as an opening for their troop meetings, the patrol leader council of Troop 68 has looked toward other ways to start their meetings. One code that seemed to make its way into a meeting every month or two is a little thing…
The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 have been performing a little skit/song called Star Trekking since the mid-eighties. (See blog post from August 2, 2006 ) It has been quite popular with most campfire audiences. In 1990 (wow, eighteen years ago) the troop performed this skit on a local television station station.
The Patrol Leader Council has created the Troop 68 program for the September 2008 to August 2009 year. I think they did a pretty good job. It is not quite as ambitious as past years, but that is okay. Several of the Scouts wish to attend the 2010 National Jamboree so they scaled down the…
I belong to several internet groups and forums that deal with Scouting topics. Once in a while I someone posts something that is a true gem. Recently, CrewMomma posted a article on the Scouter.com forums that I thought was awesome, and I want to share it with you: A different way to view the BSA……
I have discovered two new Scouting blogs that I thought you might like to check out. One is written by a commissioner, the other is written by a pack committee chairman. Both blogs have just started up recently. The first blog is written by Shawn Cleary of Wisconsin.
Twenty years ago I joined the board of directors for our local television cable access channel, Mel-TV. Earlier that year, several other people and I were learning how to properly use a camcorder. We decided to produce an interview-style show for the station featuring local men who were involved with the Scouting program to develop…
The June outing for the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 was canceled due to a lack of transportation, so the Scouts came up with a Plan B. They would go on a one day bicycle ride on the Lake Wobegon Trail which happens to run through Melrose.
That's right! Today, August 17, Button the radical Boy Scout celebrates the two year anniversary of his first appearance in an online video that appeared on Youtube. It has been quite a ride since then. When I look back at those first videos it almost makes me cringe.
On January 9, 2006, I began what was to become a new hobby when I posted a Scouting video on YouTube. It was the BSA's " Scout Zone " video, which has been viewed 51,000 times since it was posted. The YouTube bug had bitten me, and I began to look for other videos to post online.
The post I wrote a week ago about how our troop plans its yearly program seems to have created a little buzz with some of you. I have received a few comments and emails asking about the form we use to rate our troop.
What time is it?" , is a question asked in a song during the hit television movie High School Musical 2 . But in today's addition to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast the Boy Scouts of Melrose ask the question, "Is it time yet?"
Here are some news releases about Scouting that have been recently found online. It is great to see Scouts making a positive impact on their community, and the financial support from some major corporations. Eagle Scout Paul Banwart from Shakopee, Minnesota, awarded American Legion Award: And now, this Shakopee teen is being honored nationally this…
The Yearly Planning Session (YPS) is an activity held by the Patrol Leader Council of Troop 68 the first weekend of each August. During this session the PLC, under the supervision of the scoutmaster, will plan the troop's program for the next twelve months.
I have written in earlier blogs about how I feel the Boy Scouts of America's national office should be doing more to promote the Scouting program to the American public. It the past, it seems as if they have relied more on the local units to promote the program then trying to do it nationally…
Well, here is the final comic that I am aware of that features Calvin and Hobbes as members of a Cub Scout Pack. I think by this time they realize that Cubbing is not for them and they decide to leave the Cub Pack, never to return.
Aquatic activites are a huge part of Boy Scouting, at least here in the land of 10,000 lakes. The aquatics beach at summer camp is probably the busiest area of the camp. You will find Boy Scouts swimming, sailing, rowing, canoeing, and snorkeling.
Four Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 attended a week of summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp near Pondsford, Minnesota, during the week of July 13-19, 2008. They worked on advancement during the morning hours, had various troop activities in the afternoon, and participated in open programs during the evening.
Well, here it is. The fourth comic of Calvin as a Cub Scout. The guys are getting hungry as the Scout outing continues, and Calvin learns things are not quite the same in the outdoors as they are at home. Enjoy.
Our first morning at Many Point Scout Camp on July 14 was a sunny, cool morning. A jacket was needed, but we knew that within a couple of hours we would be shedding them as the temperature rose. This morning, the troop was in charge of the flag raising at the dining hall before breakfast.
I am not sure if you saw the article or not, but Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzuca was recently interviewed for an article in the newspaper, USA Today. I thought it was a well done article, and I am glad to see that our Scout Executive is not afraid to speak to the media to…
