RSSMix.com Mix ID 97478

Tech Tips: Gear Happy Feet

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:07:31 -0400

Illustration by Jamie Givens It’s this simple: sore feet and neglected shoes lead to poor performance. Climbing your best means paying attention to footwork before the rubber touches rock. Revive your footwork in three steps: get the right rock shoes, treat those shoes like your firstborn, and give your feet some TLC along the way. [...]

Think Outside the Cache

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:51:26 -0400

If you have done any amount of geo caching at all, you are familiar with finding cache in film canisters, prescription bottles, snap top or screw lid containers, and disguised with tan, black or camo duct tape. They’re in the hole at the base of the tree, dangling off the limb, stuffed behind the post, [...]

Red Skeltons Pledge of Allegiance

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:30:13 -0400

Geocachers Save Two Women Stranded in Desert

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:09:32 -0400

WAY TO GO GUYS!!! The obvious thing I couldn’t help but notice was that he had two sets of water and two first aid kits. Geocachers Save Two Women Stranded in Desert Imagery 2010 TerraMetrics, Map data 2010 Europa Technologies, Google – Terms of Use Geocachers Roy Joseph (Rojo464) and Paul Fox (Pauleefox) drove through [...]

Its Been a While and a Lot Has Happened

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:44:29 -0400

Wow, where to begin. Let’s start with Eagles. In the past 6 months (off the top of my head) Cameron, Corey, Tim, Sean, Dillon, Kyle, and Hunter have reached the honorable rank of Eagle Scout. We’re very proud of each and every one of them and their unique methods of reaching Eagle. As the older [...]

Its Mothers Day

Sun, 09 May 2010 13:12:41 -0400

Be sure to take a moment to thank your mother today for all she has done for you. She’s helped to mold you into the man you are. If she was a scout leader…. Why are you here reading this? You should be waxing her car, dusting her shelves, and shopping for her groceries. You [...]

Get 0ut and Do Something

Sat, 01 May 2010 11:08:48 -0400

You’re only over-equipped if you never do anything

100 Years of Scouting

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:56:09 -0400

How is your scouting unit celebrating the centennial? Are you including the scouts in the celebration? I think it’d be incredible to keep a board of 100 good deeds.

Too Cool!

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:35:18 -0500

Boy Scouts of America It’s golden! Congratulations to the U.S. bobsled team, piloted by Eagle Scout Steve Holcomb, on Olympic gold. http://bit.ly/cGXhCD

Changing "A Scoutmaster's Blog"

Changes are a'coming, but they are nothing too serious.

Due to Blogger making some changes soon, and not supporting ftp sites once they are made, I am changing this blog from being Blogger based to Wordpress based. Unfortunately, this means the url for this blog will change slightly, so you will need to change your bookmarks to the new address.
Old address - http://www.melrosetroop68.org/blog.html
New address - http://www.melrosetroop68.org/blog
It is not much of a change, but if you want to stay current with this blog you will need to change your link.

Now I just have to figure out how to redirect the old link to the new link.

Buttons vs Barney?

Wow. I just saw the scathing review of Around The Scouting Campfire that was left on iTunes. Plus, the reviewer left a one star (out of five) rating. It seems he does not like Buttons and finds him distracting. He also does not think the show contains much useful information.

I know the show does not contain much "hardcore" Boy Scouting information. It was never meant to be that type of show. Jerry and the others do a great job of creating those types of Scouting podcasts. I always thought of ATSC as more of an entertaining podcast with a Scouting theme. I began it because some people wanted an audio version of some of the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast videos, and more of Buttons.

I realize that ATSC is a small time homegrown podcast and will never be very popular. In fact, only two of the shows ever reached 1000 hits within the first month. (#4 and #5) I never expect to be on par with Chris' An Hour A Week podcast. I do not plan to produce a weekly podcast like he does.

My podcasts do not generate much feedback so I guess this hit closer to home than it probably should. But Is there too much of Buttons in the podcast? Should I concentrate more on the serious Scouting subjects? Is it time to retire the podcast? I guess I am now looking for some ideas as to the direction I should go.

BSA & Dale Coyne Racing Team Up

I do not know about you, but I thought this was cool. Soon after the Boy Scouts of America was in the national spotlight with their awesome float in the Rose Bowl parade, I hear of a special partnership with an Indy racing team. The following is a portion of the press release:

IRVING, Texas (January 11, 2010) The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) today announced that the two legendary organizations are teaming up to promote family fun and education through a new BSA IndyCar. Scouts can experience the BSAs No. 19 IndyCar throughout the 17 race IndyCar Series 2010 schedule of events including the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500.

The No. 19 car will help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the BSA the nations largest youth service organization. The BSA and DCR plan to utilize the high-tech nature of Indy cars as a platform to promote science, technology and math to those involved in Scouting.

Racing is a modern day way to connect with youth and to further Scoutings dedication to expanding tomorrows leaders through education, math, science and engineering, stated Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca. We are grateful to Dale and Gail Coyne and their entire racing team for making this incredible opportunity possible.

For the full press release check out the Dale Coyne Racing website at: http://www.dalecoyneracing.com/release011110.html

Boy Scout YouTube Day - February 8th

Unless you have been hiding in a cave somewhere you have probably heard that the Boy Scouts of America are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. The United States of America Congress granted a charter to create the B.S.A. on February 8, 1910. Since that day there have been over 100 million boys who have joined the organization.

The B.S.A. has been planning some fantastic events to celebrate the anniversary. There has been a colorful float in the Rose Bowl Parade, a partnership with Dale Coyne Racing, the historical merit badge program, and the upcoming 2010 National Jamboree, just to name a few. Councils, districts, packs, troops and crews are also planning special events.

I have an idea. Let's try to bring this to the public eye in another arena. Online. On YouTube. Let's pick a couple videos that have a Scouting theme and then, on February 8th, we have our Scouts, families, and friends watch those videos. Let's see if we can't get enough hits that day to bring those videos to the YouTube front page. Could we make one or two videos go "viral"?

If this is to work we need to get the word out to as many people as possible. We will need the involvement of packs, troops, and crews. We will need the councils and districts to spread the word. We need blogs to blog about it and people on Twitter to tweet about it. We will need hundreds of thousands of people to watch these videos on February 8th if we are going to make an impact.

I would like to make a few suggestions for the videos we could watch: one B.S.A. promotion video, one video showing Boy Scouts performing a skit, and one showing Scouts having fun on an activity. If you have a suggestion please leave a comment below.

The B.S.A. Promotion video - This one was suggested to me when I asked for suggestions on Twitter. It is titled "Feel Proud" and features Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts doing community service projects to a catchy musical tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9csn7asa8Nc

Boy Scout Skit - I am choosing a skit which is one of my favorites, The Furniture Store. This video was performed by the Boy Scouts in my troop during one of their community shows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbWYdwSPOJo

Scouting Activity Video - I thought this was a cute video of Cub Scouts doing their version of the Cub Scout Promise, rap style. And it is only a minute long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIob4dY2XLY

So there you go. Get out and spread the word! And watch video on Monday, February 8th.

Around The Scouting Campfire #10

Yes, it has been awhile since Buttons and Steve have posted an episode to the Around The Scouting Campfire podcast. But your wait is over. Show #10 is ready to download and enjoy.

During this show Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, talks to Scoutmaster Steve about his next merit badge. Steve discusses saving our old videos of troop activities and courts of honor. We hear the Buckskin staff of Many Point Scout Camp sing a Scout Law song. Buttons brings in his friend Randall for some jokes. The show wraps up with A Scouter's Thanksgiving Prayer.

Steve and Buttons thank PTC Media ( http://www.ptcmedia.net ) for allowing this program to be a part of their family of Scouting related podcasts. We would also like to thank the Boy Scout Store ( http://boyscoutstore.com ) for sponsoring this show. be sure to check out their website.

And finally, we would like to thank you, the listeners, for downloading Around The Scouting Campfire and sending us your emails. You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. Please rate the show and/or leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.

Download episode by clicking HERE.

RSS Feed - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast

This podcast is found on iTunes at
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=307979159
and is a member of the family of Scouting themed podcasts at PTC Media found at
http://www.ptcmedia.net/

Show notes:
Blog post on "Saving The Video Memories" at A Scoutmaster's Blog .

The video of the Many Point Scout Camp staff can be found at Melrose Scouting Productions podcast #24. http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions

The video of the Buttons and Randall Show #2 can be found at Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast #49.

The Scouter's Thanksgiving Prayer - http://usscouts.org/reverent/prayers.asp

Commemorative Rifles by Henry

Mike, a former member of Troop 68, recently posted a quick note of our troop's forum about something I thought was awesome, but mothers may not appreciate. Boy Scouts like guns. Every summer camp has rifle and shotgun ranges. Many Boy Scouts hunt for game when they are old enough. It seems one company has decided to do something a little special for those Scouts during the 100th anniversary celebration. Henry Rifles has created a couple of special commemorative rifle to celebrate not only the Boy Scouts of America, but also Eagle Scouts.

The first rifle (quoted from the website)- The Boy Scouts of America celebrate their 100th Anniversary in 2010. To commemorate this occasion, Henry Repeating Arms announces the release of its Henry Golden Boy Boy Scouts of America Centennial Edition licensed rifle. To mark this milestone, this special rifle features the Scouts Oath, Scouts Law, scrollwork and traditional Boy Scouts of America logo embellishing the receiver, as well as a 100 Years of Scouting logo and Centennial Edition gold filled etchings in the buttstock and forearm.
http://www.henry-guns.com/press_bsa100.cfm

The second rifle (again from the website) - The gleaming nickel-plated receiver is adorned with spectacular engraving hand cut by Henry engraver Rob Bunting. The right side is highlighted by the image of a majestic bald eagle accented by distinctive American scrollwork and a banner proclaiming the proud sentiment of all Eagle Scouts: Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle. The left side bears the image of the famous Eagle Scout medal and banners reading Eagle Scout and Boy Scouts of America. The engraved images on both sides and the winged leaf border are selectively plated with brilliant 24-karat gold.
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h004es_eaglescout.cfm

Check the links for pictures of these guns. They are gorgeous. I wish I had a couple of thousand dollars laying around to buy them, but unfortunately, I am saving to replace my car this summer. Besides, I don't think I could ever bring myself to actually fire one. Have any of you purchased one of these rifles?

MSPP #79: Ben Lindbom, The Snowmobiling Eagle Scout

Let's face it. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout is a very big deal. Only 4% or so of all boys in Boy Scouting earn the highest rank offered in the program. So what do you do for an encore? Well, if you are from Minnesota, and your name is Ben Lindbom, you get on your snowmobile and set your sights on winning races.

Ben Lindbom has been racing snowmobiles since he was 13 years old. He took second place in his first race, and has been going strong ever since. Been is currently competing in the International Series Of Champions Tour which will take him to several locations in the upper midwest. He is currently positioned top ten in the standings. Not bad for a young man from Staples.

A few months ago I was contacted by Ben's family and asked if I would feature Ben in one of my blog articles. His father, David, sent me some information about Ben, including a video they had made in which Ben talks about racing and Scouting. After viewing the video I thought it would make for an excellent post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. The Lindbom's liked the idea and gave me permission to use it. Ben does an excellent job of talking about Scouting and his love of racing, so there is really not much for me to write. Watch the video!

Check out this month's Boy's Life magazine. Ben is featured in the January issue. You can also read more about Ben on his website at http://www.benlindbom.com/ .

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at the RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other great Scouting podcasts at PTC Media, including The Leader's Campfire and Around The Scouting Campfire.

Boy Scouts Of Harlem

Earlier this year I heard about a new documentary about a Boy Scout troop from Harlem. The film followed four Boy Scouts from Troop 759 as they went to summer camp. The film centers on Keith, the newest Scout as he attends his first long week of camp out in the woods.

I looked forward to seeing this film coming out in theaters, but soon discovered that it was only being shown in special screening around the country. There were rumors that the film would be shown on PBS stations in 2010 so I though I may have to wait until then to see it, or buy the dvd which became available this fall.

I thought is was great that two films about Boy Scouting had been released on dvd this year. The first, Scout Camp: The Movie, had come out on dvd in June. This new film, 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem, came out later this summer. (I guess if you want to include Russell from UP, the new Pixar movie, you could say there were three movies about Scouting released in 2009.)

In September, Cubmaster Chris (of the An Hour A Week and The Leaders Campfire podcasts) and I received an email from our friend Scott at the InsaneScouter website. He wanted to know if we would like to interview one of the directors of 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem, Justin Szlasa, for an episode of The Leaders Campfire. Chris and I had interviewed Garret Batty, the director and writer of Scout Camp: The Movie earlier this summer, and the show had been quite popular. We thought it would be a great idea to interview Mr. Szlasa.

After several weeks of emailing back and forth we were about to set a date to record a show. Mr. Szlasa was a great person to interview. He and his brothers are Eagle Scouts so he knew a lot about the Scouting program. We talked about the special challenges of filming a documentary, the Boy Scouts of Troop 759, and the camp featured in the film. He even had a couple stories to share with us. Chris and I had fun interviewing him, and I think that comes through on the podcast.

The podcast episode ended up being #73 of the Leaders Campfire podcast. It can be found at PTC Media (click here). The podcast can be subscribed through PTC Media or through the iTunes music store (link here). The dvd of 759: Boy Scouts Of Harlem can be ordered through the website at http://www.harlemscouts.com/store.html . I suggest you get a copy. It is an enjoyable film.

"Born To Be A Scout" Music Video

Our buddies at Three Coin Productions have posted a new video to their Youtube account. The new post is the music video to the theme song of Scout Camp: The Movie, "Born To Be A Scout", and features many scenes from the movie. The video can be seen below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIE9cF4j0s

If you have not seen the movie yet I would encourage you to get a copy and watch it with your family and troop.

PTC Media Christmas Show

Merry Christmas everyone! The hosts of the fine Scouting podcasts at PTC Media have put together a great Christmas show for you. Steve, Buttons, Chris, Jerry, Shawn, Shannon, Emily, Liberty, and Kris wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Download episode by clicking HERE.

MSPP #81: The Legend Of Boots Hanson

Boots Hanson was the first caretaker of Many Point Scout Camp. In fact, he and the other council leaders created a new style summer camp in which Boy Scouts would camp together with members of their own troop. His hard work and great love of the outdoors and Scouting brought this new idea to reality. According to the Many Point Alumni website (http://mpalumni.nsbsa.org/lanternslight/SU1991.pdf):

As the Chief Ranger, Boots came to have a unique and uncommon understanding of the function and purpose of a Scout Camp. This he fathomed better than most and even better than many Professional Scouters. He recognized that the purpose of a Scout Camp was much more than badges and awards, swim meets and canoe trips, campfires and ceremonies. He understood, in his quiet way, that the primary purpose of a Boy Scout Camp was to offer the troop and its leaders an experience in the daily chores, cares and joys of shared Troop Community living which would prepare them for an even richer Scouting experience in the Troop Room back home. From this Scouts would glean the skills and values needed for contributing citizens as adults. Every nail pounded, every campsite cleared, every trail and road built was done with this in mind.

Every week at Many Point Scout Camp, during the opening campfire, the camp director tells the story of Boots Hanson and the meaning of the red lantern, an icon at camp. In this 2007 video Kevin, the director of the Buckskin Camp, tells the story to the new campers in the dining hall. (It was raining that evening.)

Click here to DOWNLOAD this podcast.Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at the RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other great Scouting podcasts at PTC Media, including The Leader's Campfire and Around The Scouting Campfire.

Coleman Gift Card Giveaway!

If you are a camper like I am you have some Coleman equipment that you use regularly. If your Boy Scout troop is like mine, they also have some Coleman equipment in their trailer or shed. Coleman has been making camping gear used by Scouts for decades, and I do not see that changing anytime soon.

If you have a Twitter account you may have noticed that Coleman has been holding a $25.00 gift-card-a-day giveaway this month. I was recently contacted by a Coleman representative and asked if I would like to offer the readers of A Scoutmaster's Blog a chance to win one gift card. It did not take long for me to to take them up on their offer.

To participate in this giveaway you will need to do two things:

1) You must have a Twitter account and follow @colemancampfire on Twitter.

2) You must leave a comment to this blog post that includes what you would get with the gift card if you won. Check out http://www.coleman.com/coleman/home.asp for ideas. Be sure to include your Twitter name in the post so that it can be verified that you follow @colemancampfire.

Your post must be left on this blog by January 8th. Limit one entry per person. A random drawing for one $25.00 Coleman gift card will be held on January 9th.

Good luck. And thanks for reading A Scoutmaster's Blog.

Planning The Displays

February 8, 2010, marks the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. This year is also the 30th anniversary of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68, of which I am the scoutmaster. We usually set up displays around town during Scout week so I have some serious work to do in the next couple of days.

Four local businesses have given us permission to place exhibits about Scouting in their lobbies: Central Minnesota Credit Union, Freeport State Bank, US Bank, and the City of Melrose. Each display is designed to fit on an eight foot long table. The displays include literature, books, patches, memorabilia, and photographs.

During the last patrol leader council, we discussed themes for each of the four exhibits. We wanted a different one for each place so people would get to discover more about Scouting. Besides, I do not have enough stuff to do four displays of the same theme. This year's themes are:

High Adventure - This will highlight the BSA's high adventure bases but will concentrate on Philmont Scout Ranch. It will include mugs, plaques, posters, and photo albums.

National Jamboree - Since this is the year of the National Jamboree we added this as a theme for one location. I attended the 2001 Jamboree as the scoutmaster for Central Minnesota Troop 1417 so most of the display will feature items from that trip, including the uniform and tee shirt, photo albums, patch collection, and a new shadow box with various memorabilia.

Scouting History - I have collected quite a bit of Scouting memorabilia during the last thirty years and some of it will find its way into this display, including a 1932 Boy Scout handbook and fictional novels from 1911. Last night I put together a shadowbox featuring Boy Scout rank patches from the 1980's, the current patches, and the special 2010 anniversary rank patches. (See the picture above.)

Boy Scout Troop 68 - This will probably be the largest of the exhibits since I have collected the most on this subject. The hardest part will be deciding which of the thirty photo albums will be a part of the arrangement.

The displays will be set up this Friday and Saturday. Each of the businesses is allowing the exhibits to be in place for two weeks. I have been told that past displays have been popular, especially the photo albums. I will take photos of each of the displays and post them online for you to see. Check back to this blog for an update with the link.

Philmont 25 Years Ago

As the year 2009 comes to an end, it suddenly dawned on me that this year was the 25th anniversary of my first trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. It was not a trip to partake in a twelve day trek, but to spend a week at the Philmont Training Center (PTC).

I was a 23 year old scoutmaster when I received a letter from PTC inviting me to attend a Scoutmaster Fundamentals Course during the 1984 season. Needless to say, I was quite excited. I had never been to Philmont but it had always been a dream of mine to get there someday. Unfortunately, I was a young adult who was pretty much living from paycheck to paycheck at the time. The money to pay the course registration and the airfare was not in my budget or savings account.

The troop committee must have seen this as a great opportunity to invest in the local Scouting program. So did the business community, it turns out. One of the committee members went to several local businesses to explain the committee's plan. A short time later, the committee surprised me with the news that I would be going to Philmont Scout Ranch for the training. Enough businesses had donated funds to pay the airfare and registration. I was shocked! I was surprised. And I was going to make a commitment to stay the scoutmaster of Troop 68 for at least a few more years.

There were a few firsts for me involved with this trip. It would be my first time to Philmont. It would be the first time I would travel by airplane. It would be the first time I had ever traveled on my own. I was a little nervous, but a lot excited.

The trip went well. I proved to myself that I could handle a trip on my own. The course had great instructors. I learned a lot about being a scoutmaster. I met many dedicated Scouters from around the country. I saw the movie Follow Me Boys for the first time. And I climbed to the top of the Tooth of Time (for the first time).

Of course, me being the type of guy who likes taking a lot of photographs, I did use up several rolls of film. I have posted those pictures on my Flickr account. Here is a slideshow of those photos:

MSPP #78: A Century Of Values Open House P2

This 78th post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast is the final of four videos featuring the open house held by the Central Minnesota Council on September 2, 2009, to celebrate the "A Century Of Values" tour. This video features other activities that were taking place on the grounds of the council office (displays, bottle rockets, fishing, rope making, bouldering wall, etc). You will see that the Cub Scout age boys had a fantastic time participating in all the fun.

More information about the "A Century Of Values" tour can be found on their website athttp://www.acenturyofvalues.org/ Also check out their blog and the post about their visit to the Central Minnesota Council.

Photos, Memories, and Questions

When you have been a scoutmaster for as long as I have been, nearly 29 years, you see a lot of boys go and go through the Scouting program. Some do very well in Scouting, some not so well. Some boys stick with it until their eighteenth birthday, some only last for a few months. There have a wide variety of personalities and temperaments. As a scoutmaster, I hope they all grow into fine young young and are successful in their lives.

Once in a while, I like to go through the old photos of the troop. Not only do they bring back memories (mostly good ones) but they also bring to mind questions. Where are they now? How are they doing? Do they have families? Thanks to the internet, namely Facebook, I have been able to track several dozen of them. From their profiles and pictures it looks like many of them are doing well. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with nearly half of the alumni of Troop 68.

Look at the group photo shown above. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) It shows the eighteen Boy Scouts of Troop 68 who attended summer camp at Crow Wing Scout Reservation in 1984, over twenty five years ago. Pat celebrated his birthday while at camp so I saw a Kodak moment, of course. It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures.

When I look at this photo a lot of thoughts run through my mind. First was , as it probably was for you, wow, those are short shorts the boys are wearing. Then it dawns on me that these boys are now men in their mid to late thirties. I am getting old.

Out of these eighteen Boy Scouts, three have stopped by to visit this year. Seven of them are friends of mine on Facebook. I have not heard from another seven of them in over ten years. Only two of them still live in town. Sadly, two of them have died in the last twenty years.

You can see that this photo alone brings up many memories, plenty of questions, and some mixed emotions. And this is only one of the thousands of pictures I have taken during nearly three decades with the troop.

By the way, if you would like to view some of the early photos of Boy Scout Troop 68 through the 1980's check out our troop's website at http://www.melrosetroop68.org or check out my Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevejb68/sets/

150,000 Visits and Counting

This note is more for myself then anyone, but "A Scoutmaster's Blog" reached a total of 150,000 visits yesterday (since the counter began in June 2007). It has only been a little over seven months since it reached 100,000 visits. The daily visits have been increasing nicely. The blog averages 200-300 hits per day. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to hit 175,000 views.

I would like to thank you all for coming to this site and reading the blog.

Around The Scouting Campfire #11

It is time to join Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, as they host another episode of Around The Scouting Campfire, a podcast for Scouts, adult leaders, and families.

During this episode the guys talk about the new year and look back at 2009. Scoutmaster Steve begins the new year by reciting some quotes from Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and then reads a story about setting goals to fly with the eagles. After a song from The Scout Zone, Buttons tries to learn the Cub Scout Promise from Michael the Cub Scout, and then reads some feedback from our listeners. The show ends with a scoutmaster minute about being friendly and a thank you to you, our listeners.

Finally, we would like to thank you, the listeners, for downloading Around The Scouting Campfire and sending us your emails. You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. Please rate the show and/or leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.

Download episode by clicking HERE.

RSS Feed - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast

This podcast is found on iTunes at

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=307979159

and is a member of the family of Scouting themed podcasts at PTC Media found at http://www.ptcmedia.net/

Show notes:

The Scout Zone - http://www.thescoutzone.org/

Video of Buttons and Michael - Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast #17

Get Involved In Scouting?

During the my last year of tech college my classmates and I would discuss what we wanted to do with our lives once we were out on our own. What kind of job did we hope to get? What kind of community would we like to settle down in? What organizations would we get involved with, if any?

I was a Boy Scout for three years so I made the comment that it might be fun to find a troop and get involved again. When I think about that comment now I have to stop and ask myself, why did I say that? I really did not accomplish much as a Boy Scout. Yes, I went to the meetings, and the occasional weekend camping trip, and three week long summer camps, but I do not remember much about them. I only earned four merit badges. I only got as far as Second Class Rank. I do not remember a single court of honor. Unfortunately, and I hate to say it, my time as a Boy Scout was pretty uneventful.

I must have had enough fun in Scouting though to make a comment like that in college. I may have realized that the Scout program was a great program to help young boys grow into men of strong character. I guess I wanted a chance to be a part of that process. But there was one more reason to reconnect with Scouting. A personal one. I always felt bad that I did not remember much about my time as a Scout, and that I did not accomplish much in the program. I thought that maybe I could help some other boys have a great time in Scouting and do the things I never had the chance to do.

As luck would have it, I found a job and settled back in my hometown. Within two months I discovered they had restarted the troop which had been disbanded about five years earlier. I walked up to the scoutmaster one night and asked him if he could use some help. (Click HERE for an earlier article about this.) That was nearly thirty years ago. I think I can honestly say that I have helped to make a positive impact on the Scout program in this community.

How long will I continue to be with the program? I do not know. I had never planned to be with it for three decades. Unfortunately, this community may make the decision for me. Membership in the troop has dropped to only seven Boy Scouts, down from nearly forty Scouts ten years ago. I discovered today that the Cub Pack currently has only three boys. One of the Pack's problems is that parents do not want to take on any of the leadership roles. This has been going on for the last five years or longer. Thus, the Pack's program has suffered, and the boys are not joining like they once did.

Let's face it, parents need to get involved, at least at the Cub Scout level, for the program to succeed. Do today's parents not understand the great benefits of the Scouting program, both to them and their sons?

Get involved with Scouting? Too tell the truth, I can think of few programs that are better worth your time and effort.

The 2010 Scouting Displays

Last week I wrote about the displays I planned to place around town for Scouting Week. Three of the four were set up. I have not got around to the fourth one yet. I thought you may enjoy seeing pictures of the exhibits so here they are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevejb68/sets/72157623361768222/

Let me know what you think about them.

2010 Centennial Commemorative Coin

I am sure that you may have heard by now that the United States Mint will be issuing a commemorative coin in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. As authorized by the Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, the United States Mint will produce silver dollar coins in proof and uncirculated qualities. The United States Mint website now has a page devoted explaining the design of this special coin. The site states:

"The obverse (heads side) design depicts a Cub Scout in the foreground with a Boy Scout and female Venturer in the background saluting. Inscriptions are CONTINUING THE JOURNEY, 1910, 2010, IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY. This design represents the Boy Scouts of America of today, as the organization has recognized the need to include other programs for younger boys (cub scouts) and older boys and girls (venturers), reflecting the great diversity of our nation. It is a dramatic representation of how the Boy Scouts of America has evolved over the past century to form a strong foundation of leadership, service, and community for all the youth of America.

The reverse (tails) design features the Boy Scouts of America's universal emblem. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, BE PREPARED, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE DOLLAR."

http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/commemoratives/index.cfm?action=2010BoyScouts

I plan to purchase some coins when they become available in the spring. There will only be 350,000 of them made. So I suppose I better buy one, two, or three hundred of them. Oh, wait. These one dollar coins will cost more than one dollar won't they?

Coleman Gift Card Winner!

The time has come to announce the winner of the $25.00 Coleman gift card. (Drum roll please...) The winner is Kevin, known as scoutdude on Twitter. Congratulations Kevin. I will need you to write me with your address so that Coleman can mail the gift card to you.

I would like to once again thank Christina and the folks at Coleman for making this give-away possible. And I would like to thank those of you who took the time to enter the contest.

Around The Scouting Campfire #12

Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, return in episode twelve of the Around The Scouting Campfire podcast. Listen in as the guys talk about how the Scouting program was discovered by William D. Boyce during a trip to London in the early 1900's. There are quotes from Lord Baden-Powell. The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 perform the radio skit. Buttons reads the last letter to Scouts from Lord Baden-Powell. There is even a short story from an early National Jamboree.

Download episode by clicking HERE.

RSS Feed - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast

This podcast is found on iTunes at

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=307979159

and is a member of the family of Scouting themed podcasts at PTC Media found at http://www.ptcmedia.net/

Show notes:

The story of how Scouting came to America is from the 1943 edition of the Boy Scout handbook.
The Radio Skit can be seen at Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast #70 - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Buttons' reading of the last letter to Scouts from Lord Baden-Powell can be seen at Melrose Scouting Productions #50.

Earn A Historical Merit Badge

Are you a Boy Scout? Would you like to do something different this year, the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America? How about earning a merit badge from the early days of Scouting that have been off the books for years? The BSA is bringing back four merit badges that you earn this year only. The badges include Signaling, Tracking, Pathfinding, and Carpentry.

These badges must be completed before December 31, 2010, or you lose out on your chance to earn something from Scouting's history.

For more information checking out the blog of Scouting Magazine, the Cracker Barrel, at http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2010/01/historical-merit-badges-help-boy-scouts-celebrate-scoutings-past.html

MSPP #80: Questions For Buttons

It has been nearly a year since Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, has been featured in a new video. He has been pretty busy with school, Scouting, and his podcast, Around The Scouting Campfire. He recently began to work on his Cinematography merit badge and decided to make a video in which he answers several questions sent to him by some Wolf Cub Scouts from California. Even the sister of one of the Scouts gets to ask a question. The kids ask Buttons about the Scout Promise, leadership, den chiefs, grapes, and more.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at the RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other great Scouting podcasts at PTC Media, including The Leader's Campfire and Around The Scouting Campfire.

FEAR & ACCOMPLISHMENT

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:35:02 -0500

FEAR & ACCOMPLISHMENT………….. It is okay to be afraid. It is not okay to let the fear hold you back from accomplishing great and wonderful things.