A Scoutmaster's Blog

The sixth episode of Around The Scouting Campfire is now available. It is time to join Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, for another 20 minutes of fun and reflection on Scouting.

During this show we discover what advancement rank Buttons holds in Scouting as he and Scoutmaster Steve talk about his upcoming scoutmaster conference. What merit badges has Buttons earned? Why did he choose those merit badges? Steve goes on to talk about the ten things he likes to cover during a scoutmaster conference. He follows it up with a little humorous story of a little old lady who every morning Praises the Lord.

During Buttons’ Corner we learn about ten nutrition myths. Yeah, Buttons talks to us slightly overweight adult leaders and Scouts about how to stay fit. I bet you never thought that would happen.

The show ends with Steve and his Scout Leader Minute, which is about The Stuff A Fellow Is Made Of, from the 1956 book Ideas and Stories For The Scoutmaster Minute.

Steve and Buttons would like to thank everyone who listens to the podcast, and who have sent emails about how they have enjoyed the shows.

Please rate the show and/or leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.
You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. We appreciate your emails and letters.

RSS Feed – http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast
Download episode – http://www.melrosetroop68.org/podcastaudio/MSAPE6.mp3

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:
Requirements for the Star Rank: http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsranks.asp
The Scoutmaster Conference: http://www.melrosetroop68.org/2006/09/scoutmaster-conference.html
Top 10 Nutrition Myths: http://www.centracare.com/community/spotlight/spotlight_spring_2009.pdf
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You may have read the previous three-part posting of Boy Scout Troop 68’s adventure at the Central Minnesota Council’s Ripley Rendezvous this year. Yes, we had a few problems, but to tell the truth, we also had a pretty good time, and that is why I have chosen to post this video to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast.

The video is a slide show of the activities in which the Scouts participated. It begins with a few pictures from the First Class Emphasis program, and then moves on to the shooting ranges. One of the highlights of the trip for the Scouts was the visit to the military museum, and there are a lot of pictures of that. The video ends with pics from the carnival style games played Saturday night. All in all, it was a good weekend for Scouting.

Leave a comment here using the link below, or at the PTC Media forums. You can also rate the videos of Melrose Scouting Productions at the iTunes Music Store. It really is great to hear what you think about the podcast videos.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

Wow, I almost missed a couple of dates that I probably should not have forgotten. On May 18, 2006, I posted the first article to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog“. It is hard to believe that it has already been three years of sharing Scouting stories (430 posts) with you. There have been a lot of other Scouting related blogs that have come and gone during that time.

One April 4, 2007, I posted the first video to the “Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast“. That video introduced many Scouts, leaders, and families to a new character we know as Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. Sixty five videos have been posted to the podcast over the last two years.

I want to thank you all for reading this blog, watching the videos, and for listening to the new podcast, “Around The Scouting Campfire“. Your support, emails, and comments keep me fired up to continue these projects.

I would like to give special thanks to Cubmaster Chris of PTC Media for all the background help he has given me over the years, and to the Boy Scouts and family of Troop 68, both past and present, who have given me the material needed for these projects.

The new Around The Scouting Campfire audio podcast has been up and running for nearly two months, and I have to say that I am both pleased and surprised by the response to it. To tell the truth, even though I had a couple people tell me that I should create an audio podcast I really had no idea what type of reception it would receive. I thought that each episode might receive a couple hundred hits and that would be it, but they have done much better than that.

The first episode was posted on March 7, 2009. It has already received over 1100 hits! Episode 4 was posted on April 12 and has been hit nearly 1400 times. The first four episodes have a combined total of over 4000 hits, which I think is outstanding.

I would like to thank all of you how listen to the podcast, and to PTC Media for making the show a part of its family of Scouting related podcasts. The response to the show has me fired up to create more episodes. In fact, the fifth show has recently been posted and outlines for four more shows have been made. I just need to find the time to create them, and also keep posting videos to the Melrose Scouting Productions video podcast.

I have a favor to ask all of you. Could you take a few minutes of your day to go to iTunes and give Around The Scouting Campfire a favorable rating? If you have an iTunes account you may also leave a comment. Your ratings and comments will help the podcast rise among the thousands of other podcasts found on iTunes. And while you are there, rate all the PTC Media shows. Wouldn’t it be great to see a Scouting related podcast or two find their way to the iTunes Top 100 list?

Those of us who make podcasts really do love to read your comments and emails. In many cases it is the only payment we receive for the hours of work we put into creating a show. You can leave comments through this blog, through iTunes, or at the PTC Media forums. If you have a blog I would appreciate you speading the word about the show.

Once again, I want to thank you for listening to Around The Scouting Campfire. I hope you enjoy the future episodes.

The fifth episode of Around The Scouting Campfire has been posted. That means it is time to join Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, for another 20 minutes of fun and reflection on Scouting.

This show begins with Steve and Buttons talking about feedback they have received. Steve speaks about using your local community television station as a way to promote Scouting in your area. Hopefully you are not driving a car as you listen to the song Vista because you might want to join in. During Buttons’ Corner we hear Buttons telling jokes to his friend Randall. As the show comes to an end Steve speaks about another type of compass used by Scouts and Scouters alike.

Steve and Buttons would like to thank everyone who have sent emails about how they have enjoyed the shows. Please rate the show and/or leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.
You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. We appreciate your emails and letters.

RSS Feed – http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast
Download episode – http://www.melrosetroop68.org/podcastaudio/MSAPE5.mp3

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

Show notes:
Scouting and Community Television – http://www.melrosetroop68.org/2006/07/boy-scouting-and-community-television.html

What song is the most common song used to close a Boy Scout campfire program? I would have to say that it would be “Scout Vespers”. Vespers has probably been used by Boy Scouts since the program began. It is a great song. When it is sung the boys and leaders know that the day has come to an end and we will soon be sleeping in our tents.

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 are very familiar with Scout Vespers. They have used it many times to close their own campfire programs. They have also used it to end each of their thirteen Laughs For Lunch Shows. And that brings us to today’s video for the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast.

This video was taken from the troop’s 1996 Laughs For Lunch Show. I could have taken it from a newer show, one that was filmed with a digital camera, but I wanted to present a video in which all the boys shown have grown up, moved on with their lives, gone to college, began full time careers, and even started their own families. This video is dedicated all the former members of Troop 68.

Be careful where you watch this video. You may find yourself humming or singing along with the troop.

Leave a comment here using the link below, or at the PTC Media forums. You can also rate the videos of Melrose Scouting Productions at the iTunes Music Store. It really is great to hear what you think about the podcast videos.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

It is time for the fourth episode of Around The Scouting Campfire, a podcast about Boy Scouting with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure. Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, have put together a full show for you.

Show #4 begins with Steve and Buttons talking about the troop’s latest fundraiser, a pancake and sausage breakfast. Steve then tells a story about a campfire skit that did not go as well as the patrol was hoping it would. Next, the Buckskin staff of Many Point Scout Camp sings the Many Point Ballad. During Buttons’ Corner, the radical Scout reads a couple letters he has received before trying to learn the Cub Scout Promise from Michael, the Bear Scout. As the show comes to an end we hear the Scout Leader’s Minute, How To Catch A Monkey.

Steve and Buttons would like to thank everyone who have sent emails about how they have enjoyed the shows. Please leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.
You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. We appreciate your emails and letters.

RSS Feed – http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingAudioPodcast
Download episode – http://www.melrosetroop68.org/podcastaudio/MSAPE4.mp3

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

Just before going to bed tonight, I decided to check a few sites online, including the “Kids and Family” section for podcasts on the iTunes Music Store. I like checking it once in awhile to see how the three podcasts I am involved with are doing. (For those of you new to the podcast scene, I currently create two podcasts of my own: the Melrose Scouting Productions video podcasts and the newer Around The Scouting Campfire audio podcast. I also co-host The Leader’s Campfire podcast with Cubmaster Chris.)

The Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast has been featured on the “Kids and Family” video home page for a couple months now which, to tell the truth, thrills me. I think it is awesome that my little videos have been found noteworthy enough to be featured by the folks at the iTunes store. I am sure being a featured podcast helps to bring new people to the podcast.

Of course, there are many more audio podcasts out there in cyberland than there are video podcasts, so imagine my surprise tonight when I discovered that my new audio podcast, Around The Scouting Campfire, has made it to the front page of the “Kids and Family” audio home page! With all the competition out there, I never thought I would ever see my podcast about Scouting listed there, especially since the podcast is less than a month old . Granted, it is on the top of the page under “New and Notable”, but it is listed there for all to see.

I would like to thank the people at iTunes for recognizing my little podcasts, and to all of you who have listened to them and downloaded them. I am sure it would not have made it there with out your support.

Boy, I tell you, living with Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, just got a lot harder.