A Scoutmaster's Blog

You have been reading about it in the blog. Now you can watch it happen. This post to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast features the first of four videos taken from the retirement party for Scoutmaster Steve who stepped down after 30 years of service to Boy Scout Troop 68.

This video features the district executive presenting Steve with his last leader’s knot earned as a scoutmaster, a speech from his assistant scoutmaster of 24 years, and a special presentation from the new scoutmaster and the Boy Scouts. The video is about 18 minutes long.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

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It has been over 25 years since 1985 came to an end. It was a busy year for the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68. They went to winter camp at Parker Scout Reservation, attended the council’s Ripley Rendezvous at Camp Ripley, held a spring pancake and sausage breakfast fundraiser, went to camp Watchamagumee in the early spring, hopped onto their bicycles for a weekend outing in June, attended summer camp at Tomahawk Scout Camp in Wisconsin, visited the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in September, took part in a city’s emergency drill in October, and even found time to hold a few courts of honor. Like I said, it was a busy but very fun year. Here is a slideshow featuring pictures from those events.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

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or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, at iTunes.

It has become a tradition of Boy Scout Troop 68. Usually, in February or March, the Scouts pack their gear and head to Camp Stearns for a winter outing. The camp is located in central Minnesota, about an hour from town. It is owned by the Northern Star Council of the Twin Cities. The troop rents a lodge to sleep in but the boys spend plenty of time outside having fun in the winter snow.

This video of the Melrose Scout Productions podcast features a slideshow of the pictures taken at last year’s Camp Stearns outing. The Scouts had a great time at camp. They worked on advancement Saturday morning. After lunch they put on their snowshoes and played 18 holes of disc golf. In the evening they went to the awesome sledding hill. The boys wrapped up the day by watching a movie before hitting the sleeping bags.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTUNES(and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, or at iTunes.

The monthly roundtable is a meeting for Scout leaders to learn new skills, receive information, and have fun with friends. Sometimes special presentations are made. During this month’s Scenic district roundtable the district executive took a moment to recognize a Boy Scout leader. This leader is about to step down at the end of the year after 30 years of being a scoutmaster for Troop 68 in Melrose. The video was recorded on an iPod by one of the Scouters in attendance.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

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or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
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Once upon a time, there were two Cub Scout leaders who were creating online audio shows called podcasts. Chris hosted a show called An Hour A Week. Bob hosted a show with his Cub Scout son called Akela’s Adventure. Together, they created a third show named The Leaders Campfire. These three productions were combined to form an online network that became known as PTC Media, found at http://www.ptcmedia.net .

In April of 2007, I began a video podcast featuring the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 doing songs and skits. Some videos included footage from their outings. I named the podcast Melrose Scouting Productions.

During the fall of 2007, Bob and Chris began talks with me to add my podcast to the PTC Media network. They enjoyed the videos and thought the podcast would be a good addition to their site. On October 5, 2007, Melrose Scouting Productions joined the network of Scouting related podcasts.

It has been a fun four years. I have met dozens of online Scout Leaders through the network and made many Scouting friends. My role at PTC Media has increased. I am now a cohost of The Leaders Campfire and occasionally produce another podcast named Around The Scouting Campfire.

It has been great working with Cubmaster Chris and the other hosts of PTC Media shows: Jerry, Shawn, Liberty, Emily, and Shannon. They are a dedicated group of Scouters and good friends. It has been a pleasure sharing stories and experiences with them.

It will be interesting to watch PTC Media grow and change in the future. The network already hosts eight shows. A ninth about Venturing will soon be added. I am proud to include Melrose Scouting Productions as one part of the quality shows at PTC Media.

During a pack meeting last spring, the Cub Scouts of Melrose Pack 68, along with their fathers, played with some marshmallows and spaghetti to create towers and things. The boys were actually working on a requirement for one of their awards, but I do not think they realized it. They were having fun, and that was all that mattered. A couple of the Cub Scouts decided to find out how much weight their towers could support. A scale and some rocks were brought out. It surprised the boys and their fathers to see how many rocks the towers could carry. At the end of the meeting, one group of Cubs decided it was time to demolish their tower. It was a great way to end this video of Melrose Scout Productions.

Have you tried this activity in your den or pack? If so, how did the Scouts enjoy it?

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, at iTunes, or on the forums at PTC Media.

What do Jack and Jill, Mother Hubert, Spiderman, Justin Bieber, Barney, Lady Gaga, Chuck Norris, Rebecca Black, Bob the Builder, and Barbie have in common? They are all part of the fun one afternoon as the Boy Scouts of Buckskin Camp at Many Point Scout Camp sing Throw Them Out The Window before entering the dining hall for lunch. Bob, the dining hall guy, did a great job of leading the boys in this loud and hilarious rendition of this campfire favorite. It is the next video of the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast. Just see if you can watch this and not walk away without humming this song.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, at iTunes, or on the forums at PTC Media.

What was your favorite song at summer camp this year?

The Cub Scouts of Pack 68 and the Boy Scout of Troop 68 held an Open House on Monday, April 18, 2011. The fire department even brought their ladder truck to the event. What do you do for your open houses?

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast

Or watch it online at Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, or at iTunes.