Archive for the ‘Scouting Podcasts’ Category


I have been collecting the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments featuring Scout Leader Snoopy for quite a few years. Hallmark has been creating one for each Christmas holiday season for nearly two decades. I think I missed the first one or two but I have collected each one since 2007. In fact, once I discover a new one is for sale I usually post the news in this blog. In this video of My Scouting Collection I show all the Beagle Scout Snoopy ornaments in my collection along with a special Walt Disney ornament I found featuring Donald Duck and his nephews.

Do you collect these ornaments? Have you seen them in the stores? Which ones do you own?

This is the fifth video in the series and can be watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXQwSVrU23k

If you enjoy watching these videos please hit the LIKE button on the YouTube page and subscribe to the channel. Thank you for watching.

In July 2021 I began making a series of videos in which I display parts of the Scouting themed collection I have accumulated over the last 40 years. I did not have a good place to upload them to so I decided to add those first videos to the Melrose Scouting Productions channel. After a couple months of thinking about this, along with creating a few more videos, I decided to create a new channel to be the home for these videos.

Welcome to “My Scouting Collection”, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Yq0KsCmgREJqCfS6pKv5Q

As I write this post I have several videos for this new channel. While I do not have time to post a new video every week I do hope to get one or two posted each month. The video subjects will include handbooks and other books, uniform parts, patches, jamboree items, Snoopy ornaments, and much more. I hope you enjoy the new videos.

The Melrose Scouting Productions channel will continue to be used for videos of Troop 68 activities and meetings, skills and songs, and other general Scouting related videos.

I said I was going to do it. I did it. I started adding new videos to the Melrose Scouting Productions channel on YouTube once again. After a few years of the channel having a new video posted only a few times a year I decided it should be active once again. A dozen videos have been added this year with several more already lined up to be posted over the next couple of months. The videos feature several aspects of Scouting including some from the history of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68 and the Scouts performing some skits and songs. Here are a few of the latest videos:

A scavenger hunt for the Boy Scouts at the Melrose Area Museum.

Boy Scouts practicing the six man lift during a visit to the Melrose Firehall:

The Boy Scout performing a skit which combines first aid with a story about an invisible bench:

The Melrose Scouting Productions channel can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUOxM42AYjgLwGyoqgpx1w/ If you like what you see you are invited to subscribe to the channel and LIKE a few of the videos.

I wrote a post last week about the years that I had a video podcast, and that I was missing podcasting a little. A few of you commented that I should start a YouTube channel and post the videos to that instead of podcasting. I think that is a valid point, especially when you look at all the people watching YouTube these days on their mobile devices and televisions at home. I find myself watching more YouTube videos these days than I watch regular television.

The thing is, I do have a Youtube channel, and many of the videos I posted to the podcast have found their way to the channel over the years. Unfortunately, I have not posted to it lately and I have not mentioned it or promoted it very often during the last few years. There are over 100 videos featuring the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 performing songs and skits, promotional Scouting videos, and short films featuring Buttons, the radical Boy Scout (my puppet.)

I changed the name of the channel today to Melrose Scouting Productions, which is the logo found at the beginning of most of the videos. I thought it might be best to take my “nickname” off the channel title to make it fit the channel better. The channel can be found at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUOxM42AYjgLwGyoqgpx1w

The channel currently has 688 subscribers. There are over 1,700,00 total video views. Take a look at it when you get the chance and let me know what you think of it. I do plan to start posting new videos to the channel soon so don’t be afraid to hit the subscribe button.

TheLeadersCampfireA week ago I was on Skype chatting with Chris (formally known as Cubmaster Chris) and we began talking about were we currently involved in the world of Scouting. Chris’ youngest son is a Boy Scout, and I have been spending time assisting the local Cub Scout pack get reorganized for the new year. It is almost like our roles have kinda somewhat reversed from the days we hosted a little podcast called The Leaders Campfire.

As we were talking Scouting it was inevitable that our old podcast would come up in the discussion. It has been nearly three years since we recorded the last episode. As we were reminiscing about the “old days”, Chris mentioned an email he had received from a Scout leader somewhere stating that he missed the old PTC Media podcasts, and that there just was not much to choose from anymore.

Our conversation about Scouting continued for a little while longer before we decided to brush the dust off The Leaders Campfire and create one more podcast, based on the things we had just been talking about. Chris did a quick search of his computer and found that he still had the audio files for the beginning and end of the show, and even the commercials. We decided to record the show as if we had never quite doing it, and never reference the fact the it had been nearly three years since the last one. Chris hit the record button and the new podcast began.

We both expected the show to maybe be a half hour long or shorter. After all, we did not really have much to say. To our surprise, the show ended up being nearly 50 minutes long. I guess we had more to say than we thought we did. Chris decided to edit it and post yet that Saturday night.

Chris did not think the show would receive many downloads. After all these years who would even think about listening to the two of us talking about Scouting, he reasoned. I thought we would get at least 50 downloads. After all, we still had over 300 likes on the PTC Media Facebook page. Plus, there were still people subscribed to the podcast on iTunes. It would be interesting to see how this would play out and who would be correct.

By Monday morning we had received over 50 downloads of the show. To tell the truth, both Chris and I were surprised. I sent Chris a note asking him how long he thought it would be before we reached the 100 mark. We reached that mark and downloads still kept happening. I checked the stats as I wrote the podcast and discovered we are now over 200 downloads! That may not seem like much when you compare it to some well known podcasts but for a podcast that was retired 3 years ago? I am still amazed that people want to listen to us, and we do thank you for support of the podcast.

Maybe that Scout leader who sent that email was correct. Maybe there still is a need for more Scouting themed podcasts. Unfortunately, Chris and I may not be the ones to produce a weekly or monthly podcast anymore, but there must be someone out there willing to do one.

PS: As far as I know there are currently only two Scouting related audio podcasts that I found. The first is Cubcast, produced by the Boy Scouts of America. The other is the Scoutmastercg Podcast by Clarke Green. Check them out when you have a chance.

I will admit that I have fallen behind on listening to the Scouting podcasts to which I subscribe, so when I recently took a trip to the Twin Cities I decided to catch up on listening to a couple episodes of the Scoutmaster Podcast found at scoutmaster cg.com. In episode #137, Clarke Green interviews author Mike Malone about his book Four Percent, a history of Eagle Scouts of the Boy Scouts of America. I really enjoyed the stories Mr. Malone shared about three of the most well known Eagle Scouts (listen to the podcast to find out who) and some of the changes to the Eagle Scout program during the last hundred years.

After listening to this podcast I wanted to get a copy of the book. Unfortunately, it is only available as an ebook through Amazon and iTunes. While I have read a couple ebooks on my iPad, I prefer to actually have a real book in my hands. I also think it would make an excellent gift for an Eagle Scout. Mr. Malone stated that his publisher is planning to publish an actual book sometime in the future but there are still some things to work out before that can happen, including getting the rights to use pictures within the book. Until then, it is the ebook or no book.

Have you checked out the PTC Media podcast site yet? ( http://www.ptcmedia.net ) The PTC Media network is a collection of eight Scouting related podcasts, seven audio and one video. They are produced by several Scout leaders from across the United States.

“What is a podcast?”, you ask. An audio podcast is similar to a radio program that you download to your computer to listen to at your convenience. Most audio podcasts are posted to the internet in an mp3 format and are compatible with most mp3 players. A video podcast is like a short television show you download to your computer. Podcast can be subscribed to through a website or a podcast feeder, like iTunes.

The An Hour A Week podcast is created by Cubmaster Chris in Texas. This weekly podcast is recorded live on Sunday nights. The show features information about Cub Scouting, leadership training, and other Scouting related news that caught Chris’ attention. An Hour A Week is approximately sixty minutes long. It is one of the original shows of the PTC Media network.

Another podcast that has been a part of the network since the beginning is The Leaders Campfire. This show is hosted by Cubmaster Chris and Scoutmaster Steve. The podcast covers a wide variety of topics from both Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. Special guests are occasional brought in to discuss current events.  The Leaders Campfire is produced twice a month.

The Melrose Scout Productions Podcast is currently the network’s only video podcast. It is produced by Scoutmaster Steve. There are usually two episodes each month. The podcast features Scouting events, campfire songs and skits, and Boy Scouts having fun. The Melrose Scout Productions Podcast shows are about three to fifteen minutes long.

Around The Scouting Campfire is a monthly ten to fifteen minute audio podcast featuring Scoutmaster Steve and everyone’s favorite Scouting puppet, Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. They cover topics for both the Boy Scout and the Boy Scout leader, along with jokes, stories, and the occasional campfire song. The hosts produce one episode of Around The Scouting Campfire each month.

The SMM Podcast (previously known as the Scoutmaster Minute) is a podcast about Boy Scouting produced by Scoutmaster Jerry from Oregon. His troops loves to backpack so many of Jerry’s shows cover the ins and outs of backpacking and camping along with the proper gear to use. The SMM Podcast also includes many other topics about the Boy Scouting program, interviews with other Scout leaders, and Webelos transition.

True North is a podcast created by Scoutmaster Shawn from Wisconsin. Shawn talks about Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, unit commissioners, and other Scouting topics. Of course, Shawn is not shy about bringing in a guest to talk Scouting on the True North podcast. There are usually two new shows per month.

The MISS Show (Moms In Scouting Service) is a twice monthly podcast dedicated to sharing Scout related information from the perspective of volunteering mothers. There’s a little something for families and leaders new to Scouting as well as more seasoned veterans of the BSA during each MISS Show. Topics discussed include outings, activities, resources and products, as well as round-the-table discussions about current hot topics in Scouting.

Akela’s Adventure has recently returned to PTC Media. Mr. Bob began producing Akela’s Adventure Podcast to help new scout leaders, like himself, find resources, tells stories of their experiences and to discuss ways to improve on being scout leaders. Akela’s Adventure was active from August 2006 through November 2007.

Be sure to check out the PTC Media site regularly for new programs and new episodes of the existing line of podcasts. http://www.ptcmedia.net