A Scoutmaster's Blog

If you have been in Scouting for awhile then you probably have an answer to the question “You know you are a Boy Scout when…” (If you don’t, then you have not been involved with Scouting long enough.) I belong to a Facebook group which does its best to answer that question in dozens of different ways.

I thought it would be fun to bring back Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, as he covers a few of the answers to this question. We (me and a volunteer crew) had fun filming him as he tries to answer the question at a cabin on King’s Lake in central Minnesota. Unfortunately, it was pretty windy that day, as you will hear when you watch the video. Buttons presents five answers to the all important question, and things do not always go according to plan. My favorite part of this episode is when Buttons is sitting on the edge of the tent and the weather changes on him.

This is the first of two videos planned that will feature Buttons on this subject. I have seen many good answers to the question, but unfortunately they do not all lend themselves to being filmed with a character like Buttons. Especially when I do not have the budget that the Muppets have. (Um, there is no budget here.)

I hope you enjoy the video. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about it. If you have an answer to “You know you are a Boy Scout when…” then add it to the comments. If I receive enough good ones then maybe Buttons will appear in a third video on this subject.

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Watch Video on the troop’s website.
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The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 in Central Minnesota Council have a tradition of performing for others enjoyment. They have performed at campfire programs, council camporees, summer camp programs, and community events. For over ten years the troop has held an annual Laughs For Lunch Show during which they basically do a ninety minute campfire program. This program is open to the community.

The show held in 2006 was one of the best shows the troop has ever held. Luckily for all of us, it was videotaped on digital tape which makes it easy to break down and put on the web. This podcast will be showcasing some of these skits over the next few months.

Today’s post to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast is The Movie Skit. This skit has become a favorite of the troop’s, not only to watch but also to perform. The Scouts have a great time with it and are always trying to come up with new ways of “performing” it. The first three “takes” basically set up the skit. After that it is anything goes. The troop has also tried a couple ways to end the skit. I do not want to give away the ending, or punchline, so you will have to watch this one yourself.

All the members of the group in this skit have graduated from high school and are currently in college. I know they all have some great memories about Scouting. Four of the six Scouts did earn their Eagle Rank. Many of them attended Philmont Scout Ranch. But I think the Laughs For Lunch Shows will always be one of those Scouting experiences they will remember for years to come.

Enjoy it and let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
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Watch Video on the troop’s website.
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I think you will really get a chuckle out of this. I was reading the the latest post to the Lone Star Scouter blog by buffaloeagle. He listed comments left by campers to the U.S. Forest Service in 1996. Here is a sampling. You can read the rest of the seventeen comments at his website.

• “A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call.”
• “Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.”
• “Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness.”
• “Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands.”
• “Ban walking sticks in wilderness. Hikers that use walking sticks are more likely to chase animals.”

After reading these, and giggling a little, I started thinking about how self-centered, and stupid, that people can be. I really wish that more people would get involved with Scouting and similar programs so that more of the population would appreciate what the outdoors and nature have to offer us. It is time that most Americans get off of their butts, away from their televisions and computers, leave the shopping malls behind, and enjoy nature at its finest. (Of course, I am writing this while sitting in front of a computer monitor in an air conditioned room. Ironic, isn’t it?)

In the last blog post I wrote about Snoopy, the Beagle Scout. I think it is great to see Scouting in this type of media. Innocent, yet very entertaining. Charles Schulz did a great job of touching our funny bone with this favorite Peanuts character. But it was not the only time Scouting has been a part of a major comic strip.

There was once a young boy named Calvin. His best friend was a tiger by the name of Hobbes. For a short time Calvin decided to join a Cub Scout pack and go out for an overnight hike. Calvin quickly discovered that Scouting was not his favorite type of activity. Why, there was no place to plug in the microwave he had brought along. Nope, Calvin and Hobbes would rather spend their days exploring strange new worlds, or playing a rough and tumble game of Calvinball. You can see some of the Calvin the Cub Scout comics here!

The picture I used for this post is Mickey Mouse dressed in a Boy Scout-like uniform. I do not remember where I collected this picture from. I do not know the story behind it. I did a quick search in Google for “boy scout mickey mouse” and did not come up with much. Drop me a line if you know the story behind the picture.

Then, of course, there is Garfield. In 2000-2001 Garfield’s creator allowed the fat cat to be used to help promote Cub Scouting. I have not heard anything about how well the promotion went, but I do have my patches of Garfield the Cub Scout that I received at the 2001 National Jamboree.

Well, that wraps up what I currently know about Scouting showing up in popular comic strips here in the USA. I am sure there are other cases of this occurring, but I can not think of any other at the moment.

**Drawing update – So far only two people have entered the drawing for the dvd of Scouting promotional films. If you wish to qualify for the drawing then look back for a previous post about the rules.

I have a scrapbook that few people have seen. In fact, I seldom take it out to look at it myself. It contains some old Scouting mementos. It has my BSA membership cards, merit badge cards, and Totin’ Chip card from when I was a Boy Scout. It’s pages include over twenty years of BSA cards from my stint as an assistant scoutmaster and scoutmaster of Troop 68. It also contains pictures from my elementary school years, a couple report cards, and my high school graduation program. All these things are interesting to look at once in a while, but the book also contains something that is really fun to read, or look at, depending on your point of view.

The scrap book contains fifteen comic strips that I cut from a newspaper when I was a teenager. These strips feature that wonderful dog we all know and love, Snoopy! What makes these strips so special to me is that they are the ones that feature Snoopy as a Boy Scout.

The strip begin with Snoopy as a Tenderpaw. Lucy teases him about being such a low rank to which Snoopy replies that he will work and work to reach the top and become a… Beagle Scout! As the story line continues we watch as the lovable beagle go out for a hike, and then becomes hopelessly lost. He is finally rescued by a Girl Scout selling cookies. Of course, Lucy is true to form and has to tell Snoopy how disappointed she is to see a Beagle Scout rescued by a Girl Scout.

The strip then goes on and we see Snoopy as the “Scout Leader” of a “patrol” that contains Woodstock and his friends. Did you know Woodstock’s friends were named Conrad, Oliver, and Bill? I like the strips when Snoopy talks about first aid and the evening meal with his troop.

I discovered, after a quick search on the internet, that Snoopy first appeared as a Scout on May 13, 1974. I was thirteen years old at the time. Wow, I did not realize that these newspaper strips were that old. You can see this first strip here and read about Lucy criticizing Snoopy on his new identity. The strip is found at the bottom of the page.

I also discovered that there are a couple Beagle Scout Snoopy toys available on Amazon.com. One plush Snoopy seems to come with a little book containing the Scouting comic strips. Hmmm… how much credit do I have left on my card? Oh boy! Looks like I have enough to buy two of them!

In May I posted the first video featuring Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, and Michael, the giggling Cub Scout. Michael was trying to teach Buttons a little about Cub Scouting. Unfortunately, Buttons did not quite understand and the giggling began.

Today’s post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast pairs up the two again. In this video Michael is still trying to teach Buttons the Cub Scout Oath, but this time they get sidetracked and begin to talk about the Cub Scout Law. The two work well together and play off each other very well. This is the second of three videos that were made with Michael and Buttons.

So, click a link, sit back, and enjoy another episode with Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. If you have any ideas for a new video featuring Buttons leave a comment. We love to hear from you.

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop’s website.
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Sometimes, when we are camping, things get too wet and the rain never seems to stop. While playing around the internet tonight I found a little song, sung to a tune we all know, that fits the worst case scenarios. I just had to share it with you.
(This song was found at the SR-367 website.)

Scout Westpers Play Song

Softly falls the rain today,
As our campsite floats away.
Silently, each Scout should ask
“Did I bring my SCUBA mask?
Have I tied my tent flaps down?
Learned to swim, so I won’t drown?
Have I done, and will I try,
Everything to keep me dry?”

By now you know of Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. You have probably read the recent post about Eymard, the eighty year old assistant scoutmaster. What happens when they meet in the woodlands on a Troop 68 outing and conduct an interview? Well, it ain’t no Larry King style interview, that is for sure.

Eymard was a very good sport about the whole thing. He and Buttons exchanged some good natured teasing and had fun doing the interview. They discuss Eymard’s duties as an assistant scoutmaster, his age, cooking skills, knot tying, woolly worms, and other subjects.

Meanwhile, in the background, the Boy Scouts are preparing for the annual Camp Watchamagumee Egg Drop Competition. They are gathering natural materials to package an egg. During the competition the egg and package will be dropped, higher and higher, until only one egg survives.

It has been a couple months since we have made a video with Buttons. I hope you enjoy it. We had fun making it. And hopefully, within the couple of weeks, there will be another new video featuring that radical Boy Scout. If you have any ideas for a video featuring Buttons we want to hear about it. Drop us a note.

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop’s website.
Subscribe through iTunes.