Archive for December, 2009


Coleman Gift Card Giveaway!

on December 28, 2009 in Promotion 10 Comments »

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.
Subscribe to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog” at
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28330606/posts/default

MSPP #78: A Century Of Values Open House P2

on December 28, 2009 in Anniversary, podcast No Comments »

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.

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.
Subscribe to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog” at
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28330606/posts/default

Philmont 25 Years Ago

on December 27, 2009 in High Adventure No Comments »

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:
.

Boy Scouts Of Harlem

on December 27, 2009 in Promotion No Comments »

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.

PTC Media Christmas Show

on December 22, 2009 in podcast No Comments »

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.

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/

Subscribe to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog” at
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28330606/posts/default

2010 Centennial Commemorative Coin

on December 18, 2009 in Anniversary 1 Comment »

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?

Subscribe to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog” at
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28330606/posts/default

Photos, Memories, and Questions

on December 14, 2009 in Nostalgia, pictures 1 Comment »

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/

Subscribe to “A Scoutmaster’s Blog” at
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28330606/posts/default

Around The Scouting Campfire #10

on December 11, 2009 in ATSC, podcast No Comments »

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:

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
.
« Older Entries