Posts Tagged ‘Program’


Mel-TV was a cable access television channel of Melrose, Minnesota. It began broadcasting in 1986 and continued for about 25 years before the city council voted to close it down and use the cable franchise fees for the city’s general fund. A lot of people, including myself, were disappointed with the decision at the time. I thought it was a great asset to our community of 3000 people. When the station closed its doors the collection of VHS tapes and DVDs of local programming was given to the Melrose Area Museum.

I was a member of the Mel-TV board of directors for 20 years. I joined shortly after the station began and left the board a few years before it was closed. Almost immediately I saw the potential to use the station as a promotional tool for the local Scouting program. I began recording courts of honor to air on the station. I took the bulky VHS camera to troop outings and summer camp. It was a great tool to show the community what the Scouting program of Troop 68 offered to the local youth. Some Boy Scouts became active with the station, helping with filming and editing various programs, or creating their own shows.

I am now a member of the board of directors for the Melrose Area Museum. I have been helping with some of the displays, both rearranging them and creating some new ones. One of the projects I did was to finally get all the old Mel-TV tapes out of the cardboard boxes stored in various rooms and closets, and put them back on the shelving racks that were used at the television station. I also organized the tapes by number and/or subject matter. It came pretty natural for me to do this project since I had worked so closely with the television station but it did take quite a few evenings to complete this task.

I recently started entering the program information into a computer spreadsheet. There are nearly 1700 tapes in the collection. I am only a little over a third of the way complete with this project. One thing I noticed very quickly was the number of tapes that were about Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Girl Scouts. I would be willing to bet there will be over 100 programs about the Scouting program. That is a pretty high percentage when you think about it. Unfortunately, some of the early tapes were recycled so there is no longer a copy of some courts of honor or events but many of them still exist.

Another museum board member, who also happens to have a son in the troop, has begun transferring these old VHS tapes to a digital format. This is going to be a long process since each tape has to be played at normal speed to be recorded by the computer. I have made sure that some of the earliest Scouting programs were part of the first tapes to be transferred.

Some of the Mel-TV shows have been uploaded to YouTube so that the citizens of Melrose can watch the old programs once again. I plan to upload some the more interesting Scouting programs to the Melrose Scouting Productions channel.

I recently saw this picture online, smiled, and thought to myself that this describes my life for over 30 years. That is how long I was the scoutmaster of Troop 68 in Central Minnesota. I worked with patrol leader councils during those years to plan troop programs, and thus at least one weekend each much of my life.

I have to say, most of those weekends were very enjoyable. It is amazing what a council of 13 year olds can come up with.

I am now a committee member of that troop and the current patrol leader council still gets to plan an occasional weekend on my schedule.

Patrol Leader Council planning.

August is now part of the past, which means that Melrose Scout Troop 68 has held its yearly planning session to plan the 2019-2020 program year and that the program has been approved by the committee (with a couple small changes.) Let’s take a quick look at it.

The theme for September 2019 will be sports, maybe touching on the Sports merit badge. The monthly activity will be a trip to Fort Snelling near the Twin Cities, and to the stadium to watch a Minnesota Twins baseball game. A couple members of the troop may help out with School Night To Join Scouting on Thursday, the 19th. A court of honor will be held on Monday, the 30th.

October’s theme will be hunting and shotgun shooting. This is Minnesota, after all. Our troop has several hunting families. The activity will be the district fall camporee held at Stearns Scout Camp located south of St. Cloud. The fall meal fundraiser will also be held this month.

The November theme will be camping, and will particially cover the camping merit badge. The activity will be the LPMRB which may have to be renamed since it may include a trip to Airmax in place of rollerskating and bowling.

Ice fishing and winter sports will be the theme for December. December will be a short month due to the Christmas season, but it will still be a program packed month. The troop plans to have include downhill skiing, a Christmas party, a court of honor, and the popular troop auction.

Winter survival will be the theme for January. An ice fishing trip is being planned. This will be a light program schedule this month.

February’s theme will be comedy and skits. Scout Sunday is planned for February 2nd. A winter outing at Camp Stearns will be the monthly activity.

Even though it may be a bit chilly during March the Scouts planned Biking as the theme. A court of honor will be held at the end of the month along with a summer camp planning meeting. The troop may go to Camp Parker for the activity and may get the chance to work in some biking and time at a waterpark. The spring meal fundraiser is planned for March.

The theme for April will be Agriculture, which is not surprising since Melrose is located in the middle of prime farming land in Central Minnesota. The activity will be the Central Minnesota Council’s Ripley Rendezvous, which will be held at the Camp Ripley National Guard Base.

In May the Scouts will be working on their lashing and pioneering skills. The troop will be going to Camp Watchamagumee, a spring tradition for the last 30 years. There may be a chance to have some fun at a go-cart track sometime this month.

June will be a busy month. The theme is Fun In The Sun, with a camping trip planned for the weekend of the 12-14. A court of honor is planned for the 16th. The troop will once again hand out flags provided by the VFW and American Legion clubs before the Riverfest parade. Several Scouts will be attending a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch during the last half of the month.

July will be a light month with a week at Many Point Scout Camp being the only activity. Things will pick up again in August with the theme of Minnesota History. A camping trip is planned for the weekend of August 14-16. The troop may have an activity during the annual Nite To Unite program in the park.

So, what do you think about it? Does it sound like a fun year for the boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68? Let us know by leaving a comment.

t68logoI like working with the Scouts. I think it is one of the best organizations for a boy or young man to be a member of. That is why I was a scoutmaster for thirty years, and than stayed on as a committee member. That is why I am now serving as a cubmaster.

I can usually juggle the troop duties and the pack duties without much of a problem. The pack meetings and activities are only three or four days a month. The troop only needs a few days a month of my time. It is pretty easy scheduling.

March was more challanging. The Cub Scout schedule was easy. The den meetings were held on the first Monday of the month. The pack meeting was on the third Monday. The pack committee meeting was on the 23rd. There was only three evenings of Cub Scout meetings.

My Boy Scout schedule, on the other hand, grew almost out of control. The troop decided to work on the Scouting Heritage merit badge in March. Guess who happens to be the merit badge councilor? I told the troop I would be able to attend the meeting the the second Monday, and could maybe get away from the den meetings on the first Monday, but the third troop meeting of the month I could not attend. I think this is a great merit badge for Boy Scouts to earn so I really wanted to help out as much as I was able.

The troop also had a court of honor on the fourth Monday of March. As the troop’s advancement coordinator I planned to attend. The troop’s spring fundraiser was a breakfast held on Palm Sunday. Since a fire at the local church affected our plans we held a special parents meeting to find a new location. I love to play play disc golf, so I agreed to be a chaperone for the month’s disc golf outing held on Saturday, the 19th. I offered to conduct a junior leader training course for the newly elected junior troop leaders later that same day. And then, of course, there was the regular troop committee meeting. Oh, and don’t forget the district roundtable. As you can see, my Boy Scout schedule became very busy in March.

It has been quite awhile since I have had ten days of Scouting meetings and activities in a single month. When I was the scoutmaster it happened quite often. In fact, it almost seemed normal. But this is not normal for my schedule anymore.

Oh well, it may have been a busy month, but it was worth it. And it was fun. And hopefully, several of the Boy Scouts will earn their Scouting Heritage merit badge.

discgolfwaterThis month is the beginning of the new 2014-2015 program for the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68. The Scouts got together one Saturday last month and plotted out their monthly themes and activities for another year. A few of the traditional outings made it in, and a few new ones joined the program. Here is a look at the schedule for the next twelve months.

September 2014: Safe trip afloat/ canoe safety
1, 8, 15 – Troop Meetings Popcorn sales
9 – Committee Meeting
18 – School night to join scouting
22 – Court Of Honor
26-28 – canoe trip and camp out
29 – PLC Meeting

October 2014: Leave no trace/packing
6, 13, 20 – Troop Meetings
6 – start ticket sales for supper
6 – Popcorn Sales Due to Chris
14 – Committee Meeting
25 – Road Cleanup
24-26 – Kramer’s/clay pigeon shoot
27 – PLC Meeting

November 2014: Knot tying
1 – Troop fundraiser supper
3, 10, 17 – Troop Meetings
18 – Committee Meeting
22-23 – Overnight/ rock climbing
24 – PLC Meeting

December 2014: Personal fitness/ management/advancement
1, 8 – Troop Meetings
9 – Committee Meeting
13 – Snow Tubing/Christmas Party
15 – Court Of Honor

January 2015: first aid/ fire safety
5, 12,19 – Troop Meetings
20 – Committee Meeting
24 – Water Park Brainerd
26 – PLC Meeting

February 2015: Uniforms/Sewing
2, 9, 16 – Troop Meetings
17 – Committee Meeting
20-22 – Camp Stearns
23 – PLC Meeting

March 2015: Merit badge/Advancements
2, 9, 16 – Troop Meetings
17 – Committee Meeting
21 – LPMRB Outing
23 – Court Of Honor
30 – PLC Meeting

April 2015: Cooking
6, 13, 20 – Troop Meetings
17-19 – Watchamagumee
18 – Scouting for food drop off
25 – Road Cleanup/scouting for food pick up
21 – Committee Meeting
27 – PLC Meeting

May 2015: Swim Safety
4, 11, 18 – Troop Meetings
15-17- Ripley Rendezvous
18 – Summer Camp Meeting (Parents & Scouts)
19 – Committee Meeting
25 – PLC Meeting

June 2015 Fire Starting/Campfires
1, 8, 15 – Troop Meetings
16 – Committee Meeting
19-21 – Camp out/Disc Golf
22 – Court Of Honor
29 – PLC Meeting

July 2015: Summer Camp
12-18 – Summer camp

August 2015: Geocaching/ Hike safety
1 – Yearly Planning Session
3, 10, 17- Troop Meetings
18 – Committee Meeting
21-23- Sibley Camp Out
24 – PLC Meeting

The Boy Scouts planned it. The committee approved it. And now it is time to implement it. The 2013-2014 program for Troop 68 is ready to go! Here is a look at it.

September 2013: Water Safety
2, 9, 16 – Troop Meetings
2 – Dad’s Belgian Waffle Breakfast Sales Kickoff
13-15 – Big Birch State Forest Outing
23 – Court Of Honor
24- PLC Meeting

October 2013: Flag Etiquette
7, 14, 21 – Troop Meetings
5 – Scouting For Food Pickup/ Road Cleanup
6 – Waffle Breakfast
21 – Popcorn Sales Due In
26-27 – Disc Golf Tri-O + 1 night campout
28 – PLC Meeting

November 2013: First Aid & Fire Safety
4, 11, 18 – Troop Meetings
23 –Overnight
25 – PLC Meeting

December 2013: Advancements
2, 9 – Troop Meetings
14 – Snow Tubing/Christmas Party
16 – Court Of Honor

January 2014: Firem’n & Totin’ Chit
6, 13, 20 – Troop Meetings
25 – Water Park Brainerd
27 – PLC Meeting

February 2014: Winter Survival
3, 10, 17 – Troop Meetings
21-23 – Camp Stearns
24 – PLC Meeting

March 2014: Advancements
3, 10, 17 – Troop Meetings
24 – Court Of Honor
29 – LPMRB
31 – PLC Meeting

April 2014: Personal Safety
7, 14, 21 – Troop Meetings
12 – Road Cleanup
25-27 – Ripley Rondezvous
28 – PLC Meeting

May 2014: Camp Cooking Safety
5, 12,19 – Troop Meetings
19- Summer Camp Meeting (Parents & Scouts)
23-25- Camp Watchamagumee
26 – PLC Meeting

June 2014: Range & Ax Safety, Advancements
2, 9, 16 – Troop Meetings
17 – Committee Meeting
23 – Court Of Honor
28 – Hellerman’s Camp
30 – PLC Meeting

July 2014: Summer Camp
13-19 – Summer camp

August 2014:  Scout Attitude
4, 11, 18- Troop Meetings
9 – Yearly Planning Session
23 – Valleyfair fieldtrip
25 – PLC Meeting

brainstormingBoy Scout Troop 68 now has a program plan for the 2013-2014 year. I talked to the scoutmaster at last week’s troop meeting to ask how things went at the year planning conference. If you recall from the last blog article, I was a little concerned over an item or two, namely that he invited the entire troop membership to attend and that he also invited all the parents. Turns out that I did not need to be concerned.

The parent invitation is the one that bothered me the most. If too many parents attended the meeting I was afraid it would become a parent planned program instead of a Boy Scout planned program. I need not have worried about it. Not a single parent, other than the scoutmaster and assistant parent, came to the session.

Unfortunately, not many of the Scouts attended it either. Most of the patrol leader council either could not attend, or decided not to attend. Only three boys showed up. One was the senior patrol leader, who happens to be the scoutmaster’s son during this term, and another was a new Scout who just joined the troop and does not hold an office. Talk about getting involved right from the start. Although not many boys showed up for the session they went ahead and planned the yearly program.

The scoutmaster told me he really did not want to reschedule the meeting since only a small group of Scouts attended. I had to agree with him. The boys and families had known about the session for over a month. If he would have rescheduled he would have had no guarantee that more Boy Scouts would have attended. And it would have pushed the scheduling process back another week or two or three which could have caused us to miss the presentation of the new schedule by the senior patrol leader at this month’s committee meeting. If it would have been rescheduled for later in the month it also could have got in the way of this month’s outing.

I think they did the right thing. If any parents or Scouts want to object about the new program, well, all we have to is ask them where were they on Saturday, August 6th. After all, everyone was invited to come and give their two cents at that time.

brainstormingI became a scoutmaster in 1981. I went to district and council training and learned that the Boy Scouts should do the planning for their troop’s program.Boy Scout Troop 68 began holding a yearly planning conference during the first or second weekend of August. During the last thirty years it has been fun assisting the troop’s junior leaders develop their monthly themes and activities. Some activities became yearly traditions. Others did not go very well and were not repeated.

This year’s planning session, held today, will have at least one thing different then sessions of the past 30 years. I will not be attending. I have to work Saturday morning and I have a wedding to attend in the afternoon. I am not the scoutmaster anymore so it is probably best that I do not attend, to just step back and let the new leaders lead.

Jim, our current scoutmaster, will not be going into the planning session blind though. He and I were the adult leaders for last year’s session so he has a pretty good idea how to conduct one. Most of the Scouts who will be attending have also participated in a planning session, so things should run smoothly.

Jim did make two changes to the planning session this year. The first should not make a difference. He invited all the Boy Scout members of the troop to attend. The reason I do not think it will matter is that we will be lucky if half the 11 current members attend. Hopefully, the junior leaders do attend because this session is part of their job as leaders of the troop.

The second change he made does worry me a little. He invited parents to attend. Now, I realize that not all the parents will show up. They already have events scheduled, I am sure. My concern is that too many parents will attend and mess up the planning process. I am afraid the program could end up being planned by parents and not by the Scouts.

Am I concerned for no real reason? Will the session run smoothly with the parents there? Will any of them even show up? I guess we will know soon.

How does your troop conduct its yearly planning session? Drop a note and share your ideas with us.