A Scoutmaster's Blog

I admit it. Once in awhile I get bored. And when I do strange things sometime happen. Like the other week for example.

I was listening to the Carly Rae Jepsen song, Call Me Maybe, when other words started popping into my head. For some reason I saw a Boy Scout at summer camp walking up to his merit badge councilor, hand him his blue card and ask, “But here’s my blue card, so sign it maybe?”

Hmmm. Could this be the start of a campfire song? I soon had pencil and paper out and was writing down words for a new version of the song. A couple lyrics gave me a spot of trouble, but I think I have it. Here is what I came up with:

Scoutmaster gave me a list,
Merit badges with a twist
My hand turned into a fist,
Nervousness in my way

Summer camp is coming soon,
Packed my clothes, shoes, food, and a broom
What is this feeling of doom?
Nervousness in my way

Your stare was holdin’,
My head, eyes are rolling
Hot night, wind was blowin’
Where do I think I’m going, baby?

Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
It’s hard to earn one
When you are lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!

Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
And all the other boys,
Are really lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!

You took your time with the crew,
I did not know what I knew
You gave all lots to do,
But still, you’re my councilor
I beg, and borrow and steal
My need for this badge is real
I didn’t know I would feel,
Like it’s some Indian Lore

Your stare was holdin’,
Beads of sweat were showin’
Hot night, wind was blowin’
Should I cry like a baby?

Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
It’s hard to earn one
When you are lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!

Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
And all the other boys,
Are really lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!

This merit badge I need for Life
I need it so bad
I need it so bad
I need it so, so bad
This merit badge I need for Life
I need it so bad
And you should know that
I need it so, so bad (bad, bad)

It’s hard to earn one
When you are lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!

And all the other boys,
Are really lazy,
But here’s my Blue Card,
So sign it, maybe!
This merit badge I need for Life
I need it so bad
I need it so bad
I need it so, so bad
Tenderfoot, First Class, and Life
I need it so bad
And you should know that
So sign it, maybe!

Your goal is now to have your Boy Scouts sing this during the evening campfire at summer camp and send me the video!

In my last post I wrote about the four displays that Troop 68 set up around town for this year’s Scouting Anniversary week. I have collected quite a bit of Scouting related stuff during the past 33 years so it is not very hard finding items and photos to fill four displays. In fact, I could probably do a couple more if we had more places to set them up.

All this got me thinking about how many years I have been setting up displays in town, so I opened the old photo books and did a little looking back. I discovered that our Scouting display was set up in February 1985 at the Melrose State Bank. It was a project done by Cubmaster Joe Timmins and myself who was the scoutmaster. It was a fairly large setup. It contained Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting memorabilia, enough to fill two small tables. We also included a tent and some camping gear. You were not going to miss this display when you entered the bank lobby.

I scanned some of the photos of this first display so I could share them with you. Our current displays are a little different these days (as you can see from my last post) and do not include any tents. The lobbies of the current establishments are not big enough to set up a campsite.

It is that time of year to once again celebrate another anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. It has been 104 years since William D. Boyce was granted a charter by the Congress of the United States of America to begin this great institution. Just think about the millions of boys who have participated in Scouting, all the fun they have had, the skills they have learned, and the service they have done for their communities. It practically boggles the mind!

Boy Scout Troop 68 of Melrose, Minnesota, has been going strong since December 1979. During those 34 years the troop has sent hundreds of boys to summer camp, seen dozens of young men attend high adventure bases, and has had 22 Scouts earn the program’s highest award, the Eagle Scout Rank. There is a lot of history in this troop.

Troop 68 has a portion of this history on exhibition this month to celebrate Scouting’s anniversary. Four displays have been set up around town, each with a different theme. The displays contain old books and handbooks, framed photos and photo albums, patches, toys, coffee mugs, and other memorabilia.

The theme of the display at the Central Minnesota Credit Union is “troop activities”. At the US Bank you will discover the troop’s trips to high adventure bases. Visitors to the Melrose City Hall will learn a little about the history of the B.S.A.  At the local branch of the Freeport State Bank people will see photos of each of the Eagle Scouts since 1979.

The displays were set up on Friday, January 31st, and will be on exhibit for 2 weeks.

Does your troop or pack have the opportunity to do something like this in your community? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Most of us involved in the Scouting program either know or have heard of the Philmont Grace, the official meal prayer for Philmont Scout Ranch. But did you know the Order of the Arrow has one now? This was recently posted on the Naguonabe Lodge Facebook page:

The National Order of the Arrow Committee has approved an official OA Grace, in the spirit of the Philmont Grace so many of us are accustomed to.

For night alone that rests our thought
For quiet dawn that lights our trail
For evening fire that warms and cheers
For each repast that fuels our work
We give thanks, O Lord.

Make sure to use it at upcoming OA events!

It is that time of year again. Next week the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate its birthday. For 104 years boys and young men have enjoyed participating it the exciting program Scouting offers. I was one of those boys in the 1970’s. I enjoyed the program so much that when I was 19 years old I rejoined my hometown troop as an assistant scoutmaster. Shortly after I reached the age of 21 the troop committee appointed me as the scoutmaster, a position I held for over 30 years. I currently serve as a committee member.

Our local weekly newspaper, the Melrose Beacon, has been a great supporter of Scouting for over 30 years. They have printed hundreds of articles I have submitted, along with hundreds of photos of the Scouts enjoying their program. They have recognized nearly every Eagle Scout of Troop 68 with his own article.

In today’s issue of the Melrose Beacon there is a two page spread recognizing Scouting in our community. Five photos are included of the Boy Scout having fun on outings and doing service in the community. I think the editors did a great job putting this together. (Click on the picture to see a larger version.)

The troop would like to thanks the Melrose Beacon for once again recognizing Boy Scout Troop 68 during Scouting Anniversary Week. We would also like to thank the sponsors of the spread: the Melrose VFW Club, Midwest Dental, Kraemer Lumber Co., Spaeth Sodding and Landscaping, Coborn’s Grocery, Freeport State Bank, Heartland Security, and Hennen Lumber Co.

Has your local newspaper done anything like this?

It is that special time of year. Plans are being made. Special designs are being considered. Bodies are being formed. Weights are being adjusted. Tracks are being calibrated. No, I am not talking about your local Snap Fitness center or the local gym. It is Pinewood Derby season! It is time to create those cars for the big races in Cub Scout Packs across the country.

The Cub Scouts of Melrose Pack 68 kicked off their season on Tuesday, January 28, by making display stands for their cars. Cubmaster Mark and his brother Gary had cut out and prepared the wood pieces. The Cub Scouts, with a little help from their parents, screwed and glued the pieces together. The next step will be to paint or stain the stands at home and then bring them to the Pinewood Derby.

I have not been to a Pack meeting for a year so I decided to attend this one. I did not realize the Cub Scouts would be assembling display stands. I did have my camera along so I made myself useful and started taking pictures of the Scouts and their parents. Once all the stands were assembled I took a group picture of the boys holding their project. The cubmaster will send it to the local newspaper for a short article.

Cub Scout Pack 68 will hold its Pinewood Derby on Tuesday, February 25th, at the local Lutheran Church. I will probably be there, with my camera in hand, snapping lots of pictures.

Let’s face it. Many Boy Scouts would not become an Eagle Scout without their parent’s support, especially their mother’s support. She probably learns as much, if not more, than the young man does on his road to Scouting’s highest award. Maybe that is the reason mothers receive a pin each time their son receives a Scouting rank. Just a little recognition, you know.

Thanks to Bryan, over at the Bryan On Scouting blog, I was introduced to a humorous and emotional video which salutes mothers for “putting up with” and helping out all those Boy Scout who have earned their Eagle Rank. Eagle Scout mothers – We salute you!

It is amazing the amount of stuff you can collect when you are a scoutmaster for thirty years, especially the paperwork. What should you throw away? What should you keep? What do you file away and than forget about? I played it safe and kept a lot of it.

It has been two years since I stepped down as Boy Scout Troop 68’s scoutmaster so it is probably time to sit down and begin going through the hundreds of files I have accumulated. It is time to get rid of some of this stuff. I am sure the current scoutmaster is not interested in most of it since it does not apply to the current Scouts and program.

I have files dating back to the 1980’s. They include advancement reports, board of review notes, troop rosters, Eagle Scout court of honor programs and agendas, and committee meeting minutes. There are files of information from the yearly trips to summer camps along with info from high adventure trips to Philmont Scout Ranch, the 2001 National Jamboree, and Charles Sommers Canoe Base.

I wrote the troop’s monthly newsletter for over 25 years. There is a file of these for each year. These newsletters contain quite a bit of history of the Scouting program in Melrose. And there lies part of the problem. I don’t really want to “throw away the history” of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68, but I really do not need to keep all this paperwork.

Then I got an idea! I emailed a note to the president of the Melrose Area Historical Society to see if they would be interested in receiving some of these old records for the museum. She responded quickly, writing, “We would definitely like to give them a home.”  I think the MAHS museum would be a great home for some of these records. It would be available to the public instead of just collecting dust in my office.

Now I need to find an evening or three to to go through the files. I may scan some of the records before passing them, like the old newsletters that were created using a typewriter and real “copy and pasting” techniques.

What does your troop do with older files and paperwork? Do you simply throw them away? Do you have a special place to keep them? Do you give them to your local museum? Let us know by leaving a comment.