MSPP #37: Cats In The Cradle

The year was 1997. The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 were nearing the end of their second Laughs For Lunch Show. They were about to do something they had never done before. The piano was brought onto the stage, along with the electric guitar. The scoutmaster explained it was time for something a little more serious, something different from the rest of the show. One Scout began playing the guitar. Then the piano joined in. During the song the Scouts walked out onto the stage in groups of three or four. Before the song was finished every Boy Scout of Troop 68 was on the stage. Parents were crying in the audience. Emotions were running high.

Somehow, the troop had pulled it off. And with only one practice.

I will never forget that performance. It was the last year Tom and Nathan would be with the troop. Both would be graduating from high school in the spring and moving away to college. I wanted to do something special with them during the show. Tom was a excellent pianist, one of the best in the state of Minnesota. Nathan was great on the electric guitar. I wanted to do something in the Laughs For Lunch Show that would bring these talents to the stage. A regular campfire song would not be good enough. We needed something better.

The rock band Ugly Kid Joe had recently released their version of the Harry Chapin classic song Cats In The Cradle. I love the song and thought this could be the right one to bring Tom and Nathan's talents to the stage with the rest of the troop. The two young men agreed, and so did the troop. We threw around a few ideas about how to perform it and came up with something we thought would work well.

Unfortunately, we only had time to practice it once, the afternoon before we held the show.

The show was coming to a close. Some of the skits and songs had gone very well, some could have used a little more practice. I was getting nervous as the time for Cats In The Cradle drew near. Usually performing during a campfire program does not bother me much, but then, most campfire songs and skits are designed to be a bit silly. This song needed to be done seriously. This was not a time for mistakes. And worse of all, I would be the lead singer.

Let me state at this time that I will never be chosen to be on American Idol.

The grand piano was on the stage. The electric guitar was plugged in. The music began. The youngest Scouts began walking onto stage. As the song progressed the older Scouts joined the younger ones on the floor in front of the piano. Before I knew it, it was over. The whole troop was smiling on stage as the crowd was clapping and cheering. The audience loved it. Parents, especially mothers, were crying. The song had hit a nerve and they realized their boys were growing up and would soon move away.

Until then, I had not experienced the power that could be reached while on stage. Never before had I or the Scouts received such an emotional response from an audience. Usually, we did the skit or song and hoped we did it well enough to receive some laughter or clapping as the response. The Cats In The Cradle performance showed us we could accomplished even more.

I have wanted to post this video online for a couple years but did not have a digital version of it. This weekend I finally found some time to copy it to my computer. Now I can share it with all of you. I do not think the video has quite the impact that the live version of it did, but it still turned out well. It does show another side of the Scouts that usually is not seen at a campfire program. I hope you enjoy it. (I apologize ahead of time for the quality of the vhs video, and for my average vocal talent.)

Please leave a comment. I appreciate hearing from you. You can leave one here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings.

Download Podcast
Subscribe to MSPP through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.

MSPP #36: Vista!

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts seem to really enjoy a good campfire program. But so do adult Scout leaders. Sometimes, the adults even enjoy performing for the campfire audience. Really. I am not kidding.

This entry to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast demonstrates that adults can have fun during a campfire program too. This video clip was taken from Troop 68's annual Laughs For Lunch Show of 2002. It features the troop's scoutmaster bringing some of his adult Scouting friends on stage to perform the song Vista! One of the friends does very well. One cheats. And a couple have a hard time keeping up when things get going fast.

I challenge you to try this song at your next campfire program. It may take a little practice but the audience will love it. By the way, you can find the words (at least the way I learned it) on our troop's website by clicking HERE. " Yip bap biddildee bang!"

I like to read your comments about this podcast. You can leave one here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings.

Download Podcast
Subscribe to MSPP through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.

Grumpy Old Leaders (cancelled podcast)

Yep, that is right. After only two weeks we have canceled the Grumpy Old Leaders podcast. There are a few reasons for this but it basically comes down to that it turned into something we really did not want listed on the PTC Media network. It did not fit well with the other shows.

Here is what Chris, the creator of PTC Media wrote on the website's forum:

"After recording another GOL last night, we did some looking around to see what others thought of the show. Turns out that a lot of Packs and Troops use the PTC Media feed on their unit websites and by doing that, GOL was ending up on their website.

This is bad.

Boys and parents who have no idea what they are in for MIGHT unknowingly click on the link and "BANG!", the Guide to Safe Scouting and Youth Protection get busted. We love all our Scouts and would never intentionally do any harm toward them. Because of that, Grumpy Old Leaders is being pulled as a recorded show."

Oh well, it was a good experiment. This will now give Chris and me more time to concentrate on the regular PTC podcasts and hopefully get the PTC Media store up and running soon.

Grumpy Old Leaders (New podcast)

Let's face it, as an adult leader in Scouting there are times when you can get pretty feed up with things and become rather grumpy. We have all been there. We have all done that. Some more then others.

PTC Media, the net-site of Scouting related podcasts, features such shows as The Leader's Campfire (audio), An Hour A Week (audio), and Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (video). This past week they have added one more show to their line up - Grumpy Old Leaders (audio).

Grumpy Old Leaders is an audio podcast that has been talked about for a few months. The first show was finally posted on Wednesday, April 9. The podcast will feature adult Scouters, both from Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting, who are cubmasters, scoutmasters, committee members, and unit commissioners. The show will be an outlet for adults to discuss the things they are finding difficult within their Scouting programs, things they find frustrating. It is not a show meant for Scout-age ears.

During the last few months I have found myself become a co-host for The Leader's Campfire, since Bob, the regular co-host, needed to take a leave of absence. I have had a great time doing the podcast with Cubmaster Chris. During the last two months we have been discussing creating the Grumpy Old Leader podcast as a way to cover things that did not fit well into The Leader's Campfire format.

Well, that first Gumpy hour-long episode has now been posted, and to tell you the truth, it has done pretty well. Within the first four days it has received over 100 downloads from the website, plus who knows how many from iTunes Music Store. It seems to have hit a spot with a lot of people who were waiting for this type of show. In fact, when we recorded our second show last Friday, Chris and I were shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to discover other leaders who wanted to be a part of the show. By the time we ended the recording session we had five other leaders from around the country joining us, and three more hour-long shows almost ready to go. (Watch for them in the next few weeks.)

It will be interesting to watch as this show develops. Chris and I really did not have a clue what to do with a format for the show, or even if the show should have one. We did not even know if anyone would listen to it. Well, it looks like it might become a popular PTC Media podcast, and we already have several more topics to discus in future episodes. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think about it. Feedback will be important to this podcast's development.

Check out all the PTC Media podcasts HERE.

New Scouting Podcast

There are not very many Scouting podcasts found on the internet yet, and most of the ones you find seem to be Cub Scouting related, not that there is anything wrong with that. My own Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP) covers both Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting, but it is heavy on the Boy Scouting. MSPP is geared toward the entertainment and fun of Scouting. It does not hit the leadership and training side of things very much.

A new entry has recently joined this small group of Boy Scout related podcasts. Jerry and friends at The Scoutmaster Minute (http://www.thescoutmasterminute.com) have developed and produced a podcast that talks about Boy Scouting. I have listened to this podcast and I think they are doing a great job.

As I write this, Jerry has posted five audio podcasts so far. The average podcast is about 30-40 minutes long, probably as long as your commute to work. Topics have covered such areas as cold weather camping, bullying, the Scout Oath, and the Order of the Arrow Representative. It sounds like Jerry and company have quite a few more shows planned, which I think is great.

You can download his podcast from his website (see above) or from iTunes at
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=278092418

MSPP #35 - Gopher Guts

It is the nature of boys. They like gross stuff. They like to get dirty. That's why so many of them like Scouting. It gets them outside where they can explore, play around, sit around the campfire, and have fun.

There is an old song that many Scouts seem to enjoy listening to, and singing along to if they can memorize the verses. That song is Gopher Guts. You know, greasy, grimy, gopher guts. Mutilated monkey's feet. All purpose porpoise puss. Yeah, that song.

This video posting to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast features the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 performing that very song during their 2002 Laughs For Lunch Show. Brett, the Scout who actual sings the song, did a great job and did not get tongue tied even once.

Leave a comment about this podcast. You can leave a note here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings.

Download Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.
Check out all the videos of Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast!

One Year Anniversary of Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast

Okay, I don't know why I missed this, but last Thursday was the one year anniversary of the first post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP). That first video introduced Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, to many people who had not yet seen him on Youtube.

Since that first video there have been a total of 34 posts made to the podcast. That is a lot of songs, skits, and Buttons videos. Shortly after those first videos I was invited to make MSPP part of the PTC Media network. It has turned out to be a great partnership.

I hope you have enjoyed watching the videos. Leave a comment. I would like to hear what were your favorites. 

MSPP #34: Sledding Fun 2008

What do you do as a Boy Scout troop in the dead of winter in Minnesota? You get out and have some fun in the snow! Add a nice big snow-filled hill and you the makings of a great evening activity while on a weekend outing.

The Scouts of Troop 68 spent a weekend at Camp Stearns in Central Minnesota during the last weekend of February. (See article HERE.) I had the video camera along so I thought it might be fun to record the guys having fun and catching some air as they went downhill sledding. Previous campers had made a few jumps on the hillside that the Scouts of Troop 68 liked to hit again and again, even if they got the wind knocked out of them.

After an hour, the Scouts had had enough and decided to head back to the building. They had a lot of fun on the hill, and a lot of exercise walking back to the top. Thanks to this video, they will have a way to look back on five minutes of the excitement, and you have a chance to see the fun yourself.

Anyone interested in joining us next year?

Don't forget to leave a comment about this podcast. You can leave one here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings.

Download Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.
Check out all the videos of Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast!

MSPP #33: The Bad Luck Song

After a few days of thought, I have decided to leave the G rated world of Buttons and Boy Scouts skits behind with this podcast post, and enter the PG world music. Oh, do not worry, there will not be any Guns & Roses music or rap nonsense here. What I offer in this podcast is an original song by the Boy Scouts of Troop 68.

This video is of three older Scouts of Troop 68 in 1992, taken from a television show made by the troop for our local community access station. The Scout playing the guitar (he earned the rank of Eagle, by the way) wrote the melody. I wrote the lyrics. The song contains three verses with dark undertones. The first verse is about a pathetic dog. The second is of a boyfriend trying to please his girlfriend. The third is about a stray animal following a person home. I would suggest you listen to it before allowing your Cub Scout aged son to listen to it. The song is dark, but somewhat comical. It also might stick in your mind for awhile.

The song does not contain any bad language. This is a Scouting podcast, after all. I just wanted to try something different this time. I hope you enjoy it.

I like to read your comments about this podcast. You can leave one here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings.

Download Podcast
Subscribe to MSPP through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.

MSPP #32: Buttons Plays Broomball

It has been a month since the last podcast was posted, but there is a reason for that. I wanted to make a film with Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, that showed him participating with Boy Scouts on an outing. I felt it was time for Buttons to leave the safety of the house, and play a game with the Scouts.

This video features the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 on their winter outing in February, 2008. Their schedule includes an afternoon game of broomball, so Buttons decides to go along with them and watch the game. When one of the boys gets tired, he asks Buttons to play for him. Unfortunately, Buttons is not very good at playing broomball and the Boy Scouts need to put their first aid skills to use.

This video presented several challenges. First, filming outdoors scenes in the sun while looking at a 2" LCD view screen is tough. It is very hard to make out what is being filmed, and what is not. We also had a little trouble with the camera and did not get all the scenes filmed that I wanted to get filmed. Unfortunately, time did not allow us to go back and record scenes that could have used another take or two.

Filming Buttons in the real world is quite a challenge in itself. There is not budget for these films, of course, so we have to develop ways to show him active with the Scouts without creating special sets that would have been made for bigger productions, like the Muppets. Trying to keep a puppeteer out of camera view is a real problem. In fact, in one scene the puppeteer was in the shot and it took some creative editing to get him out of it.

Editing this video was also a challenge. Soon after I started editing it I realized that I would need a little narration to help the story along. I also felt this one would need some music to help it move along, but I did not want to use popular music and violate any copyright laws. So, with the help of Mel-TV, I was about to use their music library and also present them with a film to play on the station.

I hope you enjoy this video. True, Buttons in not in it as much as he is in his previous films, but I really wanted to show the Scouts interacting with the puppet, and thus, the film features the Boy Scouts more then it does the puppet.

I really would like to read your comments about this film. You can leave one here, or at the PTC media forums. If you leave a comment at the iTunes Music Store you will help the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast climb higher in the ratings. Let me know if I should continue to produce more videos like this one.

Download Podcast
Watch the Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe to MSPP through iTunes.
Digg it! and show your support.

iTunes Reviews of MSPP

The Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP) which features videos of Boy Scouts performing skits and singing songs, and videos of Buttons the radical Boy Scout, has been found on the iTunes music store since the beginning. Once nice feature about the iTunes store is that viewers can rate the podcasts and leave comments. I enjoy reading the comments. They keep me fired up about producing new videos. The comments and videos also help to increase the podcast's ranking in iTunes which then gives the podcast more visibility. I like it when I can help Scouting receive more visibility. Here are a few of the comments posted on iTunes.

Scouterbill writes, "Buttons is definitely the most 'Radical Boy Scout'. My Den loves Buttons. Keep up the good work."

saxman104 wrote, "My Scouts enjoy watching Buttons. He is also very helpful in teaching young Scouts about Scouting. Steve does a wonderful job in his acting and writing of material. Highly recommend watching them."

ake... writes, "How can you have anymore fun than watching videos with Scouts? Better then TV."

and the comment made by GCostigan made me giggle, and then got me thinking about merchandising when he wrote, "Something that I can have my Scouts watch and enjoy. Now they want Buttons patrol patches."

I would like to thank you all who have taken the time to leave a comment at iTunes, Youtube, and PTC Media. I also want to thank those of you who dropped me an email to comment about the videos. I do read them all and appreciate them. Keep them coming!

MSPP #31: Buttons and the Outdoor Code

Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, talks about the Outdoor Code in this post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. Not only does he recite it but he also covers the four "C's" of the code: clean in the outdoors, careful with fire, considerate in the outdoors, and conservation-minded. It is a code that all Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts should follow whenever you are in the great outdoors, like when you are camping or hiking or just having fun.

Buttons would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment to this post, or at the PTC Media forums, which is holding a drawing through the month of February. It would also be great if you left a comment and rate the podcast at the iTunes music store which helps Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast get a higher rating and thus, make it more visible to people who search for Scouting podcasts. You can also leave a comment at Digg.com. Thanks for watching.

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

MSPP #30: Singing In The Rain

The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 in Melrose have been doing an annual show called Laughs For Lunch for over ten years. The show follows a campfire program format and features songs and skits you may see while you enjoy a program at summer camp or a camporee. The Laughs for Lunch Shows usually last for ninety minutes or so. Both the Boy Scouts and the audience have a good time.

This entry to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast features five Scouts from the 1998 show performing an old favorite, "Singing In The Rain". I am sure you are very familiar with the song, but are you familiar with the actions that go with it during a Boy Scout campfire program? It is great fun to have the audience stand up and perform this song with the leaders. Try it yourself. It could be quite interesting to do this song at your next pack meeting or troop weekend camping trip.

Just for your information, it has been ten years since this skit was filmed with a vhs camera. These boys are now close to finishing college. One has even served his country over in Iraq. Gosh, where does the time go?

Download Podcast
or Watch the Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

MSPP #29: The Song Never Ends

What is the main reason that boys join Scouting? Is it to earn advancement? Probably not. Is it to learn how to tie knots? I doubt it. Do they join to learn to skills? Maybe, but I do not think that is the real reason. Do they join Scouting to have fun? Bingo! Give the man a cigar.

Boy Scouts like to have a good time, even more then adults do. When they are with their friends they can sometimes get downright silly. That is what happened on fall camping trip in 2003. While sitting around the Saturday night campfire a few members from the Hawks Patrol thought it would be funny to sign the "Song That Never Ends". And it didn't. For nearly twenty minutes they kept signing the song, with other Scouts joining in as the minutes added up.

A Scout had a "great" idea. Wouldn't this be a great joke/song to sign during the troop's annual Laughs for Lunch Show? The audience would not know what to think. I know what they audience would think, I thought to myself. They will think the Scouts have gone mad.

When the time came to plan the show's agenda a few months later I thought that maybe they would forget about this song that never ends. They did not. In fact, they decided to open the show with the song. A few Scouts wanted to sign it for fifteen minutes, like they did around the campfire. I vetoed that idea, however, we came up with a plan to sign it for a few minutes and then remove the Scouts one by one from the stage, to give the impression that the song was going to end. By force.

Today's addition to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast is the video of that song performance. I thought it went pretty well, and that the Scouts did a great job with it. It is a great example of how Scouts can be silly, have a good time, and share that good time with other people. What silly thing has your troop done lately?

Download Podcast
or Watch the Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

MSPP #28: The Mad Scientist Skit

The Mad Scientist Skit was a favorite of the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 for several years. It became a recurring skit in the troop's yearly Laughs For Lunch Show. The Scouts had a lot of fun with it and tried to change it a little bit each year.

This is a story about a mad scientist who has plans to take over the world! Of course, he has created a monster (like the Frankenstein monster) who will assist in his plans of world conquest. As he is finishing his plans, people begin knocking on his door. The scientist does not want to be disturbed so he uses his monster to take care of the unwanted visitors. Of course, by the end of the skit we discover that things do not go according to the mad scientist's plans.

The troop changes the visitors who come knocking at the door from year to year. Of course, there is the Girl Scout selling cookies, or the Boy Scout selling popcorn. We usually do three visitors during the skit. In this video, the skit does not end when you think it does. The Scouts added one little feature that carried over into the next act during the show.

We appreciate reading your comments, so please take a minute to write one.

Download Podcast
or Watch the Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

MSPP #27: Buttons in "Rec Room Tour"

Buttons, that radical Boy Scout, has taken on a life of his own during the past year. He sure knows his Boy Scout stuff, although he has a thing or two to learn about Cub Scouting yet. He has shown us how to stay in shape, and how to know if we are a real Boy Scout. He has even got a bit opinionated at times.

Take this video, for example. He takes a tour of the scoutmaster's basement recreation room, pointing out things of interest along the way. He talks about the book collection, the patch collection, and the mug collection. But then, he starts to make fun of the scoutmaster, even going so far as to call him a "white and nerdy" dude! Now I ask you, "Is this fair? Is this alright with those of you who watch these videos?" After all, what is wrong with playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons now and then? Who can deny that Star Wars is a great movie?

Watch it, meditate about it, and then leave a message as to what you think of it.

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

PTC Media Contest

The folks at PTC Media (http://ptcmedia.net), the home of four Scouting-related podcasts, are conducting a contest that you can enter to win prizes. And it costs you nothing other then a few minutes of your time.

To enter the drawing you need to find the five sites of the PTC Media shows in the iTunes music store, and then leave a comment about the show(s). The shows are Akela's Adventure, An Hour A Week, The Leader's Campfire, and Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (your favorite, I know.) The PTC Media also has its own site (click HERE) from which all four podcasts can be found. You will need an iTunes account to participate.

You may also enter the contest by leaving a comment on one of the feeds located at Digg.com.

PTC Media will take the names of people who leave a comment during the next few weeks, throw them into a hat, and draw out a name for the prizes. You can enter the contest up to five times by leaving a comment at each of the five sites on iTunes. There will be four drawings, each corresponding to the "feedback" show of The Leader's Campfire.

I have donated two dvd-r's to each of the contest prize packages. The first contains nearly twenty Scouting commercials and promotional videos about Scouting. The second is a dvd-r of several of the early Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, videos. The other podcasters will also be donating prizes to the winner's package.

Do not wait too long to comment about the shows and register for the drawing. Time is running out! Do it today!

BSA Podcasts

The BSA has started a couple podcasts that may be of interest to you. One is called Cubcast and features audio podcasts with Cub Scouting interests. The second is called National Commissioner's Podcast and is done by Don Belcher. The commissioner's podcast can also be found on iTunes, but I cannot find the Cubcast listed in the music store's podcast listings. I hope that they will start a Boy Scout and a Venture Scout podcast soon.

It looks like the national office is beginning to take the internet a little more seriously and starting to make use of it. I wonder if the BSA's new leadership has anything to do with it?

Do not forget to check out the Scouting podcasts at PTC Media. There are three audio podcasts and one video podcast on this network. PTC Media can be found at http://www.ptcmedia.net/ and at the iTunes music store.

By the way, if anyone at the national office reads this blog, would you contact me? I have a few questions for you regarding your videos. Thanks.

Boy Scouts in Seattle Special Program

I have not had the opportunity to steer you to many Scouting related video podcasts, but I found one today I think you should take a look at. It is about a special Boy Scout troop in Seattle that ... Well, I think I will quote what is on the site.

'Rev. James / Women’s Prison Purdy Women’s Correctional Facility Seattle, Washington December 2006 Scouting Serves Sons of Incarcerated Mothers “If not for the Scouting program, most of these mothers might not see their sons at all during their incarceration.” '

It looks like an awesome program that really helps the boys and their mothers. It is a great example of how Scouting can benefit a community. You can see the video HERE. While you are on the site be sure to leave a comment and DIGG it.

MSPP #26: You Know You Are A Boy Scout When... Part 2

When do you know you are a Boy Scout? Is it when you attain the Tenderfoot rank? Is it when you have spent your first night in a tent, away from home, in the middle of the forest? Is it when you lash your first 80' high signal tower?

Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, returns with a second video for the Melrose Scouting Production Podcast to explain "You Know You Are A Boy Scout When..." In this video he talks about internet chat rooms, packing for the camping trip, setting up your tent, and poison ivy.

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.

Do not forget to go to the iTunes music store and leave a comment for this podcast and the other podcasts of PTC Media. When you leave a comment for each of the shows you will be entered in a drawing for some great Scouting stuff. PTC media plans to hold four drawings during the next couple months and the only way to register is to post comments on iTunes. Good luck!

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

Scouting Videos

Yeah. It is true. I like to collect videos about Scouting. I like to make videos about Scouting. I like putting these videos online for the whole world to see.

There are three sites that I regularly post videos online: Youtube, the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast, and our troop's website. Youtube presents the videos easily to the world viewing audience. The podcast allows anyone with a computer to download the videos. I consider the troop's site to be the archive of the videos. The troop site contains more of my videos then the other two sites.

The videos on the Troop 68 site have been divided into six headings. The first is "Songs, skits, and other stuff". This heading features the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 performing campfire songs and skits during their annual Laughs For Lunch Show. Videos from summer camp programs can also be found here.

The next heading is the "Activity Videos". This is where I have placed the videos of trips to Philmont, the 2001 National Jamboree, and other troop events.

The "Yearly Reviews" futures slide shows of several years of the troop's activities. So far there are only six of the twenty-seven years represented, but the goal is to get one made for each year.

The "Eagle Scout Videos" features slide shows of each troop member who has attained Scouting's highest rank since the 1980's. The videos include pictures from their years as a Scout in Melrose.

The "Promotional Videos and Commercials" is where you will find the videos produced by the national office and a couple councils. These are not videos that I made, they are videos I have collected over the last twenty years. So far, know one from the national office has asked me to remove them. I hope they don't. I think it is great for people to still see these videos, most of which can no longer be found easily.

The final heading is where the videos of Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, can be found. These videos have been fun to make, although they do have there own special challenges to film. I have been very pleased to see a small fan base develop for Buttons. It seems that fans include anyone from Cub Scouts to adult Scouters. As Buttons would say, "Awesome, dude!"

The troop's site currently contains sixty-nine videos. More videos will be posted as they become available. In fact, a new video starring Buttons should be posted this weekend. Watch for it.

I would like to take a moment to thank David H., a former member of the troop. Dave has provided the troop with its website, along with plenty of space to put all these videos which eat up a lot of bandwidth. The troop's website would not be possible without David's generosity. Thanks David!

MSPP #25: Frisbee Follies, A Summer Camp Adventure

Here is a bit of a treat for you. I dug into the video vaults of Troop 68 and pulled out this little gem. Frisbee Follies, A Summer Camp Adventure was one of the first videos made by the Scouts of Troop 68. The Scouts made it during their week-long stay at Many Point Scout Camp in 1988. It was filmed with a vhs video camera almost twenty years ago, thus it is grainier then new digital footage would be.

The footage was filmed during two afternoons. The Scouts and I made up a rough outline of the plot (of which I admit there is not much of one), grabbed the camera and started shooting. It was pretty much filmed in order, and many scenes were sort-of made up as we filmed them. I was the director, cameraman, and editor. I learned a few things while putting this video together, like music in the background of a couple shots would have been nice.

The basic plot was to see how we could eliminate the frisbee players one by one through various mishaps as they chased a frisbee across the camp. I will admit that a couple eliminations where a bit on the weak side, some of the chase scenes are a bit dull, but a few shots turned out better then we could have ever hoped for. My favorites are the monkey bridge and the tether ball mishaps. Just to let you know, no Scouts were harmed during the filming of this project. It just looks that way. If fact, when we saw the footage ourselves the first time, we were amazed that no one was hurt.

I hope you enjoy this first attempt at producing a short film. We did it for ourselves, but we also played it on our local television cable access channel. Let me know what you think about it. Have my videos gotten worse, or better? You be the judge.

Download Video Podcast
Watch Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

MSPP #24: Buckskin Camp Staff Sings

Some of the best things about attending summer camp are the campfire programs at the beginning and the end of the week. The 2007 staff of Buckskin Camp of Many Point Scout Camp did an excellent job of keeping everyone entertained during this summer's opening campfire program. Due to a rain storm that happened to wonder into camp that evening, we had to have the program in the dining hall. The location did not damper the spirit of any of the Scouts, leaders, or staff. Everyone had a great time.

This video of the Melrose Scouting Production Podcast features the Buckskin Staff singing a song about Scouting as the campfire program came to a close. I do not know what the song is titled, but it is a great song that includes the twelve points of the Scout Law. It is a catchy little tune and I find myself humming it while I write this blog entry. Enjoy it and tell your friends about this podcast.

Download Video Podcast
Watch Video on the troop's website.
Subscribe through iTunes.
Digg it!

</