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!"

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Campfire Songs and Skits

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 have had a lot of fun performing at campfires over the years. They have been doing it since attending summer camp at Crow Wing Scout Camp in 1981. Then in 1996, they began doing a yearly campfire-style show for the community that they call Laughs For Lunch.

The performances have really improved over the years. During that first summer camp in 1981 the troop sang a country music song called Running Bear. The only change the troop made to the song was to substitute camp staff names for Running Bear and Little White Dove. We did nothing very fancy, just stood in front of the campfire and sang the song for the campers, but the Scouts loved it. I think we embarrassed the male staffer we picked on though, although the female staffer thought it was funny.

The next year the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 wanted to do better. We rewrote the lyrics to The Battle of New Orleans, and created a song we called The Battle of Plenty Coup, named after our campsite at Crow Wing. Instead of a song about battling the British, our song was about battling the mosquitoes. The troop was invited to perform the song at the Friday night closing campfire. Imagine our surprise when we received a standing ovation! We were all grinning from ear to ear as we returned to our seats.

The performing bug had bit us! We were determined to sing again at the closing campfire the next year. We wrote the Battle of Plenty Coup, Part 2. This time we battled the staff instead of the bugs. Once again, it was a hit with that week's campers.

During the following years we created more songs, and even developed a few skits. Our repotour began to grow. The troop began performing at camporees and other Scout gatherings. By the late 1980's Troop 68 had become well know throughout the district and council.

Scouts and other leaders began asking us for the words to the songs we created, and the scripts to the skits. When I began forming the idea for a troop website I thought this would present a great way to share these songs and skits with other units. I posted them into two categories. The first was our troop's original songs and skits. The second included our favorites that we had picked up over the years.

You can check out these songs and skits by going to our troop website at http://melrosetroop68.org/campfirestuff.html
We also have a lot of songs and skits videotaped that can be seen at our troop's video site:
http://melrosetroop68.org/videos.html

So tell me, does your troop (or pack) like to perform songs or skits at meetings or campfire programs? What are their favorites?

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.

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Laughs For Lunch Show 2008: Part 2

There is less then two weeks left to prepare for this year's Laughs For Lunch Show, a community show put on by the Boy Scouts of Troop 68. (I have discovered that Scouts in some other countries call this type of show a "gang show".) As the scoutmaster of the troop, I find myself in the position of producer and director.

As the producer I work with other people to arrange the facilities, make sure we have the props and gear needed, and get the word out to community. I write the releases for the local newspapers and cable television stations. I also arrange to have the show videotaped to be broadcast over one of the local stations.

My job as the director begins a month before the show when I meet with several Scouts to plan the show's format. The boys will discuss dozens of songs and skits. Then they begin to narrow them down to the ones they think should be in this year's production. Finally, they decide the actual agenda. My job is to keep them moving forward and on track, to answer questions they have, to explain new songs or skits, and get in one or two things I would like to see included. We plan the show similar to the way we plan our yearly program.

As the director, things can get pretty interesting during practices. I have to try to keep the Scouts focused, which is always a challenge with teenagers. I also help the boys understand what needs to be done during the skit. That means I may be on stage acting out a skit or singing a song with the Scouts. I sometimes think the Scouts find me amusing when I am acting out the various roles.

During the show I am backstage making sure the Scouts are ready to go out on stage when they need to. I will also find myself on stage introducing a skit or even performing with the boys. This year I will find myself on stage without the Scouts as I lead the audience in a wild version of the song Vista.

I always enjoy working with the Boy Scouts as we prepare for the show. It is challenging. It can be a little stressful. But overall, it is always fun.

Laughs For Lunch Show 2008: Part 1

Two practices are done, and there are only two more to go as the Boy Scouts prepare for this year's Laughs For Lunch Show. I can not help but think that there are only eight Scouts this year to perform in a show that used to take over thirty Scouts to do.

For those of you who may be new to this blog, the Laughs For Lunch Show is an annual campfire-style show done for the community by the Boy Scouts of Troop 68. The boys perform various songs and skits during the ninety minute production. Many of the videos seen on the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast feature performances from these shows.

The show is open to the public. Family, friends, and families from surrounding troops and packs who are looking for an evening of live entertainment attend the show. People have traveled over one hundred miles to attend the shows. The troop does not charge anything, but we do ask that people bring an item for the local food shelf. Thus we provide the laughs, and the audience provides the lunch for the needy in our area.

I affectionately call this year's show our "gross out" show. The Scouts have included skits and songs as "My Dead Dog Rover", "God Bless My Underwear", and the Ice Fisherman skit. Of course, they will be doing a few troop favorites like The Movie Skit and the Mad Scientist Skit. Nearly thirty songs and skits are part of this year's program.

The troop uses its three January meeting to practice. The meetings are two hours long instead of the usual ninety minutes. The fourth and final practice takes place during the afternoon before the evening performance. Many of the skits only get practiced twice, and a couple will only get one quick run-through. I have been amazed each year that we can put together a show of this scale with only four practices. It proves how dedicated the Scouts are to this show.

Do we make mistakes during the show? Of course! Does it matter? Not usually. The best thing about doing campfire songs and skits is that you can usually work a mistake right into the skit. Adlibbing is part of the process. We do not take ourselves so seriously that we forget to have fun with the show.

As the scoutmaster I also serve as the producer and director of the show, but do not let that fool you. After the Scouts get comfortable with a skit they begin to change it, add to it, and make it their own. They are always trying new things. During the last practice the boys were constantly making each other break out laughing as they tried various adlibs. It is surprising how many of them will be finding their way into the show. One thing I like about our shows is how we combine pieces of various skits within other skits. For example, the Scouts will be using characters from the Bellringer skit, the Mad Scientist skit, and the Group Jump skit during the Trip To Hell skit. I think it adds a nice continuity to the show.

We still have a lot of work to do during our remaining practices, but I am confident that the Scouts will do their best to once again entertain the audience when the curtains open on Saturday, January 26th.

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?

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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?

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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.

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MSPP #23: The Candy Store Skit

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 enjoy performing in front of an audience. That is why they have done the annual Laughs For Lunch Show for eleven years. The Scouts also enjoy watching and being a part of campfire programs during camporees and summer camp. That is where they get many of the ideas, skits, and songs that they perform.

During the 2002 Laughs For Lunch Show two of our older Scouts did the Candy Store skit. This skit has been a popular one for the Scouts of Troop 68 since they first saw it performed at a summer camp campfire in the 1980's. During this version of the skit, Jacob and Enrico, the two Scouts, decided to have a little extra fun with it. They knew this was probably the last time they would perform the Candy Store as Boy Scouts.

I think the two guys had planned a surprise before they went out on the stage. I believe they already had the "volunteers" in mind they would choose to be in the skit. The horsie ride was a new addition to the skit that we had never done before. Enrico chose his father to play that part. Jacob's mother became the cash register. The part of the bench/counter that "broke down" was a buddy of theirs who had earned the rank of Eagle Scout. All the volunteers except one had already seen the skit and knew the punchline, but they were great sports about it and went along with the fun.

Have fun watching this podcast. It is a longer one, over eleven minutes, but I think you will enjoy it. Have your Scouts watch and practice it for their next campfire program.

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MSPP #20: The Echo System Skit

In 1996 the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 held their first Laughs For Lunch Show. There have been quite a few since then, eleven in all. The boys have a great time doing them, and the audience seems to have a lot of fun watching the shows.

This video is part of that very first show. It is the Echo System skit, which is one of the oldest skits in Scouting. At least I think it is an old skit. It has been one of the favorites of the troop's, and very easy for the younger Scouts to learn. In this version we used a "remote control" to turn the echo system on and off.

One thing that always scares me a little when the boys do this skit is that I never know what line they will come up with for the punchline. It often changes from performance to performance. But that is okay, as long as they keep it clean.

Enjoy it and let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
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MSPP #19: The Many Point Scout Camp Rouser 2007

The summer camp season is over. Troops have gone home, adult leaders have gone back to work, and the Boy Scouts are preparing for school to begin. By now the many young adults who spend their summers as camp staff have also gone home. Many of them are preparing for another year of college.

The staff at the Buckskin Camp of Many Point Scout Camp in Minnesota did an excellent job this year. They were hard working, always cheerful, and ready to assist any of the Boy Scout campers who needed a little extra help. The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 attended camp during July 15-21 and had a great time, mainly due to the wonderful camp staff.

So, this post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast is dedicated to the hard working summer camp staff. This video features the Buckskin staff at the week's opening campfire program singing the Many Point Rouser. You may notice that we are inside the dining hall during the campfire program. We like to stay dry when we can. I like the way the staff is so fired up and ready for a good time. That attitude spread among the Scouts like wildfire.

Enjoy it and let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
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MSPP #18: The Movie Skit

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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Song for the Wet Campsite

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?"

Time for Summer Camp

It is that time of year. Time to pack up and head out to a week of summer camp with the boys from Boy Scout Troop 68. Once again we will be attending Many Point Scout Camp located in northern Minnesota near Pondsford. The troop will be heading out Sunday morning and getting back early Saturday afternoon. This also means that there will not be many blog entries added during the coming week. I will be in the middle of nowhere without internet access. Not that that would matter anyway because I do not own a laptop. I do plan to bring pad and paper to camp to write blog entries while sitting around the campsite, sipping on root beer and eating marshmallows.

I think the troop has attended Many Point Scout Camp for nearly 20 years. The boys have a great time there. The staff is fantastic and work well with the boys. We stay in Buckskin Camp, so we get to eat in the dining hall, which also means I will be eating better this coming week then I do at home. (Keep in mind that I am single.) I will probably gain a few pounds while at camp, which is something I really do not want to do. Oh, if I could just keep my hands off the homemade Granny Bread!

During the early stays at Many Point, Troop 68 was at the height of its campfire song creation phase. The boys and scoutmaster (me) would take songs and change the words to make campfire songs out of them. After staying at Many Point a few times we decided to create a song about the camp. We wrote the following lyrics based on the Village People's "YMCA" song. It became a hit the first time we performed it at the Friday night closing campfire. We have repeated the performance a few times over the years.

Interested in what the lyrics are? Well, lucky you. I decided to post them here just for your enjoyment. I bet you may be singing them to yourself before you are done reading the last verse.

MPSC
(sung to the tune YMCA)

1) Young man, When you need to get out,
I said, young man, get away from the crowds.
I said, young man, don't just sit there and pout.
Get up and camp with the Boy Scouts.

That's where, you can shoot 22's.
I said, that's where, there's always something to do.
I said, that's where, you can eats lots of stew,
get belly aches and turn shades of blue.

(Refrain)
It's fun to go to the M.P.S.C. You've got to go to the M.P.S.C.
You can tie a few knots, you can cook your own meal,
You can do whatever you feel.

M.P.S.C. You've got to go to the M.P.S.C.
Young man, young man, don't just sit on your tail.
Young man, young man, get yourself on the trail.


2) Voyagers, is the place you should be
if you want to, cook your food as you please.
Then there's Ten Chiefs, out among all the trees,
without a shower facility.

Buck Skin, is the camp where you call
patrol members, to eat in the dining hall.
Project Cope is, the place where you do it all
even experience free fall.


3) Young man, the bathrooms are quite unique.
I said, young man, wait till you get a peek.
I said, young man, it's the place that you seek
When you can't wait any longer.

Then there's, the bedroom facilities
Where you can get, a bit caught up on your zzz’s
Where the canvas, let's in all the bugs and fleas
Unless you've got mosquito netting.

(Are you singing yet?)

MSPP #15: The Ice Fishing Skit

Boy Scout Troop 68's Laughs For Lunch Show has become a yearly tradition in Melrose. The Scouts, parents, and community have a great time during every performance. I have had every show video taped and played on our community access television station. Now, with current technology, I can post the best of the these shows on the internet for people outside of our community to watch and enjoy. The troop's website and the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP), in addition to YouTube, has been a great way to get these videos out to the public.

This week's post to the MSPP is one of my favorite skits, Ice Fishing. When it is done well. And the guys did this skit well during the 2005 show. Nathan and Josh had a great time and made up the "Fisherman 2000" while on stage. They knew each other very well through their years of school and Scouting, and could play off each with ease. Jeff did a good job playing the young fisherman.

The skit features two older gentlemen who go ice fishing but do not have any luck catching the fish. A young boy arrives on the scene, starts fishing nearby, and begins catches a lot of fish. Of course, this drives the older guys crazy and they begin to hassle the young boy. Watch it, I am sure you will enjoy it.

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MSPP #14: The Furniture Store

For eleven years the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 have done a community stage show they have named "Laughs For Lunch". This nearly two hour campfire-style show features the Scouts performing skits and songs for the audience. The public is invited and asked to bring an item of food as their admission to the show. All the food donated goes to the local food shelf. We provide the laughs, the audience provides the food, thus the name of the show. Clever, huh?

Each year there are songs or skits that stand out as being audience favorites. During the 2006 show the troop performed the "Furniture Store" skit for the first time. Sergio and Josh, the Scouts chosen to perform the skit, only had time during the meetings to practice it twice. I was not very worried about how they would do though. Both of them had done several shows by this time and they were comfortable at improvising during skits. Little did I or the rest of the troop know how well they would do during the show.

The skit is about a person opening a new furniture store. He choses people from the audience to act as furniture. Each "piece of furniture" has its own characteristics. The person choosing as the "oak table" becomes the punch line of the skit. Before Sergio went out on stage to begin the skit I asked him to choose our district executive, who happened to be in the audience, to be the oak table.

You could not have asked for the skit to go any better then it did. Sergio seemed to choose all the right people to play the pieces of furniture, and the furniture volunteers did a great job living up to their roles. The audience really enjoyed themselves.

This is the first of several videos from the yearly Laughs For Lunch Shows that will be a part of the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP). I hope you enjoy them as well as the audiences did when they watched the Scouts do them live.

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Campfire Show - Laughs For Lunch

The idea was first discussed in the fall of 1994 (I think). The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 had decided it was time to do a campfire-style program for the local community. The troop had become known in the council for performing at campfire programs. The boys thought it would be a good idea to show people outside of Scouting what they could do.

The school auditorium was reserved for a Saturday in late January, 1995. A few of the boys got together in December to plan an agenda for the program. Various ideas for songs and skits were discussed. The boys chose many of their favorites, but also added several they had not done before. After the songs and skits were chosen the boys decided the order of the performances. They also talked about how to advertise the program. It was decided to place posters around town and in school, and get some coverage in the local newspaper and the local public access television station.

By the time they finished their planning, the troop had a show that would be nearly two hours long. That included a ten minute intermission.

The decision was made not to charge admission. However, people would be asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the local food shelf. Thus, the show was named "Laughs For Lunch". The audience would provide the lunch for the needy in exchange for the Boy Scouts providing the laughs. Hopefully.

Our three meetings in January were used to practice for the show. The meetings were lengthened from our usually one and a half hours to two hours long. Since many of the songs and skits we had already performed at campfires we just needed to practice them a little to polish them up. However, the new skits needed a little more work.

I, the scoutmaster, became the director of the show. After our three practices I began to wonder if we could really pull this off well. I was thinking we could use another couple of meetings to get the kinks worked out. Alas, we were out of time.

Saturday night had arrived. It was time for the show. Approximately one hundred people were sitting in the audience. The boys were excited, and a little nervous. I have to admit, I was too. I was the master of ceremonies. I would also be performing with the Scouts in a few of the songs and skits.

The curtain opened. The show began. And so did the laughs. The audience had a great time. So did the Scouts. The show was a success!

This year we held our tenth "Laughs For Lunch Show". We now hold four practices instead of three. People still enjoy coming to the shows, and we have had a lot of fun doing them. The boys receive a lot of compliments after the shows. I think the best part of the show is seeing the smiles on the Scouts when they realize they have done well.

Some of the skits from the Laughs For Lunch Show can be scene on this troop's website at http://www.melrosetroop68.org/campfirestuff.html

A Campfire Goof-Up

In previous posts I have writen about the Scouts of Troop 68 performing at campfire programs. Usually, the Scout do quite well and everyone has a good time.

But not everything always goes as planned....

We travel back in time to the mid 1980's....

We arrive at Crow Wing Scout Camp in Minnesota. It is Wednesday night and the area campfire programs have begun. A young patrol from Troop 68 walks to the front of the campfire to perform the song "I Wish I Was A Boy Scout." They have practiced. They are ready to perform.

The patrol starts singing the refrain, and then things begin to fall apart. As the boys act out the song one Scout forgets his lines. The Scout next to him tries to whisper to him to help him out but the whisper is loud enough for everyone to hear. Another Scout does the wrong actions to his verse. One Scout starts to sing off beat to the rest of the patrol. Before the song reaches the fourth of the six verses the skit is beyond saving.

But the Scouts and leaders watching the performance are laughing hysterically. The harder the young Scouts try to do things right, the more they screw up, and the funnier the song becomes. The laughter drowns out the other sounds around the campfire ring.

The boys of the young patrol are feeling terrible as the sit down with their troop. How could they have messed up that badly? But guess what, the best was yet to come.

One song or skit from each of the three area campfires held that night will be chosen to be a part of the Friday night closing campfire program. The Scout campers of this area laughed so hard during the "I Wish I Was A Boy Scout" song that they chose the young Troop 68 patrol to be in the Friday night program.

During the next two days the young Scouts work hard to perfect the song and actions. It actually looks pretty good Friday afternoon.

Friday night has arrived. The young patrol is ready. They are called down to perform their song...

and it is Wednesday night all over again...

and once again the audience roars with its laughter.

The young patrol members feel bad about screwing up for the second time. But you know what? Who cares? The Scouts from the various troops and the camp's staff enjoyed the song, the patrol members did their best, and everyone goes back to their campsites with a smile on their face.

The Scout Oath states, "On my honor, I will do my best..." That's all anyone can ever ask of you. And sometimes, your best might even be better then perfection could ever be.

Campfire skits and Adlibbing

The Boy Scouts of Troop 68, of which I am the scoutmaster, have been entertaining Scouts and families with their campfire songs and skits for nearly 25 years. The boys, and myself, have had a lot of fun doing them. And I hope they have learned a few things along the way.

One of the skills I hope they learn is what I like to call adlibbing. Anyone who has been invloved with a campfire program needs to know how to adlib. After all, something is bound to go wrong during the program and a person needs to know how to cover for the forgotten line or the mistake that was made.

Here is an example of Scouts not knowing how to adlib....

Troop 68 attended summer camp at Crow Wing Scout Camp during the 80's and early 90's. On Wednesday nights the camp would hold area campfires involving 4-5 troops. Each patrol was supposed to do a song or skit. One or two skits and/or songs would be chosen from these area campfires to be in the Friday night closing campfire program.

One year, two boys from another troop got up to do the "Ugliest Man in the World" skit. One boy would be the caller and the other boy would put a towel over his head and be the ugliest man in the world. I had seen this skit done so often that I had actually started to dislike it. But, it was an easy and popular skit for Scouts to perform, just like the "Lawnmower" skit.

Several boys from my troop turned to look at me and ask me if they could volunteer to be called up to look at the ugliest man in the world. I had my suspicions as to what they had in mind to do but I nodded my head and said to go for it. It happened that one of my Scouts, Tim, was called up to be the "last" person to look at the ugliest man in the world.

Now, if you know how the skit works, you know that the last person called up to look under the towel will not join the earlier volunteers who have "fainted" after looking at the ugly man. No, this time the ugly man falls to the ground and the other Scout of the skit will declare the last volunteer to be the new ugliest man in the world.

Needless to say, things did not go as planned for the two boys doing the skit. When Tim got up to the ugly man he looked under the towel and immediately dropped to the ground before the ugly man had a chance to fall to the ground himself. The two boys just stood there. They did not know what to do. Finally, when the boy who was not the ugly one said "That was not supposed to happen," the audience roared with laughter. An old skit suddenly had a new and unplanned ending.

In one way, I felt sorry for the two boys who had done the skit. Tim's little prank had messed up their rehearsed skit. But you know, the one boy only needed to call up one more volunteer to make things appear to be alright. An opportunity to adlib had been missed.

I have always told the Scouts of Troop 68 to keep going and work around any mistakes made during songs and skits. (I have even made several of my own over the years.) If you do not draw attention to the mistake most people will not catch on that a mistake has been made. Sometimes the adlib will even make the skit or song funnier. I know that has been the case several times during Troop 68 performances.

So next time you are doing a skit or song at a campfire and goof up, keep going, work around it, and have fun. After all, that is part of what Scouting is about... just having fun.