I've had fun playing with different patch designs and going back and forth with a shirt company. But with staff week a little more than a month from now I have to pull the trigger and make the call. Unfortunately, one company that I spent a lot of time working with fell through. So Wednesday I'm going to drive down...Read More
Growing up in the 1980s I really wanted to have my own comic book shop. I had the collecting bug pretty bad and at one time had several dozen long boxes full of comics that I had either purchased from the store or bought out friends when they were ready to sell. Sound familiar? It wasn't until my Junior year...Read More
I doubt it's a well kept secret that most of the big eBay dealers in our hobby have multiple accounts. For years I've done this myself. Some guys are very patient and only list items when eBay hands out 100 or 500 free listings at random times during the month. The most extreme version I think I've heard of is...Read More
This past weekend I was too zonked after returning from our pack camping trip to get out a newsletter. We had over 100 people attend the trip including a big mix of boy and girl cubs. One of the treats for the weekend (besides the perfect weather) was the local shooting sports committee allowed us to get in some BB...Read More
I've been working with my graphic artist friend and the patch company to nail down exactly what we need for camp. With about 6 weeks until campers arrive this is crunch time. My other curve ball is this summer we are rolling out a new model of program where we have 15 different tracks a Scout can take at camp....Read More
So apparently one camp had a tradition called "Throwback Thursday" where the camp staff would wear vintage uniforms that day only. At my camp we typically are only in Class A (can I still call it that?) at the evening meal. So outfitting the whole staff in those classic green shirts and shorts just might be possible with what I...Read More
Dale Blomberg wrote back that he would like to see a show that covers a database program for keeping inventory of your collection. Ironically about 5+ years ago I met a very smart guy at the Dallas TOR who had almost perfected a very good system. I don't think he ever brought it to market. I suspect he was trying...Read More
I prefer not to go back to the well and interview folks that have been on the show before unless they have something totally new to share. I listen to a lot of podcasts that do that but they usually have a show every week so eventually they have to circle back familiar faces. I know there are some veterans...Read More
This weekend was pretty stormy in the south and we got our share of rain on this trip. Saturday morning especially everything got a good soaking. But we were able to still complete the planned orienteering course and hike close to 6 miles total after the rain paused. At the end of the month my next unit camping trip will...Read More
The NC Cardinal Conclave will have upwards of 1200+ arrowmen attending this weekend from just 6 lodges. One of the really unique ways they get this kind of participation is by having an online registration. Instead of going through each individual lodge with arbitrary cut-off dates they have allowed people to sign up as recently as last week. Sure the...Read More
Another plug for building relationships going to TORs. This weekend I connected someone from NC looking for some really vintage stuff. I sent him to Woody Woodruff who specializes in the really good old stuff. Afterwards the collector said thanks Woody told him that's the kind of stuff that doesn't show up for sale on eBay but you have to...Read More
I really only slowed down enough one time to take pictures of the action. Friday night we had 22 Scouts take Collections merit badge. Special thanks to our counselor Stuart Tucker who opened up the class to all comers and got a big crowd. The concessions were handled by our new Scouts BSA girl troop and Russell Smart commented privately...Read More
Thursday night we got the fellowship hall set up with the 100 tables for the event. With this being a pack sponsored fundraiser we had a team of adult volunteers that made light work. This morning I will soon be back at it getting my tables set up and welcoming the table vendors who will start rolling in after lunch....Read More
My show and tell item for the talk was a square merit badge sash. I told them that their great grandfather could have worn this sash then looked at some of the older Scoutmasters in the room and asked them if the sash looked familiar. :) My giveaway item for this group was merit badge pamphlets with a TOR card...Read More
For better or worse at the last two Crossroads of America TORs (Indy) I ended up buying all their uniform pieces at the end of the show for a good deal. As a kid I can remember how all my OA buddies thought it was cool in the late 1980s to have a vintage green uniform shirt. On camp staff...Read More