Full Metal Jacket

Occoneechee Lodge 104's "First Metal Flap" M-1.

Lodge 104 Metal Flap released as limited addition M-1 to commemorate the Lodge's 70th Anniversary.

I ran across this item yesterday. It looks like metal pin type flaps may be a popular thing in the future. I'm not sure if I like them, heck I don't care for ghost patches, but if the "Indians" like it and make it, I'll buy some.

A Time To Learn

There had been some rumors that our University of Scouting might not happen, due to low numbers, but after Monday's mail, this annual event will go as planned.

I'm glad too! U of S is a great time and every leader, new or old, needs to go. The Den Chief Training is wonderful. Of course our LLD will be awesome.

Plus, we get the bonus of seeing Hugh B. Hall receiving his Wood Badge beads. Hooray!

Another Old DE

Will Watts has decided to leave the profession and return to his family's printing business. His last day will be November 15.

I hate to see Will leave and after talking to him this morning, he hates leaving too. He has done a good job here in the "Hills" and has plans to go out on top.

He will continue to live in McDowell. Maybe we can get him to be a volunteer and put in that proverbial 1 hour a week?

COC Meeting

Mr. Watts, Don, HoggMan, Billy Z., Anthony K., and I took off Friday evening to camp out in the Hyatt Place non-primitive camping facility in Hendersonville, TN. I believe Mr. Watts said it correctly. "This place is above my raising!" Each room had a sitting area, huge plasma TV, kitchen, and all of the fixings. (We paid for our own rooms).

We all got up on time, had a quick bite, and traveled to Boxwell Scout Reservation and saw a bunch of deer and a flock of turkeys. (Don't ask about the albino turkeys we saw)!

All of the Lodges from our Section SR-6N were represented to plan, prepare, and discuss our up coming Conclave. I was prepared for the worst, but it really was a great meeting and a lot of items got concreted.

Bottom line is the 2008 Conclave (Camp Mac Morris, Jackson, TN) is going to be awesome and our guys did great. It was a long drive, but I learned something and I think our youth leaders did too.

England Fundraiser

NEARLY 100 people turned up to a German Beer evening (England) in celebration of 100 years of Scouting.

Fears that the rugby World Cup final between England and South Africa would lead to low numbers were quashed as scores of beer lovers flocked to the event on Saturday night, organised by the leaders of the 24th Ipswich Scouts.

Special bottles of beer, specially labelled BP Ale, after Baden Powell, the Scout's founder, were created to mark the anniversary of the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island in 1907.

The limited edition bottles were only on sale at the event at Westbourne Sports College, Marlow Road, Ipswich, due to licensing laws. All the money raised from their sales will go towards purchasing transport for the scouts in the Sproughton Road area.

Stewart Bethell, group scout leader, said: "It went really well. The rugby did affect us a bit but we still had 92 people turn up and we sold nine cases of BP ale which is great. "I haven't worked out how much we have raised yet but if we did well, then the committee would like to do another event like this next year."

To all of my mates across the pond, good idea, but we couldn't mix Scouting and alcohol over here.

A C 5

Arrow Corps 5 is taking sign ups, if you haven't heard? HA HA!

You can take your pick or go to all 5 next summer. Missouri, Utah, Virginia, California, and Wyoming await your application.

We have several members of Kawida Lodge going. There is even talk about making a special AC5 flap. Imagine that!

The National Order of the Arrow Conference will be in 2009 in Indiana. The 100th Anniversary of Scouting celebrations and National Jamboree in 2010.

Start saving up! Oh, don't forget the next World Jamboree in Sweden and another NOAC in 2011. Any suggestions for 2012?

Winter Banquet

If you dig through the depths of our Council's web site you might get lucky and find a reservation form for our O.A. Winter Banquet. I looked on the Lodge web site and didn't see it there yet?

December 1 is the date. Cost is $25.00 and you get a free limited number flap if you preregister before November 23.

800 Unit Numbers

I received a nice new Troop neckerchief yesterday. Fine looking piece of cloth! I'll be on the look out for some Scouts wearing it.

Ever wonder why so many of our Troops and Packs are 800 numbered units here in the "Hills"?

The reason is that way back, after the Lonesome Pine Council merged with the Blue Grass, we were the 8th District and they focused all of their new unit numberings to begin in the 800 range. Now there were some old units like 10, 12, and 27 that didn't convert and it was a big mess, but no one wanted to give up their old number.

So any way, welcome new Troop 859 from Lexington! We'll make you honorary members of the great Lonesome Pine District.

Feeling Good

Most Mondays, I drag in here and try to get started with 3 cups of coffee. What is that old saying about Mondays?

Today is different. I'm still on top of the world after our Service Project yesterday.

Maybe it isn't what you do on Monday mornings to get things rocking. Maybe it is what you do the day before!

One Day Of Service

We had our 3rd annual Tomahaken Service Project today and it was awesome!

My daddy raised me not to work on Sundays, but this wasn't work. This was fun!

17 members and 6 friends gathered to assist the STRAP ( Sydney's Therapeutic Riding Assistance Program ), which is a completely free, non-profit organization which provides a therapeutic horseback riding experience for people with various disabilities. Other horse-related activities are also available. This program is designed to improve posture, balance, mobility, and function. People with disabilities often face many difficulties while performing everyday tasks. However, research has shown that participants of therapeutic riding have not only shown physical improvements but also an increase in confidence, self-esteem, independence, and patience.

We did a little painting, cleaning, and general repairs on the farm. Afterwards, we were treated to some hot dogs, chili, and killer "Hogg-style" baked beans.

Everything out and clean it up.

Mucking stalls is not that tough of a job.

Good fences make happy horses.

Paint it black boys.

Don and Doug earned their gate hanging Merit Badge.

A Brotherhood of Cheerful Service!

Bulk Trading

Howard Abshire stopped by to see me yesterday. Some of you older monkeys might remember Howard. He was DE in the "Hills" way back. He was active when BabyGoff was a Tiger Cub.

Howard is currently working for coal mining giant McCoy-Elkhorn, and is no longer active in Scouting. A shame, because he grew up in Scouting and was an awesome program man.

He wanted to sell his patches. The final step in letting the past go, I guess. I urged him to reconsider and hang on to them, but he wanted shed of them. I now have 4 big boxes of all sorts of stuff. Nice to have some dupes to trade, but really sad that a friend of Scouting has given up.

Kodiak X

You aren't born with leadership skills. Being a good leader is learned and takes a life time to master.

Have I mentioned lately how wonderful the leadership training in Venturing is?

Venturing Leadership Skills Course ( VLSC ), Kodiak, and finally Kodiak X are 3 of the best programs I have ever experienced to actually teach leadership skills. Don and Billy used one of the Kodiak commissions in their Pike Co. Youth Leaders meetings to help that group. James Glass wants to use Kodiak in his training of new managers at Interstate Natural Gas.

It really is that good.

So good, that my guys are begging me to get approval to do the final Kodiak X course.

How many times have you heard of people begging for a training class?

Communications

I have been asking too many questions lately. Guess I've got too much free time?

We had a great Troop and Crew meeting last night. Finishing up Communications Merit Badge and the communications module for Venturing VLSC.

My Scoutmaster's Minute was that God gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears. You need to talk 1/2 as much and listen twice as hard to be an effective communicator.

I wonder if anybody heard what I said?

Lodge Chief Badge

I went to work on another burning question yesterday.

"Why don't our O.A. youth have leadership badges like their adult counterparts?"

After several phone calls and a bunch of emails, I finally came up with this:

OA youth officers are Boy Scouts (or sometimes Venturers who were once Boy Scouts). They are registered in Scouting with a troop, team or crew, and they should be active in that unit. The only office position patch that should appear on their uniforms is the one related to their position in their unit.The National Order of the Arrow Committee would have to request that the BSA Uniform & Insignia Committee (I think that's still what it is called) approve position patches for OA youth officers. The reason we do not is because such insignia would indicate that we are somehow a program unto ourselves, rather than a part of the Boy Scout program. For example, the OA Troop/Team Representative position patch is a unit position patch, not an OA position patch, as the representative is selected by the unit. That leadership position is one that counts toward Boy Scout advancement requirements, while other OA leadership positions do not. Adults are different. The chapter, lodge and section adviser and associate adviser patches are the OA-specific adult position patches. Those individuals usually take on such roles as their primary Scouting roles. Youth members do not take on the OA as their primary Scouting role (other than the national officers and regional chiefs).The OA national chief, national vice chief and region chiefs serve on the national or regional executive boards and wear gold shoulder loops and national or regional committee position patches. They also register in Scouting as members of the national council. All other OA youth officers should be wearing red, green or orange loops. I am aware that some lodge chiefs incorrectly wear silver loops and some section chiefs incorrectly wear gold loops, but unless I am mistaken, they should be wearing the loops corresponding to their primary Scouting registration--their units.

I'll accept this, but I'm not sure that I agree?

New Chapters

I was asked a question last week.

"What are the names of all the Chapters in our Lodge?"

There has been several Districts that have changed, and so have the O.A. Chapters. Think you can name all 8? I couldn't. I asked several very knowledgeable folks and no one knew them all. I had to piece it together and here is what I was told:

District --------------- Chapter Name

Mountain Laurel---------- Mischa Mokwa
Daniel Boone---------- Sheltowee
Lake Cumberland ----------Lenni Lenape
Wilderness Trail---------- Wyandot
Elkhorn ----------Tecumseh
Henry Clay ----------Ani' Sahoni
Midland Trail ----------Gikino Ballet
Lonesome Pine ----------Tomahaken

Twinkies + Gospel

We ran up to Prestonsburg this morning to visit the Jenny Wiley Festival. A non-Scout event, but definite Scout connections.

Glen Felty and Troop 802 were selling some deep fried twinkies to raise some money to go to the USS Yorktown. We bought a few and they were GOOD! Norm Marcum and Pack 802, were selling food too. Hooked up with Hollywood and headed over to the amphitheater to see A., C., and Todd Watts and the band.

The 4 Square City band was great! Not a huge crowd yet, but it was early. Tom Hill even made the concert.

A few more Indians and we could have had an LEC meeting today.

Quality Unit

It is about time to dig through the pile and dust off those 2007 Centennial Quality Unit award forms. This year's award is new and will be a 4 year deal leading up to the B.S.A.'s 100th Birthday in 2010.

The individual badge uses the new sublimated over print process and should look very sharp. Like other Quality Unit awards there is one for regular and one for 100% Boy's Life, if everyone gets the magazine.

So start checking your list and figure out your percentages. Even if you didn't make it this year, please turn in the forms, so data can be recorded. Hopefully, we'll be getting the 2008 forms very soon.

Awards will be available November 1st. Get ready Anna Marie!

2008 Lodge Banner

This week I have been working on next year's banner for the Lodge. Busy scanning sashes and patches. I'm using high resolution scanning for this 28 x 56 inch totem that will fly at all of our events in 2008.

I'm stuck and need some help! We need a motto or theme to add to it.

Email me some ideas and I'll run it across Mr. Watts and the Indians.

Lead Paint

The plastic "Progress Towards Ranks" piece of the "Immediate Recognition Kit" (Item No. 01804) is being recalled by the manufacturer, Kahoot Products, Inc.

The item may contain lead levels in excess of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards in the paint on the totem badge. This is a voluntary recall and, pending formalization of the recall details, all consumers are urged to remove the Cub Scout Recognition Totem Badge from the child's possession and kept in a safe place where only adults have access. Detailed instructions for returning the product for replacement will be provided by the manufacturer and posted as soon as they are available.

The manufacturer has received no reports of any injuries resulting from the use of the kits, but are urging this action as a precautionary measure.

Do your part to prevent lead paint illness!

Lodge Leadership Development

Lots of advertising for our 2007 LLD over the weekend. This year's training will be held in conjunction with the University of Scouting at Georgetown College on November 3rd.

Cost is only $15.00 and is one of the best learning opportunities that our Arrowmen can get. I've been to several LLD's in the past and they have all been very good, but Todd Haydon has already put a lot of work into this year's event and it will be wonderful! Scout's Honor!

Please download the form and mail it in. http://www.kawida.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_view/gid,13/Itemid,54/

"Hello LLD? I have a young man that needs some help!"

Fall Fellowship

Wow!

The 2007 Kawida Lodge's Fall Fellowship was one big weekend of awesome fun. I think at one point we had over 100 at the event. All of the activities and food were great!

After checking in and getting settled Friday night, HoggMan did his rendition of YMCA and had everyone holding their guts! Saturday morning started with Norm Lawson's O.A. Jeopardy Trivia game for lots of cool patches. George Vice, an old Kawida member, gave a very heart felt lecture on our founders.

The biggest patch trade of the weekend had to be between George and Charlie "Squeaky" Davis. They traded a Kawida Trail Hiker for a 1961 Conclave segment. Wooooo!!! RARE STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After lunch was the highly anticipated Lodge Officer Elections for 2008. A long and tense story short: HoggMan got Lodge Chief, Hollywood got Vice Chief of Service, BabyGoff got Vice Chief of Brotherhood, Aaron Shep ( who ran unopposed and was out of town ) got Secretary, and the GlassMan won Treasurer. One common denominator. All Officers are from the "Hills"!

After the election, we had time to just talk and fellowship. C. Watts had a big crowd making choker necklaces. Some folks went down to the Rifle Range and busted some tight patterns, I heard.

We had a wonderful Brotherhood Ceremony for the GlassMan and his Dad, James. I just love a father and son going through the O.A. together.

Supper was huge, followed by our friends from Pellissippi and Ittawamba and their Indian Dance teams. I think that Glen Felty and Doug Ramey might have Dance Team ambitions for our Lodge? Stay tuned,...

Sunday morning, well, we were worn out, but we made time to worship and reflect. We are blessed and life is good.

It's fun to play at the,... Y M C A !!

2008 Kawida Lodge Officers.

2 Characters from Halo 3?

Mikey Goins is always a big hit!

Ku-Ni-Eh

Before we were Kawida, we were Ku-Ni-Eh.

Tim Cummins found a great article on this pre Order of the Arrow, Honor Society and got permission from the author to reprint it. Special thanks to my Sister-In-Law, her type and graphics program, and a color copier, we should have some nice print outs of the article and pictures at the Fall Fellowship this weekend.

Stop by and see Tim and ask him for a copy. It was his idea and a good one at that!

Why The Fleur-De-Lis?

Years ago, soon after the Boy Scouts were first started, certain critics accused the movement of being a military one. Whenever anything new is started there are bound to be people who get up on their hind legs to find fault with it, often before they know what it is all about.

In this case they said that the Scout movement was designed to teach the boys to be soldiers, and they quoted in, proof that the crest of the movement was, as they described it: "A spear-head, the emblem of battle and bloodshed."

I was asked by cable what I had to say about it. I telegraphed back: "The crest is the fleur-de-lys, a lily, the emblem of peace and purity."

But it wasn't for that reason that Scouts took it. In the Middle Ages Charles, King of Naples, owing to his French descent had the fleur-de-lys as his crest.

It was in his reign that Flavio Gioja, the navigator, made the mariners' compass into a practical and reliable instrument. The compass card had the initial letters of North, South, East and West upon it. In Italian the North was "Tramontana."

So he put a capital T to mark the North point. But in compliment to the King he made a combination of the letter T with the King's fleur-de-lys crest. From that time the North point has been universally shown on the maps, charts, and compass cards by that sign.

The actual meaning to be read from the fleur-de-lys badge is that it points in the right direction (and upwards) turning neither to the right nor left, since these lead backward again. The three points of the fleur-de-lys remind the Scout of the three points of the Scout's Promise—Duty to God and King, Helpfulness to other people, and Obedience to the Scout Law.

--"Lessons from the Varsity of Life" by Lord Baden Powell of Gilwell.

Pranks

Last night, I gave a tough Scoutmaster's Minute about pranks. We had 2 incidents occur during the Cub Scout Family Campout and it was time to learn a lesson.

99.9% of pranks are harmful and have no place in Scouting.

The example I used was instead of stealing a poor man's shoes, put a $1.00 in each shoe and hide and watch his expression when he discovers the money.

Think about it this way: If you do something and you think it is funny, will someone else feel good or bad about it?

New Knot

I received a nice letter, certificate, and a new square knot in the mail Saturday from National. It looks like I passed for the International Scouter Award.

Thank you Blue Grass Council International Committee for the approval. That was one that I never thought about earning, but the trip to the World Jamboree and a few other items looked good on paper, I guess.

If every patch has a story, this one speaks volumes about our Scouts and what they learned in England!

Cub Family Campout

This year's Cub Scout fall event was great! My favorite quote from the weekend came from our D.E., Will Watts. "150 Scouts, 380 Total, and 3,000 cars!"

Hugh B. Hall and Pack 12 did a wonderful job in hosting the event. (That finishes up Hugh's Wood Badge ticket, YEAH!!!!!) Tuan Pham and Derrick Owsley provided the best program activities I have ever seen. Norm Marcum held one of the best campfires, complete with an amazing flag retirement ceremony in which each Scout assisted. GREAT job gentlemen!

This event is what we needed for the future of Scouting. Let's keep it rolling!

Our Monkey Bridge for the monkeys.

Will Goff ponders, as Hollywood's girl gets a call from another guy?

Jared and Mac taught pioneering lashings.

It is hard to dry those embarrassing wet spots on "wet Glass"!!