Author: Alex

Spring Fellowship Coming Soon!

Alex

Coming up in just over a week is the most exciting lodge weekend of our program year. Spring Fellowship 2023 will be at Sand Hill Scout Reservation from March 3rd to 5th. There will be no Ordeal or Brotherhood process this weekend, but members can enjoy plenty of other engaging activities at this event.

Friday night will be recognition for brothers who have been awarded the Vigil Honor for their service. A full list of Vigil recipients in the 2022 class will be published after Spring Fellowship. There will also be a Four Winds ceremony where members will honor our brothers who have passed this year.

On Saturday, the main event will be the Quest for the Golden Hoof. Chapters will compete against one another in Ultimate frisbee, Basketball, Bullpardy, a Lodge Adviser Sink-a-thon, and more. Not only do these games give chapters the opportunity to prove who is the best, but we will also be training to compete at Section Conference. Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee’s record of domination at Ultimate Frisbee is on the line.

Also at Spring Fellowship will be lodge elections. All youth members are eligible to vote for Lodge Chief, Vice Chief of Operations, Vice Chief of Membership, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian from amongst the pool of candidates. These new officers will begin their terms at the Lodge Banquet at the end of April. Elections for Chapter officers will take place this weekend as well, and they will be inaugurated at the same time as lodge officers.

More fellowship events will take place at Spring Fellowship. Our lodge’s first Elangomat training session will be held Saturday afternoon. Anyone hoping to earn the new Elangomat patch must attend this training and serve as an Elangomat at an ordeal. There will also be a live auction for patches and other memorabilia from the lodge box on Saturday night. Saturday’s program will conclude with a campfire, where Chapter Chiefs will lead their chapters in a skit competition. This competition will be the final factor in deciding which of our chapters has earned the Golden Hoof. Any lodge creatives who have patch ideas should attend Sunday’s LEC, where a theme for the upcoming lodge year will be discussed.

To register for Spring Fellowship, follow the link on the right side of this page. On-time registration ends soon, so don’t miss out. The Lodge Executive Board is excited for the final weekend of our program year, and even more excited to see you there.

Fall Conclave Recap

Alex

Over the weekend, the lodge enjoyed a weekend of memorable activities and food themed around the Southeastern US. The activities committee had chapters go head-to-head in kahoot trivia and the construction of Mardi Gras floats. Everyone in attendance especially enjoyed Saturday’s biscuits and gravy, jambalaya, and banana pudding.

Fall Conclave was a success not only in its enjoyment, but in the number of Arrowmen who attended. A total of 197 people came to the event, falling barely short of the 200-person attendance goal. Even with hurricane Ian’s disruption of many schedules this month, it was the biggest weekend the lodge has held since 2017. 70 candidates completed their ordeal, and 35 members went through the brotherhood process. A partially new ceremonies team successfully conducted a single pre-ordeal ceremony on Friday night with every single candidate in attendance. Chapter Chiefs, whose own ordeal weekends are coming up soon, had a great example to follow at Sand Hill. The lodge continues its upward momentum at the close of 2022, and has a lot to look forward to in the new year.

Lodge Leadership Development – Recap

Alex

In August, the lodge held our annual Lodge Leadership Development. This one-night event at Camp Soule gave lodge leaders the tools and trainings they needed to continue our successful streak into another year. Not only were there trainings, but also activities to promote both leadership skills and simple fun.

Much of Friday evening was spent at the camp pool, where we continued the Bulls Across America Theme with a Hawaiian luau. Lodge members spent much of the evening cooling off in the pool, enjoying some fresh fruit skewers, and singing karaoke with the LEC. Many agreed that the Friday night luau was one of the best activities our lodge has ever done.

(Pictured left: one of the luau’s most popular attendees)

The next day was no end to the fun, as thought-provoking trainings provided Arrowmen with ideas on how to improve their leadership styles. Youth and adults gave talks and started productive conversations about creative thinking, communication, and more. The activities committee also ran games which helped participants hone their communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Saturday’s games provided the Alaskan side of the weekend’s theme. Participants were challenged to cross a glacial river and construct duct tape boats to carry cargo across rough seas. 

(Pictured above: Ian confidently prepares to cross an Alaskan river by tarp)

The last part of LLD was our monthly Lodge Executive Committee meeting. This part of the weekend was equally memorable, as the LEC decided to officially retire the lodge bonnets. Every participant came home from the weekend with some goal on how to improve the lodge and how they could take responsibility to make that happen. 

Lodge Leadership Development 2022

Alex

At camp Soule, August 12-13, will be our one-night annual LLD! This event will have trainings that all lodge leaders will value, plus fun activities themed around Alaska and Hawaii. Check-in time will be in the normal 6:00-8:00 pm window, and the event will end around dinnertime on Saturday. All LEC members must go to this event, and anyone else who wishes to expand their leadership knowledge is encouraged. Registration is available now. Check this post for updates as more details come in from the LEC.