Where might you meet a fellow Arrowman?

In early 1976 the OA National Bulletin reported that co-founder of the Order of the Arrow Dr. E. Urner Goodman and his wife were struck by a car while visiting in Sarasota, FL. Dr. Goodman received numerous cuts and bruises, but both were recovering nicely at home in Penney Farms, FL.

The considerate leaders of Chanco Lodge sent a get well note to Dr. Goodman, wishing him a speedy recovery. The ever-thoughtful Dr. Goodman responded with a thank you message which was published in the June, 1976 edition of the Chanco Courier and is pictured above. Can you imagine the excitement of the surgeon when he discovered that his patient was the famous founder of the Order of the Arrow?

Wahunsenakah 2010 Summer Service patch

The metal flap issued at the Wahunsenakah Summer Service weekend distracted me from posting about the activity patch issued for that event. I realized this when I consulted my friend William Weeks in East Texas about the unique varieties of ducks featured on Wahunsenakah Lodge's five 2010 activity patches.

William says the duck on this patch is an American black duck.

Merry Christmas from kecoughtan.com

Merry Christmas and best wishes for warm, safe, and peaceful holidays from kecoughtan.com

The patch above is from the first Christmas banquet I attended as a Kecoughtan arrowman. As I recall the patch was designed by Lodge Chief Andy Hess. There was a mug for the event, too. Although I didn't know it at the time, this was the very first Kecoughtan Christmas banquet patch. The only other items issued for a Christmas banquet prior to this were a neckerchief slide for the banquet in 1967 and a coffee mug in 1969.

Check out the article I wrote about the banquet and the awesome pictures by Gary McSmith in the March, 1974 edition of the Kecoughtan Kryer. Andy is wearing the patch above in one of the pictures, and you can even spot a picture of me with much more hair than I have now!

My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to help document the history, emblems, and traditions of Kecoughtan, Chanco, and Wahunsenakah Lodges and the Order of the Arrow in Virginia.

1972 Area III-C Pow Wow Booklet

Kecoughtan Lodge hosted their first Area Pow Wow in 1972, the year that the Lodge was celebrating their 20th anniversary. For decades I have always thought that the numeral "20" in the Pow Wow patch design represented this.

Recently Ben Vincent provided me with a PDF copy of the 1972 Area III-C Pow Wow booklet. Among other insights, I learned that the "20" on the patch actually represents the 20th Area III-C Pow Wow.

One of my favorite parts of the booklet is this part of the greeting letter signed by Alan Spaulding, the youth coordinator of the Pow Wow, Walter Deal, the adult advisor, Sam Fairchild, 463 Chief, and Bailey Tudder, the Lodge Advisor:

"It is truly a privilege for the Brothers of Kecoughtan to serve as hosts for the 1972 Pow Wow. Arrowmen from all parts of the Peninsula have spent many hours in service to prepare for this weekend. If it is a success, then those dedicated Arrowmen deserve much credit. If there is some aspect that does not appear to be a success, then assume it to be a new experience."

Another favorite part the booklet for me is the illustrated front and back cover that pictures an oak tree with the Pow Wow emblem superimposed. Hidden in the leaves is the name of the illustrator: Dave Tudder, youngest son of the Lodge Advisor. I am sorry to report that Dave passed away a few years ago according to his brother John, so I was unable to share my appreciation for his efforts with him.

Take a few moments to read the booklet and enjoy a trip back to Peninsula Scout Reservation in 1972 when Kecoughtan Lodge was deservedly proud of being a National Standard Lodge.

Tracing Virginia OA Area and Section history

Recently I decided to undertake a complete audit and rewrite of the pages I have on my site devoted to the emblems and memorabilia issued at the events held by the regional Area and Sections that Virginia OA Lodges have belonged to. These pages have always been a challenge to complete because there is no comprehensive reference like the OA Blue Book to rely on. Plus, events that happened decades ago are difficult to research because the documents they were chronicled in (newsletters and lodge meeting notes) aren't available online or in the public library.

Sadly, this is a project I wish I had started many years ago. An African proverb says "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." The deaths of Si Simons and John Hannabass in 2008 took two of Virginia's greatest Arrowmen, each with over half a century of cheerful service. I can't delay my efforts to excavate and preserve the history of the Order of the Arrow in Virginia since so much of that history is unwritten and stored only in memories.

I am extremely grateful that I already have eager and helpful assistance from several others who share my deep interest and dedication to this subject. Step 1 is to catalog all of the events like Pow Wows, Conclaves, Indian Seminars, and Training Conferences with their dates, locations, and host lodge. Step 2 is to determine every pocket patch, neckerchief, Vigil totem, jacket patch, etc. issued for each event, and by the Area and Section.

While this effort began as an attempt to create a comprehensive emblem reference guide I will be the first to admit that "scope creep" has already taken over.  I've decided that a dry catalog of issues isn't enough to convey the rich tradition and heritage built throughout the nearly six decades of service by Virginia Arrowmen for their councils, camps, and communities.  So I will try to include pictures, stories, anecdotes, and newsletter accounts of the events so that the Arrowmen of 2011 and later will have an opportunity to learn about and appreciate those who came before and gave so much.

I'll be logging my progress on this site. If you'd like to help, just let me know! I'd be grateful for any assistance you can provide. You can be certain your efforts will receive proper attribution as well as my eternal thanks.

Wahunsenakah issues Holiday Banquet patch

On December 4 Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 held their annual Christmas Banquet, described in a prior post about a cloth version of the 2010 BSA 100th Anniversary flap that was sold there.

No to be overlooked is the fifth and final patch in the 2010 series of activity emblems for Wahunsenakah Lodge. The three inch round emblem with pocket loop follows the style of prior issues from this year with ghosted lettering that emphasizes the attractive design of a predominantly black and white duck on a monochromatic background that evokes a winter atmosphere.

I was so fascinated by the unique duck on this patch I spent some time on the Ducks Unlimited Waterfowl ID page trying to identify the species. Since I couldn't match it perhaps an expert can help me out by posting the answer in the comments.

You can view this and all of the Wahunsenakah event emblems on the Lodge 333 Activity Emblems page.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the patch and for advising me the designer of the 2010 Wahunsenakah activity patches is Alan Booth.

Cloth version of Wahunsenakah metal flap issued

On December 4 Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 held their 15th annual Christmas Banquet. The event was held at Chestnut United Methodist Church in Newport News and featured State Senator John Miller as guest speaker along with a performance by the Lodge dance team, a video review of the year, recognition of all past Chiefs and Advisors, special award presentations, and introduction of the 2010 Vigil Honor candidates (see program for details).

A new lodge flap patch with an interesting history was available for sale at the Banquet. Earlier this year the Lodge issued a metal flap designed by Lodge Insignia Design Committee Adviser Dr. Barry Green to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the BSA.

When the original order arrived from the manufacturer the design was correct but the media was not. The flaps were cloth patches, not metal. The emblems were reordered, and the Lodge decided to sell the 300 cloth versions at the Christmas Banquet. According to Wahunsenakah Lodge member Dewitt Holland each Arrowman was allowed to purchase one prior to dinner, and at the end of the evening program the remainder were sold, with none remaining afterwards.

I would like to applaud the Lodge for making these items available to the Lodge members attending the banquet and making sure each attendee had an opportunity to purchase one. In far too many cases where error items are returned to the manufacturer they somehow find their way onto the market and become high priced rarities providing big profits to a select few while the Lodge realizes zero financial gain.

Not to mention that it's a beautiful design that renders exceptionally well in thread!

The 1995 Year of Service OA patch

Not long ago I got to wondering about a particular activity patch in my collection and decided to spend some time researching its origins. It came to my collection as part of a group of Kecoughtan event patches I acquired. It's not rare or valuable by any stretch, but I learned it holds a very special significance not only for lodges 463, 483, and 333, but represents a unique beginning that even Arrowmen of today will appreciate.

1995 was a year between NOAC events. The National OA committee implemented a program called the Year of Service and encouraged every lodge to perform a service project approved by their Scout Executive to earn special recognition. A special patch was available for Arrowmen participating in the service project.

The April-June 1995 edition of the OA National Bulletin featured an article  encouraging Lodges to participate in the program, with details and a picture of the patch.

The National OA Committee also encouraged Lodges to apply for matching grants to help fund their service projects. A front page story in the January-March 1995 edition of the OA National Bulletin advised that 152 lodges submitted requests. While $25K was originally set aside to fund the approved projects, the Committee selected 19 Lodges to receive a total of $58,111 in matching grants for their projects. The only Virginia lodge to receive matching funds was Shenandoah 258, which was granted $4K to assist with building a handicapped campsite.

As part of the Year of Service Kecoughtan and Chanco Lodges shared a joint service project on the weekend of Nov. 4, 1995. In the September 1995 Chanco Courier Lodge Chief John Belmonte  invited Arrowmen from his Lodge to attend the joint service project to be held with Kecoughtan Lodge to rebuild the chapel at Camp Chickahominy.

The October, 1995 Kecoughtan Kryer also encouraged members to attend, cautioning that only 60 patches would be available for the project participants.

The April 1996 edition of the Duck Calls newsletter reports the project was completed March 1-3, 1996 at the Winter Ordeal of the new Wahunsenakah Lodge that was formed by the merger of Kecoughtan 463 and Chanco 483 on January 1, 1996.

According to Duck Calls a highlight of the weekend was snow and an attendance of over 200 brothers. Former Chanco member Dewitt Holland remembers that he served on the kitchen staff and all the boys were moved into the dining hall for the night in anticipation of the arriving winter storm. Seeking quiet, he elected to sleep outside and awoke under a tent sagging under two inches of snow.

The patch is not listed in the activity emblems catalog for either lodge in collecting resources like the Blue Book, but represents a significant service event as Arrowmen from southeastern Virginia began their project as members of Chanco and Kecoughtan Lodges and completed it as brothers in the new Wahunsenakah Lodge 333.

The National Significance

As part of the Year of Service the National Committee also launched the Philmont OA Trail Crew project. 270 Arrowmen from across the country were selected to spend 14 days at Philmont during the summer helping construct a new trail.

This new initiative was an important seed for future high-profile service efforts by the OA, first at other BSA national high adventure areas and later on public land throughout the US. The ambitious ArrowCorps5 in 2008 was the largest service project conducted by the BSA since World War II, involving over 3,600 Arrowmen in 5 national forests across the country. Today the seed planted back in 1995 continues to grow as the National Committee plans SummitCorps for summer, 2011 at the New River Gorge National River Area in West Virginia.

The lesson I learned after completing my research: don't judge a patch by the monetary value you find on a price list or its nondescript generic design. The fun in patch collecting is learning and appreciating the unique background behind the emblem. 

Wahunsenakah considers new neckerchief design

The Wahunsenakah Lodge Executive Committee will vote on a design for a new lodge neckerchief at their meeting scheduled for December 4. The first Wahunsenakah neckerchief features a single duck design embroidered directly onto a dark green neckerchief. It was first sold in 2001.

Above is an illustration from the Lodge web site of possible designs the LEC will be considering for the new neckerchief.

Great OA history resource

While researching a new article about an activity patch today I came across a great online resource that may prove helpful to others who are interested in the history of the Order of the Arrow.

The site is the Digital Archive of the Order of the Arrow, located at http://www.oaarchive.org/
It's an official site of the OA, though I was not able to find any reference to it on the official OA BSA site.

Although the site requires a search to bring up any content, the results are treasures for those seeking scanned copies of old National OA Bulletings, pictures of event patches, and much more. You can search by keyword, date range, and much more, or to just get an idea of what's available click the random images button.

Here's a great example of the gems buried within the OA Digital Archives. From the Summer 1955 National OA Bulletin:

333 Fall Fellowship patch issued

Wahunsenakah Lodge held their Fall Fellowship at Bayport Scout Reservation on October 29-31, and issued this beautiful patch to commemorate their weekend of cheerful service. Following in the style of the previously issued activity patches for 2010, the design features ghosted lettering across a multicolor background and recognizes the 100th anniversary of the BSA.

Virginia Section Officers Association site archived online

When I decided to create kecoughtan.com in the late 1990's I was motivated to do so by the dearth of information on the internet about the history of Kecoughtan Lodge and the Order of the Arrow on the Peninsula preceding Wahunsenakah Lodge.

One resource that proved invaluable to me was the Virginia Section Officers Association web site.  Formed in 1998, the purpose of the Association was cited on the home page of their web site:

• To provide the Section with a knowledgeable pool of Arrowmen to use as trainers at Section Conclaves

• To record the history of section SR-7A and to maintain the histories of Virginia's former sections

• To locate past Virginia Section officers and encourage them to become active in Scouting

• To maintain a web site that contains Virginia Section histories and lists past officers

The site was developed by W. Scott Smith (1993, 1994 SR-6B Chief) of Tutelo Lodge 161 and Michael F. White (1995 SR-6B Chief) of Shenandoah Lodge 258. 

A few years ago I noticed that the site was no longer online, and emailed the authors requesting permission to make its content available here. They kindly assented, and today I still consult the valuable reference they created for historical information I've been unable to locate anywhere else.

Take a trip down memory lane and visit the VSOA site, archived at kecoughtan.com with a salute to Scott and Mike for their pioneering efforts to preserve Virginia OA history on the web.

Wicomico Chapter issues two new arrowhead patches

Wicomico Chapter of Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 recently issued two new arrowhead-shaped patches very similar to their prior A1 design. Although the design of the two new patches is virtually identical, the sizes are not.

Both differ from the A1 in that FDL's have been added on either side of the Chapter name and three W's have been added in each corner of the lower section. The face of the Chief is now red rather than brown, probably to reduce costs by lowering the number of colors used in the design.

A2 is 7" wide and 9" tall and designed as a jacket patch. A3 is 2.5" wide and 3.5" tall and classified as a pocket patch. An identical version of this patch is scheduled for release soon with a yellow border. The yellow border version will be sold to members and the red version to non-members of the chapter. You can view all of the Wicomico Chapter patches here.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the pictures and information.

Metal Wahunsenakah flap issued at 2010 Summer Service event

Wahunsenakah Lodge issued their first metal flap shaped emblem at their Summer Service event, held August 27-29 at Bayport Scout Reservation. The flaps were sold for $10 each, with only 250 made.

The emblem features the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America logo along with the Lodge's duck totem.

This is the first metal issue by a Virginia lodge that I am aware of (feel free to correct me if I am wrong). Two North Carolina Lodges (Catawba 459 and Occoneechee 104) have issued metal flaps, as has Tisquantum Lodge 164 of Canton, Mass.

Thanks to Larry Johnson of Wahunsenakah Lodge for the picture and information

Kecoughtan leather flap variation discovered

Last week I traveled to Virginia for a Kecoughtan High School reunion for classes that graduated in the 70's, and afterwards took my family to Washington DC to see the sights. Along the way we stopped in Fredericksburg so that I could check out the Trade-O-Ree and meet trading friends face to face that I previously only had the pleasure of knowing via email.

One of the great friends I was happy to meet in person was Michael McCaughan who helped me add a Chanco F1 to my collection along with an item I've never seen before: an uncut Kecoughtan leather flap.

Michael actually had three uncut 463 leather flap emblems in his possession, all with slight variations in the depth of the stamping and the color of the leather. He also related information about the production of the leather flaps he received from a former Kecoughtan member that corroborates what I have heard from others, namely that the leather emblems were stamped out informally at lodge events, not created and sold as an official issue.

Colonial Virginia Council shoulder patches for 2010 National Jamboree

Colonial Virginia Council will be issuing a colorful 6-piece set of patches for the upcoming 2010 National Scout Jamboree scheduled for July 26 - August 4 at Fort AP Hill near Bowling Green, Virginia.

The set includes five different shoulder patches, including one for the Council and one for each troop attending the Jamboree from Colonial Virginia Council.

The shoulder patches represent Scouts from the following cities, with a themed design appropriate to each.

• Troop 1736 - Emporia, VA - Colonial Block House
• Troop 1737 - Yorktown, VA - Battle of Yorktown
• Troop 1741 - Williamsburg, VA - Powder Magazine
• Troop 1742 - Hampton, VA - Colonial Harbor

The five patches fit around a center pentagon-shaped patch that features a colonial drummer with an American flag background and the official BSA centennial logo.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the picture of the 2010 Colonial Virginia Jamboree patches.

Wahunsenakah 2010 National Jamboree set

Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 has issued a two-piece set for the upcoming 2010 National Scout Jamboree to be held July 26 - August 4 at Fort AP Hill near Bowling Green, Virginia. The picture of the patch is above and is now also included on the Lodge 333 Emblems page, where you can view pictures of the flaps the Lodge issued for previous National Jamborees in 1997, 2001, and 2005.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for providing the image of this patch.

Colonial Virginia Council Eagle Class of 2009 patch

Colonial Virginia Council held their annual Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet on March 20, 2010 at the Omni Hotel in Newport News. The Banquet honored the Eagle Scout Class of 2009, and a unique patch in the shape of an eagle head was issued to commemorate the event. 

CVC Eagle Scout Banquet patches were issued in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and were shaped like a standard council shoulder patch (CSP). You can find them listed on the Colonial Virginia Council Shoulder Patches page.

Wahunsenakah 2010 Spring Service patch issued

Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 held their annual Spring Service weekend on May 14-16 at Bayport Scout Reservation, and issued the beautiful pocket patch pictured above. Like the 2010 Winter Service patch it features lettering that is ghosted into the design. In the upper left area of the patch "Wahunsenakah" and BSA 100th Anniversary" are embroidered into the background and "2010 Spring Service" is visible along the bottom edge.

Arrowmen attending the Spring Service weekend received a sharp greeting from Mother Nature as the roof of the Birdsong Center at Bayport Scout Reservation was struck by lightning Friday night, causing a fire. All of the Scouts were safe and the fire quickly put out by the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department. According to an email from Dick Collins, Scout Executive, the damage was limited to the roof and sheetrock and repairs have already begun.

2010 SR-7A Conclave patch

The 2010 Section SR-7A conclave was hosted by Tutelo Lodge 161 at Camp Powhatan on April 23-25. The pocket patch issued for the conclave features a complex design of an Indian standing in front of a fire with a lodge in the background, and woods, mountains, and a sunset all reflected in a lake. Ghosted into the design are the numbers of the lodges that comprise Section SR-7A. At the bottom of the patch the theme of the Conclave From the fire's heart is embroidered, along with a fleur d'lis. Surrounding the design are OA sash designs.

Above is a picture of the pocket patch with annotations indicating the position of the various ghosted lodge numbers. I've added the patch to the Section SR7/7A Emblems page, but still need pictures of other emblems that were issued at the conclave, including neckerchief, jacket patch, hatpin, Vigil rededication token, etc.

Wahunsenakah 2010 SR-7A Conclave Flap

The 2010 Section SR-7A conclave was hosted by Tutelo Lodge at Camp Powhatan on April 23-25. Theme for the Conclave this year was Heart of the Fire. Wahunsenakah issued a single yellow-bordered flap with totems of each lodge in the section as the main feature of the design, along with the SR-7A logo. 600 of the flaps were issued.

Also issuing special flaps for the conclave were Blue Heron Lodge 349 (with matching pocket patch), Nawakwa Lodge 3 (trader and delegate versions), Shenshawpotoo Lodge 276 (trader and delegate versions), and host Lodge Tutelo 161 (with matching pocket patch). The Blue Heron issue does not appear to include lodge name nor number.

Also spotted was a flap patch recognizing National Vice-Chief Will Swingle of Nawakwa Lodge, who was elected at the National OA Planning Meeting on December 27th, 2009. The patch has a red border and white background with the SR-7A logo in the center, "Will Swingle National Vice Chief" in red lettering across the top, "WWW" and "Order of the Arrow" letterer in red on opposite sides and an FDL each of the Section's Lodge numbers ghosted into the white background.

Neckerchief, Jacket Patch pictures for 1994 SR-7 Conclave

Section SR-7 was formed in April of 1993, immediately after the final conclaves of Sections SE-7 and  SE-8, as part of the national realignment of the Order of the Arrow from 6 national regions to 4. The 7 Virginia lodges that comprised SE-8 were split, with Tutelo, Shenshawpotoo, and Shenandoah Lodges moving to the new SR-6, and Kecoughtan, Blue Heron, Nawakwa, and Chanco combining with no fewer than 10 North Carolina Lodges to form SR-7.

The first conclave of the new Section SR-7 was hosted by Keyauwee Lodge 70 on April 15-17, 1994, at Old North State Scout Reservation, (now Cherokee Scout Reservation) near Yanceyville, NC. SR-7 patches are not plentiful, since few were issued and the Section only lasted 4 years before a national realignment on January 1, 1997 reunited the Virginia Lodges into the new Section SR-7A. As a result there are only about a dozen patches from the short-lived Section SR-7.

I was fortunate recently to add a neckerchief and jacket patch from this 1994 SR-7 conclave, and a jacket patch from the 1996 conclave hosted by Blue Heron to my collection, and you can find images of them on the SR-7/SR-7A web page. If you are aware of any other issues from SR-7 that I don't have listed please let me know!

Credit to Robert Higgins' indispensable OA Section List web site for documenting the many and complex realignments of OA lodges throughout its history.

Second Chanco YC1 chenille prototype surfaces

 In October of 2005 I wrote on this web site about my pursuit of information about the elusive Chanco Lodge chenille prototype patch.

My multiyear search for this previously mythical patch finally struck gold when I asked longtime Chanco Lodge member DeWitt Holland about it. Not only did DeWitt know of it, he designed it, ordered it, and had the only known example of it.

DeWitt provided me with color photos of the front and reverse of the chenille, along with a copy of the original order form sent to Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, PA, as well as the order confirmation from SPC dated 10/28/93. Both documents indicate a quantity of one patch.

At the January 1994 meeting the Chanco Lodge Executive Committee discussed the prototype chenille, and as DeWitt relates:

It was voted down as being too expensive to produce and the majority of the members thought it was just a fund raiser. It's cost would have been $30.00 each and the lodge had never produced anything that cost anywhere near that much.

Fast forward to March, 2010. Collector John Ortt of Virginia Beach (who you may recognize as organizer of the annual Williamsburg Trade-O-Ree) acquires a Chanco YC1 prototype from fellow Virginia collector Josh Batten, only to discover it's not the one from DeWitt's collection pictured on this web site.

Comparing the reverse of the two patches reveals differing labels, though both share the same handwritten operator number: 3/19. DeWitt's YC1 has a clean felt back while John's has the word "Sample" written in ink in the center and a strip of masking tape marked "#94."

After conversations with both DeWitt and Josh, John discovered that his Chanco YC1 was a sample originally kept on file by Standard Pennant Company. As John relates:

Standard Pennant apparently ALWAYS makes a sample for their own archival purposes whenever they have a new patch order. My patch is actually the sample from the company.

A similar file sample from SPC led to the discovery last fall of a previously unknown prototype C-3 chenille patch for Kecoughtan Lodge.

That patch was purchased from SPC in a lot of samples by Conley Williams in 1995. No word yet on whether the 483 YC1 chenille prototype sample was part of that group.

You may wonder if John was disappointed with the new addition to his collection after learning it wasn't the only one in existence. "I'm still very happy with the patch; no problem with it being a sample and the SECOND one known," he says.

Personally, I am grateful to know that the second 483YC1 is in the hands of someone who recognizes the special nature and history of this item and that it is staying in Virginia. That's a much more rightful place than a file cabinet in Pennsylvania!

Rarest Kecoughtan patch available for sale

The scarcest patch issued by Kecoughtan Lodge is the acorn shaped felt X1 issued in 1954 for the National Order of the Arrow Conference. If you'd like to add this to your collection it's listed right now on ebay, with a minimum bid of $12,000. The seller is Josh Batten, a Virginia OA collector who is also offering a number of other exceptionally rare OA items for sale.

Only four of the Kecoughtan X1 are known to exist. According to Sam Fairchild, seven were made, three have been lost forever. I have never seen one offered for trade or sale in four decades of collecting and oaimages.com has no record of any prior 463 X1 sale, so it's probably not an exaggeration to say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire one.

Josh kindly provided a picture of the 463X1. The picture of the patch is grayscale to prevent counterfeiting (as agreed to by the four owners of the known existing examples of this item).

Wahunsenakah 2010 Conclave flap design updated

Advisor George Homewood sent along this updated design for the proposed Wahunsenakah Lodge flap that will be issued for the upcoming Section SR-7A Conclave to be hosted by Tutelo Lodge April 23-25. The original design did not receive approval from BSA due to licensing concerns about the Pac-Man styled components, so they have been removed.

Wahunsenakah 2010 Winter Service patch

Recent heavy snowstorms along the East Coast have caused cancellation of the Lodge 333 Winter Service event originally scheduled for February 26-28 at Bayport Scout Reservation. 3 Beaver Days have been scheduled as a replacement before the Lodge's Spring Service weekend on May 14-16.

A beautiful patch was designed and ordered for the Winter Service, pictured above. According to the Lodge, these will be still be available:

To help raise money to fund the needed repairs at Bayport, we will sell the already produced Winter Service Weekend patches for $5 each with all money being used at Bayport. We plan to have the patches at the 3 Beaver Days as well as at the Spring Service Weekend until the supply is gone.

The patch is the first of a series of 3" round event patches for 2010 featuring wildlife duck scenes with lettering "ghosted" into the design. I think you will agree these are some of the most beautiful patches the Lodge has ever produced.


Thanks to George Homewood for the picture of the patch.

Wahunsenakah Lodge 2010 Conclave flap design

Lodge Advisor George Homewood kindly shared this design for the Wahunsenakah flap to be issued for the upcoming 2010 SR-7A Conclave.

Tutelo Lodge 161 will host the Conclave on April 23-25 at Blue Ridge Mountains Council Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia. The theme for the 2010 Conclave is "Heart of the Fire."

Update (20 February 2010): Lodge Advisor George Homewood sent me an email indicating that the BSA rejected the patch design above due to possible trademark conflicts, so a new design is in the works.

First Wahunsenakah Flaps of 2010

The BSA celebrates its 100th Anniversary on February 9th and the first flaps from Wahunsenakah Lodge in 2010 are themed to recognize this special event. Three campfires with the numerals "100" across a black background are central to the minimalist designs of these recruiting issues, available only to Scouts and Scouters who recruit a new boy or girl to Cubs, Boy Scouts, or Venturing. Only adults can earn the adult version of the flap with a silver mylar border, and only youth can earn the youth version with a gold mylar border.

The Lodge name is ghosted under the campfires, although no Lodge number is evident in the design. A ghosted black FDL is in the upper right corner and The words Achtchinkhalan Ehalluchsit are ghosted in black across the top and bottom of the flap, which reportedly translates to Supreme Chief of the Fire Recruiter.
 

Credit for the patch pictures goes to Larry Johnson.

CVC issues 2010 Friends of Scouting CSP

Colonial Virginia Council has issued the seventh design in a series of CSP's themed after each of the twelve points of the Scout Law. The 2010 theme is "Obedient." The patch features an illustration of the climbing tower at Rivah Base, the high adventure area of the Councils' Bayport Scout Reservation, as well as a "100 Years of Scouting" logo.

The patch is available immediately for a minimum contribution of $75 to the Council's Friends of Scouting program. Click here for a PDF version of the 2010 Colonial Virginia Council FOS brochure with order form.

You can view all of the Colonial Virginia Council FOS shoulder patches issued to date here.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the patch picture.