Final 2013 Wahunsenakah Activity patch

Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 held their final activity of 2013, the Holiday Banquet, on December 7 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Smithfield, VA. To commemorate the occasion a large oval pocket patch with attached button loop was issued that continues the theme of prior 2013 event patches featuring ceremonial team members.

The Holiday Banquet patch includes all four of the characters from the Ordeal ceremony. From left to right: Nutiket (Guardian),  Kichkinet (Guide),  Allowat Sakima (Mighty Chief), and Meteu (Medicine Man). These characters were featured on the Summer Service, Spring Service, Fall Fellowship, and Winter Service patches, respectively. You can view pictures of all Wahunsenakah activity patch issues here.

The OA History Timeline has a wealth of fascinating information about the history of Order of the Arrow ceremonies. Check it out.

Colonial Virginia Council issues 2014 FOS CSP

Since 2004 Colonial Virginia Council has awarded a special patch to donors who contribute $75 or more to their annual Friends of Scouting campaign. Each of the patches has represented one of the points of the Scout Law. For 2014 the theme is Clean, represented by a completely white shoulder patch with white lettering and centered fleur d'lis ghosted into the white background.

FOS contributions are a vital part of the Council's operating budget. Please consider a donation to help perpetuate Scouting programs across southeast Virginia: View/Print 2014 Friends of Scouting brochure.

2015 will mark the completion of the Scout Law theme, with Reverent.

View all of the Colonial Virginia Council Friends of Scouting CSP's issued to date here.

SR-7 Conclave Guidebooks posted to va-oa.org

Recently I acquired Delegate Guidebooks for the 1994 and 1995 SR-7 Conclaves, and have posted them to the associated conclave pages at va-oa.org.

Section SR-7 was short-lived. It was created in 1993 when the BSA consolidated the six region structure to four, in the process splitting the Virginia OA Lodges of SE-8 between the new SR-6 and SR-7. Tutelo 161, Shenandoah 258, and Shenshawptoo 276 joined 4 Lodges from Kentucky, 4 Lodges from Tennessee, and a Georgia Lodge to form SR-6, while Nawakwa 3, Blue Heron 349, Kecoughtan 463, and Chanco 483 were sent to SR-7 to join 10 North Carolina Lodges.

This arrangement proved to be too unwieldy, so four years later the Virginia Lodges were reunited in SR-7A, with the Carolina Lodges comprising SR-7A.

2014 Scout Sunday patch issued

At sunrise on Feb. 2 the Chesapeake Bay District of Colonial Virginia Council held their annual Scout Sunday services at the Yorktown Victory Monument, with breakfast following at the US Coast Guard Training Center.

A multicolor commemorative pocket patch was issued very similar to prior years with the same design but changes to the colors. This year's version features a purple border. You can view Scout Sunday patches from 2001 through 2014 on the Colonial Virginia Council - Other Emblems web page.

Thanks for Larry Johnson for the photo of the 2013 Scout Sunday patch.

Wahunsenakah Service flap gets new issue number

Unless you were watching very closely, you may have missed the latest new flap issue from Wahunsenakah Lodge 333. Released at the Fall Fellowship, the new fully embroidered S51 issue is virtually a twin of the S2 service flap which has been around since the Lodge was established in January of 1996.

The classic design is the same, but the size is noticeably bigger. While there were many loom runs of the S2 over the past 17 years, resulting in many minor variations, they were all essentially the same size. When the latest reorder of the Wahunsenakah service flap was received Lodge collectors quickly noticed that the new patches were both wider and taller than any previous order.

Dr. Barry Green, Insignia Design Advisor for Wahunsenakah, spoke with Kelly Williams of the Krelman Company, manufacturer of the Lodge 333 flaps, and learned that the patches were enlarged to comply with new National regulations that specify a 5" width. The original S2 flaps were 4 5/8" wide. To accommodate the larger size the design components of the patch were enlarged, including the lodge name and number lettering, FDL, and reeds in the water. The increased size of the ducks makes the white tips of the blue feathers much more prominent. There are also evident color differences in the red and green areas, as well as a more blue appearance of the border rather than the teal of the S2.

 Dr. Green pointed out that the intent was not to make a new "issue," but to comply with the directive from National to meet the new guidelines. After collaborating with Trading Post Advisor Larry Johnson and noted collector Rob Kutz, Dr. Green confirmed that the changes to the service flap were so significant as to merit classification as a new issue, so it is now considered S51. It will be interesting to see how many new issues from other Lodges will be created by the new flap size guidelines. Below are some additional pictures that illustrate the comparative size differences between the smaller S2 service flap and the new larger S51 issue.