Food, Fellowship, and Fun… three words that can always be used to describe Octoraro #22 functions. The banquet lived up to those words in fine fashion as over 275 members and guests gathered at Kimberton Fire Hall on Saturday, March 14th.        Always an intricate part of the evening, the Vigil Honor door prizes ranged from a 2"x 4" board to a Nintendo 64.        The food was excellent and abundant as always, even if the menu was predictable. Roast Beef, Potatoes, Corn…        Mr. Walt Weaver, a former member of this lodge and now a national committee member, gave the evening’s keynote address. Though short (by his own design), his speech included many important things for us to ponder. He asked us to continue our strong efforts of donating money and time to the Boy Scouts and to the Order of the Arrow. He also informed us of Scouting’s direction in the near future and the steps we can take to ensure that the future is a bright one.       The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Founders’ Awards and the Vigil Honor Call-Out. These two ceremonies are held at the banquet each year to recognize those brothers who exemplify the Scout law and the obligation in their everyday service to the lodge and Scouting.         In a surprise announcement at the end of his speech, Mr. Weaver named two James E. West Fellows, his mother, Mrs. Libby Weaver, and Mr. James Gawthrop.       The James E. West Fellowship award was founded in 1993 to recognize major contributors to council endowment trust funds.

The Founders’ Award was created to distinguish those brothers who go above the call of duty to the lodge and/or scouting.       The youth recipient, John Callahan, is a Vigil Honor member of the lodge, the Projects Chairman, a former Vice Chief, and has spent numerous summers on staff at Camp Horseshoe. John reconstructed the content of the Nature Lodge after the closing of the 1996 season, gathering donations and grant money to fund new displays and exhibits. The product, as many of you have seen, is remarkable. He continues to work on the Nature Lodge with the goal of making it better each year.       Steve Brun was a member of Octoraro #22 when he was a youth and obtained his Vigil Honor in 1970. He came back to the lodge as an adult advisor to the Conventions Committee when his twin sons became the chairmen. Mr. Brun’s dedication to the lodge throughout his life is more than enough to warrant his receiving of the Founders’ Award.       In a solemn ceremony at the conclusion of the Lodge Banquet, eight members of Octoraro #22 were called-out as Vigil Honor candidates.    Youth:  Neville Austin, II  Clee Brun Kyle Brun Andrew Coe Adult: John L. Boldin William T. Sedar, Jr. Jozef "Big Joe" Sivco Cynthia Smith

Another fruitful year has passed and so now must the leadership. Staple guns, posters, and golf pencils signify that it’s the April Weekend and elections are imminent. For you to make the most out of your vote, this section has been created to inform you of the nominees’ accomplishments and experience. But more importantly, listen to their speeches at the meals.
 
 

Lodge Chief  "The Lodge Chief is the heart of the Lodge. In order to be eligible to run for the office of Chief, a candidate must have previously been elected to a vice-chief position. The Chief is responsible for running the Executive Committee and ensuring that the Lodge will continue to run in a smooth fashion." The Candidates John Callahan      John is an Eagle Scout with Troop 16 where he has served his troop in such positions as Senior Patrol Leader, JASM, Patrol Leader, Den Chief and Troop Guide.       In the Order of the Arrow, John has been a Vigil Honor member of the lodge since June of 1996 and is the most recent Founders’ Award recipient. He has worked six years on staff at Camp Horseshoe including a year as the Nature Lodge Director. John has served on the Projects Committee for five years and has served as the chairman for several of those years.  A.J. D'Antonio      A.J. is an Eagle Scout with Troop 78. He became a member of Octoraro Lodge in 1993, and became a Vigil Honor member in 1997. A.J. has served his troop as a Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader.       A.J. has served the Lodge as Vice Chief for two years and was the Conclave Chairman last year. He has received his troops Scout of the Year award two years in a row, and is a past youth recipient of the Founders’ Award. He worked last summer as the Handicraft Director at Camp Horseshoe.  Treasurer "The Treasurer keeps accurate records of Lodge inventories, insignia, emblems and supplies. He arranges for the payment of bills and maintains financial records for the Lodge."   The Candidate Kyle Brun      Kyle obtained the Ordeal degree in September of 1994 and earned his Brotherhood in September 1995. Kyle was recently named a Vigil Honor candidate.       In his troop, Kyle is a Life Scout, has served as Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, Historian, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader. Kyle is now an Instructor with Troop 53. He has also been nominated for Scout of the Year by the Octoraro District.       In the past, Kyle has held the position of Convention Committee Co-Chairman, an office he has held for three years.    Trustee  "The Trustee is responsible for the Lodge Building- maintaing it and all outside use of it. He is also responsible for all equipment owned or used by the Lodge…" The Candidate Patrick Griffin      Pat received his Ordeal in September 1993 and a year later passed his Brotherhood.       Pat was a Patrol Leader, an Assistant Patrol Leader, a Troop Guide, and Senior Patrol Leader with Troop 49. Pat is currently the Vice-President of Post 161.       In years past, Pat has served as the Winter Camp Staffing Chairman for the lodge.

Vice Chief  "The responsibility of the Vice-Chief is to help the Chief in all areas possible. There are two Vice-Chiefs, Administrative and Program. Both Vice-Chiefs make sure that each committee does its job responsibly and well. Both are responsible for the duties of the chief, should the chief be absent." The Candidates Clee Brun      Clee became a member of the lodge in September of 1994 when he passed his Ordeal. One year later in September of 1995, he earned the Brotherhood degree. Recently, Clee was called-out as a Vigil Honor Candidate.       Clee holds the Life rank and is a member of Troop 53. In his troop, Clee has served as APL, PL, Scribe, Quartermaster, ASPL, and SPL.       Clee currently serves the lodge as the Convention Committee’s Co-Chairman, a position he has held for three years.  Matthew Griffin      Matt earned his Ordeal in June 1994 and received his Brotherhood degree in April of 1995.       Matt is an Eagle Scout with Troop 49 and has served as an APL, PL, Troop Guide, Bugler, and ASPL.       Matt was previously the Camp Promotions Chairman for the lodge and is currently the Administrative Vice-Chief.  A.J. Patton      A.J. is an Eagle Scout with Troop 140 and is currently an Assistant Scoutmaster. In the past, A.J. has served his troop as a PL, Troop Historian, and a JASM.       A.J. received his Ordeal in June of 1994 and one year later earned his Brotherhood. In the past A.J. has served as the Vice-Chairman for the Camp Promotions Committee in charge of the Horseshoe Trails District. Presently, A.J. serves the lodge as the Camp Promotions Chairman and is the Vice-Chairman for the Brotherhood Committee in charge of the Horsehoe Trails District.     Recording Secretary  "This secretary’s duties include keeping accurate and simple minutes of meetings, as well as keeping track of lodge attendance." The Candidate Timothy Zupko      Tim is a Life Scout with Troop 78 and is currently a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. In the past, Tim has served as an Assistant Patrol Leader and a Patrol Leader.       Tim received his Ordeal in April 1994 and one year later earned his Brotherhood. Tim is finishing up his third term as the lodge’s Recording Secretary.    Corresponding Secretary  "The Responsibilities of the Corresponding Secretary include all aspects of published communication among the lodge. He is responsible for the publication of the newsletter, as well as any pamphlets, thank-you notes or other letters that must be sent by the lodge." The Candidate Andrew Coe      Andrew is an Eagle Scout with Troop 31 where he currently serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster. Past positions include Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and JASM. Andrew has also worked several years on staff at Camp Horseshoe.        Andrew became an Ordeal member of the lodge in September 1992 and sealed his brotherhood in April of 1994. He is currently a Vigil Honor candidate.       Andrew has served the lodge as a Trustee and is now holding the position of Corresponding Secretary.

 

Upcoming Events  May 29-31: 1998 NE-4A Conclave, Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation  Jun. 5-7: Octoraro Service Weekend at HSR  Jun. 6: Executive Committee Meeting at HSR  Jul. 25: Vigil Fellowship Meeting and July Vigil Weekend  Aug. 2-6: 1998 NOAC at Ames, Iowa  Sep. 6: Executive Committee Meeting  Sep. 25.27: Fall Fellowship Weekend at HSR    National News       Mike McCrea, the chief of our former section, Section NE-4B, will be the Conference Vice-Chief of Training at the 1998 NOAC.       If you are so inclined, contact the National Chief (left) and Vice-Chief (right) to get your concerns addressed:  National Chief : Mat Milleson Mat_Milleson@baylor.edu  National V. Chief:  Dave Petrush dpetrush@center.colgate.edu    Calling All Members!      Perhaps you’ve noticed that this page talks mainly about the upcoming NOAC in Iowa. This was done to raise your awareness of all the great activities that this convention has to offer in order to convince you to join the NOAC contingent.       The truth is that there are some programs, such as the NOAC, where our lodge lacks in participation. Conclaves never seem to be hurting for our attendance, but even our own service weekends have seen a slight attendance decline in the past year or two.       I do not know what has caused this to happen, but some solutions are available for us to employ. One option is to go back to our units and drum up some enthusiasm for the many events that this lodge partakes in. Some ordeal brothers may be under the impression that getting the sash is all there is to membership. Go back and tell them there is much more fun things to do in the OA than the grueling Ordeal. Also, some troops have not had a strong presence at OA functions.        One thing you can do to change this is to talk to your friends at school who are in a different troop. Offer them rides down to Horseshoe, give them information about upcoming events, invite them to an Executive Committee meeting… just get them involved in some manner. It reflects poorly on our lodge when we show up at a function with only a few members. So lets get some new faces involved with the lodge because the bonnet of leadership needs to passed from time to time.  Comments? E-mail Andrew Coe, arc150@psu.edu.

News Briefs [  There are still youth spots open for the 1998 NOAC delegation. The lodge will pay $75 of the travel expenses so it is a great deal! If you would like to go, please contact Clee or Kyle Brun!  As the new officers are elected this weekend, so begins a new year for the lodge. With that in mind, all those who are interested in getting more involved with the lodge should consider joining the Executive Committee. It is a great way to learn more about the OA and the lodge, plus it is a great way to meet new brothers. All members are welcome to the committee, so join now! Talk to any of the officers to find out more information about the Executive Committee.    Just for Fun…  If it’s not funny, then it was just meant to be informative. Top Ten Reasons to Go to the 1998 NOAC 10. Miss Teenage America will be there.  9. There will be lodges that are even more obnoxious than us.  8. You get to stay in college dorms… hope you like it tight!  7. It is one of the few OA events where there are actually more youths than adults.  6. We get to defend our National Basketball Championship!  5. Cheat people out of their best flaps by saying our ordeal flap is our 50th anniversary flap.  4. Meet new people… learn new accents!  3. Only place on Earth where 300 people go around calling themselves Kitchkinet.  2. OA Jeopardy… maybe Alex Trebek will be there.  1. It’s in Iowa… excitement capitol of the USA!