I don’t know how it works at OA Section Conclaves elsewhere around the country, but here in SR-7B (eastern and central North Carolina), it is customary to have a special Vigil Breakfast, followed by a rededication, early on Saturday morning. For years I have said if I were in charge this would become the Vigil brunch, allowing the Vigil brothers to sleep in, followed by a siesta. I was only partly joking.

In addition to having to get up in the dark and trudge to a breakfast long before others are awake, and often only a few hours after the patch trading has finally wound down, this creates logistical and staffing challenges. The six lodges in our section bring about 1000 brothers to conclave every year. Camp facilities are stretched to their limits. The cook crew already has a challenge in feeding this many people. Having to serve a breakfast for about 200 at 6am (and plenty of hot coffee!), while meeting the expectations that it be something “special”, can quickly become and irksome task.

I recently received my email copy of the November 2010 edition “The Apensuwi”, our section newsletter. A significant change to the conclave schedule was announced in it:

…Big news on the conclave schedule. At the recent Council of Chiefs the lodge chiefs and the section officers voted to move the vigil breakfast to a vigil reception on Friday night. Vigil honor members should expect a nice reception and plenty of fellowship with other vigil members…

I applaud this welcome change! This lifts a burden from the shoulders of the cook crew staff, allowing others to perform the much simpler task of cleaning up afterwards. The Vigil brothers have a greater opportunity to have fellowship with each other in a more relaxed environment. They’re not rushed out of bed in the dark pre-dawn hours and rushed through breakfast so as to not delay the meal of the rest of the conclave. It creates a nice social event as a way to start the conclave. There could even be some informal and friendship patch trading amongst the Vigil brothers.

I do not know if there will still be a Vigil rededication ceremony. If there is one, it could happen on Friday night after this reception. It could also be more comfortably worked into the early Saturday morning program, before breakfast, now relieved from the pressures of serving a meal just before it.

Congratulations to Wahissa lodge (the service lodge for the 2011 SR-7B conclave) and the leadership of SR-7B for this welcome change. Innovation is sometimes very good. Without knowing it, you have answered one of my wishes. I tip my hat to you all.

1973 Dixie Fellowshp Patch

Effective in 1973, the BSA reorganized its structure from 12 Areas into six regions.     This meant changes for OA areas nationwide. Area fellowships became section conclaves.   The lodges of the old Area 6-B were reunited with their brothers from Muscogee 221 and Unali’yi 236, forming section SE-3B.     This put all of South Carolina together again for the first time in over 20 years.   They would not be separated again.

Atta Kulla Kulla hosted the 21st Dixie Fellowship, the 1973 SE-3B Conclave, at Camp Old Indian.     The conclave patch’s basic design employs the traditional color scheme used on Atta Kulla Kulla’s earliest and all their Ordeal flaps .

The following nine lodges comprised SE-3B:

• Santee 116
• Tsali 134
• Atta Kulla Kulla 185
• Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188
• Muscogee 221
• Unali’yi 236
• Skyuka 270
• Catawba 459
• Eswau Huppeday 560

A mug and neckerchief were also produced for this event.   I do not presently have images of these pieces.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

Edited 12/3/09 — Yes, I knew this was not the last 6-B event!   That was left from cutting and pasting a template from the 1972 post!

1972 Dixie Fellowship Patch

Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188 hosted the twentieth Dixie Fellowship, the 1972 Area 6-B Fellowship, at Camp John J. Barnhardt.     This was also the final Area 6-B fellowship.     In 1973 the six region structure would be in place.

There has been some disagreement through the years over what the totem of Itibapishe Iti Hollo is.     Blue Book names the beaver as the lodge totem, which is not correct at this time according to the lodge’s by laws.     An American Indian chief was commonly shown on the lodge’s patches.       A fancy dancer is the central design element on this patch.

A mug and neckerchief were also produced for this event. I do not presently have images of these pieces.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

2009 marked a big change in the alignment of W-1C.   When the new designations came out, W-1C lost two lodges and became W-1E.   Gone are the two lodges that are home based in Idaho, and that makes W-1E conform to the old borders of 11-C.

The conclave this year was held at Camp Fife (Grand Columbia Council), which is in the shadow of Mount Rainier.   The first time in awhile that a council camp was used as a conclave site.   It was a great weekend with plenty of sunshine and decent temperatures. (It did get down to below 32 degrees Saturday Night, which caused frost on my windshield.)

There were 5 patches issued for this event.   There are rumors of a sixth, but I have not seen it yet.   The sixth would be for the $300.00 worth of auction purchases jacket patch.   The first patch is the W-1E Sashman patch.   Sashman is the totem of section W-1E.   This is their version of a charter member patch.   The section issued three oval patches for the conclave.   The grey border is for the participants,  white border for the staff and light blue border for auction donation.   The Jacket Patch is a mirror copy of the participant patch except it is bigger.

I would say this this conclave was above average for this section attendance wise and the food was decent enough to prevent me from jumping in my car and looking for a Chinese Buffet.   The conclave had attendees from Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Washington.   Yes I did say Hawaii.   The section chief from Hawaii attended, along with the section  chief from  W-1N who happens to be from Alaska.   A great conclave as I taught Patch Trading and a lot of new youth caught the bug.   There is a core group of us that travel the Pacific Northwest and attend of of these conclaves.   If I missed your name please forgive me:   Paul Collett, Jeff Ansley, Kevin Rudesill, John Riekena, Ken Hayashi, Peter Kruse and Bill Harris.     We have a lot of milage racked  up, we also made it to NOAC and will most likely be at the NLS/NLATS in Portland later in November.

This wraps up the conclave season in the Pacific Northwest.   Now back to regular issues.

Ok, so I am a little late with this post.   2009 saw the change of W-1A into W-1S and with it some advisorship changes.   I became the Merchandising advisor for the section.   What that entails is that the Trading Post, On-Line Trading post, Merchandise marketing and anything that is not food or program materials come under my leadership (of course I have a Conclave Vice Chief that works with me).

The conclave this year was well attended with over 450 Arrowmen from Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and Idaho in attendance.   The conclave was held at Camp Baker (Oregon Trail Council) on the central Oregon Coast.   Food was outstanding and the fellowship was superb.   The shows was spectacular thanks to Paul Collett and crew.

Since we had a new designation, I went all out to exploit it.   Thus almost all the patches made for this year have Charter Member on them.   We stuck with what the previous advisor had done and issued 4 pocket patches.   Red Border for Participants, Blue Border for Staff, Gold Mylar for Auction Donation and Black Border for the Collector’s set.   The amount made decreases with each batch with only 120 made of the black border.

There were 4 jacket patches made this year.   The regular Charter Member Jacket Patch (150 Made) was the most common.       All of these had less than 30 made.   The Special Edition Jacket Patch (14 Made), The Patron Jacket Patch (30 Made) and the Guardian Jacket Patch (6 Made).   The special edition was by special collector’s lottery only (Yes I got one).   The Patron Jacket Patch required a $300.00 donation in cash and/or memorabilia (I got one of those too) and the Guardian required spending $1000.00 at the auction (I did not get this one).   All of the patches are pictured in this article.   I still have some of the participant, staff and auction patches available, along with the Charter Member Jacket Patch.

Next years conclave is scheduled to be held at Camp Rilea (Oregon National Guard), near the mouth of the Columbia River.

1971 Dixie Fellowship Patch

Eswau Huppeday 560 hosted the nineteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1971 Area 6-B Fellowship.

Eswau Huppeday has been known for unusual and flashy patches.       While this one is certainly unusually shaped, especially for the early 1970s, the color scheme is atypically subdued.       The patch appears to represent a cotton boll.       The lodge’s totem, the crossed musket and tomahawk appear in the center of the patch.

A mug and neckerchief were also produced for this event. I do not presently have images of these pieces.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

1970 Dixie Fellowship Patch

Catawba lodge hosted the eighteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1970 Area 6-B Fellowship.   This was the first official meeting of these lodges in two years.   There were no area fellowships in 1969 in Region 6.

A traditional representation of Catawba’s hornet’s nest totem is the central design element of this patch.       This is similar to the 1963 Dixie Fellowship patch and would later be used on the 1976

A mug and neckerchief were also produced for this event.   I do not presently have images of these pieces.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

1968 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The seventeenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1968 Area 6-B Fellowship, returned to South Carolina with Atta Kulla Kulla 185   serving as host lodge.

If   nothing else, the patch for this Dixie Fellowship was certainly brightly colored!     The basic color scheme — red border, yellow background, brown whippoorwill — is similar to that of the lodge’s first few flaps.     However in this case the whippoorwill is greatly simplified, and the symbol of Camp Old Indian is the central element.

A mug and neckerchief were also produced for this event.     I do not presently have images of these pieces.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

1967 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The sixteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1967 Area 6-B Fellowship, remained in North Carolina with Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188 serving as host lodge.

This was the first Dixie Fellowship held at the brand new Camp John J. Barnhardt.   It was also the first time since the lodge hosted a Dixie Fellowship since the 1954 meeting at Camp Dick Henning.

Riddle and McLean report in their A Golden Legacy:   A 50th Anniversary of the Dixie Fellowship that the meals had to be served from the OA building due to the lack of a dining hall.     They also note this camp was built on the site of the former “black” camp for Central North Carolina Council.     Riddle and McLean do not mention it but I pressume Scouting in this council was intergrated with the construction of the new camp.

The tradition of the fellowship patch showing the totem of the host lodge was essentially maintained.     Blue Book, and therefore my site, has oddly listed the totem of this lodge as a beaver* however an American Indian in full bonnet often appears on this lodge’s patches.     An adaptation of that appears as a central element in this patch.

I do not know why Blue Book has asserted the beaver as the totem of this lodge.     Perhaps some readers can fill us in on this.   There was also a neckerchief, mug, and leather neckerchief slide issued for this event of which I do not have pictures.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

* The lodge’s 2008 bylaws states, “The totem of the Itibapishe Iti Hollo Lodge shall be that of a Creek Indian wearing one feather.”     Interestingly enough the lodge’s 2008 by-laws also state that this totem must appear on “the patch”, and that the “official lodge flap” is not to be resold.     These terms in quotes are not explicitly defined but apparently have a meaning what the simple words would otherwise mean as the bylaws also allow for “special lodge flaps”.

1966 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The fifteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1966 Area 6-B Fellowship, returns to North Carolina.   The newest lodge in this section,   Eswau Huppeday 560, served as host lodge.

Eswau Huppeday was only founded in 1964, so the brothers of this lodge were ambitious to accept the responsibility of hosting an area fellowship so quickly.     That is a credit to their   dedication and hard work.   This lodge has a reputation for being ambitious, innovative and trendsetting, apparently something they earned early in their history.

The patch design is not as elegant as other fellowships from this time period but it does hold to tradition, something that has been greatly valued by the brothers in this area.     The lodge’s totem, the cross rifle and tomahawk is featured in the center of this patch.     Of course I like the light blue background, pretty close to Carolina blue.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

1965 Dixie Fellowship Patch

Remember when I was regularly blogging about conclave patches from here in the Southeast?     Well maybe it’s time I start again.

The fourteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1965 Area 6-B Fellowship, was held at Camp Coker and Santee 116 was the host lodge.

The design continues to use the basic formula used on other fellowship patches in recent past years with the totem or a symbol of the host lodge being prominently shown. In this case the Carolina Parakeet.   Like most representations of this lodge’s totem, the portrayal is based upon a well-known engraving by John James Audubon.

Eswau Huppeday 560 was founded in 1964.     This was probably (I have not confirmed it) their first area fellowship.   This area would see no new lodges chartered or mergers within its area up to the present day.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

2009 W-1N Conclave Pocket Patches

Well conclave season is upon us and with that the new designations in the Western Region take effect.   Since I am from the Pacific Northwest I went the the first event within a 500 mile radius of my home – the W-1N Conclave.   This section was formerly known as W-1B.

The conclave was great.   What makes a great conclave — great food.   The cooking staff went above and beyond the call of duty.   Many thanks from my stomach.   The attendance was over 300.     Which broke last years attendance.   This conclave is small compared to those elsewhere but the spirit was there.

There were 4 regular size patch issues and 2 jacket patch issues.   The host lodge also issued two flaps and a lodge within the section issued a towel.

2009 W-1N Conclave Jacket Patch

The four regular patches included a regular patch for everyone (dark yellow border), an Uncas Award Patch that had to be earned (black border), a COC patch (gold mylar border) and a Auction Donor Patch (red border).   Two jacket patches was the normal gold border that anyone could buy and a silver mylar that required an outlay of $300 in either outright cast or items won from the section auction.

The host lodge – 502 T’Kope Kwis Kwis issued two flaps for this event.   One that anyone could buy (red border) and one that the lodge gave to the host lodge conclave staff and first year arrowmen from 502 (blue border).   I did not acquire the blue border at the conclave.

Sikhs Mox Lamonti 338  issued a yellow towel for the event that had its lodge cheer on it.

One more section got added to the Pacific Northwest

The video cameras were rolling at last weekend’s SR-7B conclave.     A short highlights video has been made and posted on YouTube.




I guess the cameraman didn’t spend much time in the “patch pit”.

2009 SR-7B Conclave Patch

I decided on the spur of the moment yesterday to visit the SR-7B conclave today.       Nayawin Rar 296 is hosting this at Camp Tuscarora.       The special VIP guest this weekend was Tico Perez, the BSA National Commissioner.

There were also a large number of section pieces.     Some of which I might cover in a later edit to this post, or in separate posts.     These include a pocket patch, jacket patch, chenilled, neckerchief, and various other “doo-dads”.

There were several new issues that I will be posting on this blog over the next several days.

• Tsoiotsi Tsogalii had two flaps, one of which was restricted one per person for those who registered in advance.     The more common flap was made in a significantly smaller quantity than previous flaps and members were only able to get a few extras on Saturday.
• Occoneechee lodge had a two part set and a neckerchief.     It appeared that there were not all that many extras of the set.
• Croatan had a flap and a dangle.     These were not issued in the same quantity and the dangle was said to be much scarcer.
• Nayawin Rar had three flaps.     One of these was a service flap and also limited to one per person.   There were also several different colored bordered versions of the conclave patch for them, but are probably section and not lodge issues
• Klahican had a flap.

There seems to be a trend towards severely limited flaps, and deliberately “shorter than normal” runs of what used to be common flaps in at least a couple of the lodges.     I do not like that.     It’s almost as if lodges were trying to manipulate the value of their patches on the secondary market to the detriment of the lodge’s treasury.

NCSU Supper Club Flap

Bill Freeman recently sent me   this image of a flap he recently rediscovered while rummaging through some boxes of old stuff in his attic.     I thought it was interesting and worth sharing with readers of this blog.

Bill reports that in the mid 1970s there was an unofficial club at North Carolina State University called the NCSU OA Supper Club. This was a group of OA brothers at the school that met weekly for dinner at a local restaurant. This group was mostly the lodge and section leaders of the section then known as SE-3A.

According to Bill, “Gattopuin Mizin” translates as “Hearty Eater”.

The number 175.875 needs a bit more explanation.     The principal designer of the flap, who Bill did not name, was an engineering student.   Presumably he was a young man with a mathematical bent in his personality.     This number is an average of lodge numbers for the eight lodges that were then in this section:     Tali Taktaki 70, Occoneechee 104, Croatan 117, Wahissa 118, Tslagi 163, Uwharrie 208, Nayawin Rar 296 and Klahican 331.

Of course, this is an unofficial flap — or “spoof” to some — but it is still an interesting bit of North Carolina OA history that had been almost completely forgotten.

1962 Area 6-E Conference Patch

The 1962 Area VI-E Conference was hosted by Aal-Pah-Tah 237. It was held at Camp Tanah-Keeta, now called Tanah Keeta Scout Reservation. The pocket patch is pictured here.

I find it interesting that the patch design features both “amber waves of grain” and “purple moutains majesty”. Neither of these are sights one would expect to find in south Florida! I wonder if the conclave theme was something akin to “America The Beautiful“.

1962 Area 6-E Conference Neckerchief

As has been done for the previous three years, there was also a neckerchief produced for this event. The design of the neckerchief is similar to the pocket patch. The central part of the pocket patch design was rendered with fewer colors with the relevant text identifying this event placed around it.     A red, white and blue border was added to the neckerchief.

In 1962 the following eight lodges were now in this area:

• Seminole 85
• Echockotee 200
• Aal-Pa-Tah 237
• O-Shot-Caw 265
• Tipisa 326
• Timuquan 340
• Chiriqui 391
• Eckale Yakanen 552

1964 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The thirteenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1964 Area 6-B Fellowship, was held at Camp Daniel Boone, Tsali 134 was the host lodge.

Tsali lodge is not explicitly named on this patch, however its totem camp name are prominent on the patch. The design returns to the basic formula used on other fellowship patches in recent past years with the totem or a symbol of the host lodge being prominently shown.     However the lodge totem is slightly less prominent on this patch,   superimposed upon hills, reminiscent of the design of Tsali’s early flaps.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

According to McLean and Riddle’s A Golden Legacy: A 50th Anniversary History of the Dixie Fellowships the following lodges were in Area 6-B in 1964:

• Santee 116
• Tsali 134
• Atta Kulla Kulla 185
• Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188
• Skyuka 270
• Catawba 459
• Eswau Huppeday 560

Eswau Huppeday lodge was founded in 1964.     But as it was then customary for lodges to be founded during the Summer camp season, I doubt they would have attended 1964′s Dixie Fellowship.   Maybe a blog reader from Eswau Huppeday can verify this for us in the comments.

1963 Dixie Fellowship Patch

Since yesterday I posted on this blog some new issues from Catawba lodge it seemed like an appropriate time for the next post on Area 6-B conclave patches.   The twelfth Dixie Fellowship, the 1963 Area 6-B Fellowship, was held at Camp Steere.   Catawba 459 was the host lodge.

Catawba lodge is not explicitly named on this patch, however its totem and council headquarters location are prominent on the patch.     The design returns to the basic formula used on the 1958-1960 patches with the totem or a symbol of the host lodge being prominently shown “front and center”.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

According to McLean and Riddle’s A Golden Legacy: A 50th Anniversary History of the Dixie Fellowships the following lodges were in Area 6-B in 1963:

• Santee 116
• Tsali 134
• Atta Kulla Kulla 185
• Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188
• Skyuka 270
• Catawba 459

Eswau Huppeday lodge #560, Piedmont Council, would joint this area upon its founding in 1964.

1962 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The eleventh Dixie Fellowship, the 1962 Area 6-B Fellowship, was held at Camp Old Indian. Atta Kulla Kulla 185 was the host lodge, having just hosted in 1960.

Like in 1961 the design features crossed US and CSA flags, apparently depicting the American flag in use during the US Civil War.     I wonder if the area intended to commemorate the centennial of the US Civil War with the 1961 and 1962 designs.     Starting in 1963, the area would return to featuring the host lodge totem as a prominent design element on the patches.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

According to McLean and Riddle’s A Golden Legacy: A 50th Anniversary History of the Dixie Fellowships the following lodges were in Area 6-B in 1962:

• Santee 116
• Tsali 134
• Atta Kulla Kulla 185
• Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188
• Skyuka 270
• Catawba 459

1961 Dixie Fellowship Patch

The tenth Dixie Fellowship, the 1961 Area 6-B Fellowship, was held at Camp Palmetto. Skyuka 270 was the host lodge. Continuing the tradition started in 1953, the Confederate Battle Flag was used in the patch’s design.     Also included is a U.S. flag, possibly intended to be a depiction of the flag that might have been current during the US Civil War.

This UNC fan likes the pretty shade of “Carolina Blue” used on the patch, however I am sure the color choice had little to do with my favorite school.

Thanks to Jason Spangler (www.santeeswapper.com) for supplying the images for the Area Z and Dixie Fellowship patches used on this blog.

According to McLean and Riddle’s A Golden Legacy: A 50th Anniversary History of the Dixie Fellowships the following lodges were in Area 6-B in 1961:

• Santee 116
• Tsali 134
• Atta Kulla Kulla 185
• Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188
• Skyuka 270
• Catawba 459