Back in 2010 I announced the formation of Tschipey Achtu lodge as a result of the merger of Ty-Ohni 95 and Ganeodiyo 417.   At the time I was told they would use the number 397, which is also their council number.   This created a bit of controversy as that number is currently in use by Chilantakoba lodge in Louisiana.   I also announced their first flap.   Other than a 2010 Jamboree issue no further news from this lodge made it to me.

I was talking with a Roger Ward last night who was at the recent Winter South Carolina Trade-O-Ree.  He tells me it has not been quiet in that lodge.   The use of 397 was problematic.  Many wanted to choose a different number.   Some wanted to claim the number zero, but that was not well received given the special place Unami 1 holds in the Order of the Arrow.   The Scout Executive, I am told, stepped in and told the lodge they will use the lower number from the two merged lodges.

The lodge is now known as Tschipey  Achtu 95.    I have updated the site to reflect this current information.   Several new issues have also been added.

I received word earlier today from Randy Stiegler, VP of Program for Long Beach Area Council (LBAC), that this council has just recently formed an OA lodge.  LBAC was one of two councils (to my knowledge) within the BSA that did not have an Order of the Arrow lodge.

Randy tells me the current lodge membership is just 22 but that will rise rapidly over the next few months.   The new lodge will have its first call out and Ordeal in May.   There is no news yet on a lodge name, totem or patches.   I will share that here when I know something.

The Tribe of Tahquitz will remain an integral part of LBAC.   It will work side by side with the OA lodge to support the council and its programs.

This is the first new OA lodge formed in over 40 years that has not been the result of a merger or consolidation.   The last new lodge before this was Achsin 565.    Founded in 1970, Achsin lodge was attached to the Chamorro Council headquartered in Agana, Guam.   It merged with Kamehameha 454 and Pupukea 557 to form Mokupuni O Lawelawe 567 in 1973.

Some of those who know me personally, know that I have gone over to the “Dark Side” and have started using Apple products.  I bought an iMac a couple of months ago and just recently got an iPad.   My brother is trying to tell me that my Droid’s days are numbered.

I really like my iPad and started day dreaming about an OAImages app for it.  I have no idea how to go about writing this and it would take me into an entirely new area from what I know.   It’s not something that would happen easily or soon.  Here’s your chance to give feedback.   What do you think about an OAImages app?  What would you put in it?   Do you have any thoughts on how it would be distributed  or how much it would cost?

Please feel free to comment.   Comments are moderated for those who have not successfully had a comment published on this blog before in order to control spam.  I will do my best to approve comments as quickly as possible in order to facilitate a discussion.

My friend Jason Spangler, also known as the Santee Swapper and host of the Scouting Hot Finds newsletters and podcast has assembled a free guide to spotting the fake Chinese made OA patches currently appearing on eBay.

A Guide to Identifying Recent Chinese Fakes on eBay

This is an extensive 24 page treatise on these patches, with many illustrations.   It documents the fakes produced by various sellers over the past several years.   It also discusses the marketing strategies of those who produced these fakes including the stealing of images from this website.

This is a must read for almost any collector who wants to avoid being taken by these fakes.

Tipisa 326: 2011-2012 Year Patch

As is the custom in Tipisa Lodge (326), the incoming Lodge Chief is responsible for the theme for his year’s patches.  The chief for the 2011-2012 year decided that the lodge needed a renewal of the lodge program, almost a re-birth.  And as a fitting theme for his efforts, the lodge’s activity items for his year have the theme of “A Renaissance Of Brotherhood”, featuring adaptations of artwork from the Renaissance period, with Scouting themes.  the year patch, for example, is an adaptation of “The Birth Of Venus”, by Botticelli.

The first of the weekend patches was for their Fall Fellowship, and the design used was da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, with an OA sash.  The original order of patches was delivered to the lodge without button loops; these were considered defective, and sold by the lodge, while a corrected order with the button loop was distributed to the attendees.  500 were made of each.

One of the chapters of the lodge has gotten into the act, as Kikape Chapter has their own tribute to the Renaissance, with their “Honoring Michaelangelo” patch (R-1).

Echockotee 200: 70th Anniversary Flap

In 2011, Echockotee Lodge 200 commemorated their 70th anniversary with the issuance of a flap (S-45?), 800 made, and sold unrestricted.  The basic design is based on the 25th anniversary flap (S-5), with a fleur-de-lis embedded in each lower corner; embroidered to match the design.  What stands out with this issue is the “70″ in the middle.  It was embroidered over what is known as “foam injection”, to create a three-dimensional effect.

The foam injection was also used for their next flap (S-46?), the lodge’s service flap.  The patch is available for purchase by lodge members, one for each eight hours of service given.  The basic service flap design has been largely unchanged since the late 1950s, with changes made to become compliant with BSA trademark guidelines in 1977 (adding fleur-de-lis, changing to a rolled edge).  Changing to different vendors since 1977 have created different issues in the last 34-plus years, but this latest order created a different flap, without changing the design.

In November, Echockotee hosted the 2011 Section S-4 Seminars, a Section-wide training event and planning meeting to prepare for the next year’s Section Conference, held in Florida almost every year since 1977.  While attendance is much smaller than that of a Section Conference, over 340 Arrowmen came for the weekend.  Echockotee issued only one item as the host (S-47?); 600 made, sold unrestricted.

Other new issues: an Elangomat patch (P-6?, with a BLU BSA), for those that serve as an Elangomat at a lodge Ordeal, and a “First Year Arrowman Award” (X-32?), for new Arrowmen that meet certain participation requirements.

237 Aal-Pa-Tah: 2011 Year Patch

The Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge 237 activity patch set for 2011 utilized older lodge designs for the weekend itemsfor the “year patch” (a J-type activity patch, used by many lodges in Florida as an additional piece in the year’s themed set).  The year patch utilized the “gator on a log”, that was used as the lodge’s basic flap design from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The five weekend patches all have the same basic design, with changes in color and the name of the weekend activity.  This basic design was first used as a weekend patch in 1959, and again in 1988.

Echockotee 200: 2011 Fall Fellowship

As previously reported, the activity patch set theme for Echockotee Lodge 200 for the 2011 year was “Ships Named Florida”.  The year has been completed, with the year’s jacket patch and five weekend pieces (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall Fellowships, and the 2011 Section S-4 Conference), with depictions of the different vessels in the US Navy that has carried the state’s name throughout the years.

One variation was created in the 2011 set, that was with the Spring Fellowship patch.  Five hundred patches were created for the weekend, with more than 450 in attendance, and another 100 were ordered to take care of those wanting extras.  The original order has a maroon colored button cord, and the second order has a red cord (border color is the same, despite what the scanned images may show).

O-Shot-Caw 265 2011 Summit Corps (SMY border)

For the two national Order of the Arrow events in the summer of 2011, O-Shot-Caw Lodge 265 issued several items, in some very limited quantities.  Slipping under the radar were two flaps made for the contingent to the 2011 Summit Corps event: GMY border (S-137), and SMY border (S-138).  Reportedly, only 50 were made of each flap.

For the contingent heading to the Indian Summer event, two two-piece sets were created.  Originally, one set was created, with a BLK fleur-de-lis on the flap (F-30; 150 made), and a short button tab on the bottom piece (X-51, no WWW on the tab; 125 made); these were designated as the “delegate” set.  When these were determined to be less than ideal, a re-order of the flap was made, with a WHT fleur-de-lis (F-31; 125 made), and a bottom piece with a longer button tab (X-52, with WWW on the tab; 125 made).   These were called the “trader set”.

O-Shot-Caw 265 F33?

In late October, O-Shot-Caw Lodge 265 joined the small number of lodges to issue a patch to raise funds for breast cancer research.  Not just one, but two two-piece sets were created.  Each of the sets features an image of a Seminole woman with early 20th century clothing, with the patchwork details rendered in a photoprinted process.  The flaps each have a PNK felt background.

Only 150 of the ”easy” sets were made (F-32, with a WHT border; X-53a, with WHT button loop).  And then there are fifty of the other set (F-33, with a PNK mylar border; X-53b, with a PNK button loop.)

Wahissa Prototype Neckerchief Patch

When I was at the Winston-Salem Trade-O-Ree recently I saw a very interesting piece on display there from the Raven Knob Boy Scout Museum.   This was donated to the museum courtesy of William E. “Ned” Vaughan-Lloyd, Jr.   It is a proposed emblem for a lodge neckerchief from circa 1945.   A neckerchief was not produced until many years later and then with a entirely different design.

As far as I know this patch is unique. This proposed design was obviously based upon the Unami lodge rounds that were in use at this time.  The color scheme was changed but the basic design is the same.   There were not very many OA patches in existence in the mid-40s, so it is not unreasonable that a lodge would seek to adapt a patch from the “mother lodge” for their own use.  It probably belongs on my list of “inspired” patch designs.

This was neither listed in the Blue Book nor pictured on this site until now. As a prototype it should probably be labeled as “YR1″, even though collectors should not expect an opportunity to acquire this piece.  This patch is not for sale or trade by the museum.  It is a very interesting part in Wahissa lodge’s history that ought to be preserved and appreciated by future generations of collector.

Wahunsenakah 333 Piankatank Chapter Winter 2011 Service

I have written several posts on this blog about patch designs that appear to have been copied or “inspired” by other designs, quite often from different lodges.   For example see the first and second posts using this same title.   Another example is this post on more “inspired” patches.

The patch pictured at the top of this post was a recent chapter event issue from Piankatank chapter of Wahunsenakah lodge.  (Editor’s note:  Please see correction in comments).   The lodge is chartered to the Colonial Virginia Council which could easily explain the American Revolution theme of the design.  However, the lodge totem is a duck so the hawk’s head might appear to be an unusual choice.

A friend gave this to me.   He acquired it a Trade-O-Ree and thought of me once he saw the design.   It’s obviously taken from Tsoiotsi Tsogalii’s 2010 SR-7B conclave flaps, listed on this site as S34? and S35?.

Perhaps someone in Wahunsenakah can fill us in on the story behind Piankatank chapter’s choice of patch design.  The artist of the lodge 70 flaps should be flattered that someone in another lodge was so impressed by his design that he chose to adapt it for his chapter’s event patch.

Tsoiotsi Tsogalii 70 S34?

Tsoiotsi Tsogalii 70 S35?

The lodge 70 flaps feature the red tailed hawk (the lodge totem) in American Revolution garb.  Behind him is General Greene’s flag.   The oldest council in the lodge’s current territory was the General Greene Council.  The Battle of Guilford Court House took place in Greensboro, NC, the headquarter city of the current Old North State Council.

One of those patches seems oddly out of place (really two but one sticks out more!).  Do you see it?  It’s not quite as obvious as recognizing letters and numbers, but still very easy to see!   Every time I see this frame I chuckle a bit.   It’s a good way to start a conversation.   Now you all can join me in a good natured chuckle.

Bill Chin found this squash with a rather interesting label and shared it on Facebook.   He has granted permission for me to share this with you all.   Many will find the logo on the label rather interesting.   I find the similarity to a former OA logo too great to have happened by chance.    I wonder if executives in the company, or whoever designed the logo, were ever members of the Order of the Arrow.

If we follow the recipe on the label, must we use official BSA cider, nutmeg and eggs?   Would it have been more appropriate for this logo to have been used on a brand of bowling balls, or for a tomato farm?

Chappegat Lodge Song

Last weekend I rode with Greg Grimes and Roger Ward and paid a visit to our mutual friend, Larry Banks. On the way there I was shown a book, published in 1938, given to members of Chappegat Lodge.

The book included the lodge by laws and rules. It included instructions on how to wear the “bands”, as the OA Sash was called then, and lodge pin. Specifically, Brotherhood members were instructed that the bands and arrow on the lodge pin were to be worn pointed toward the left shoulder.   It was also stated that the lodge pin could not be given to a non-member of either sex.  This refers to the custom, still practiced today, of fraternity brothers giving their pins to their girl friends as a token of affection.  The centerfold was the brother’s membership certificate.

The music and lyrics of the OA song and the lodge song were also printed in the book.

Being an amateur musician I was really interested in this song.  I suspect the melody is original but no credit is given to a lyricist or composer.   I plunked it out on my piano and played it on my recorder several times  It’s jaunty, but in my opinion not easy to sing.   To my ear the phrasing is awkward and doesn’t seem very natural.    The average adult male will struggle to hit the high notes if sung in the written key.   (Scouts sing on key?  HA!)  Still, it’s a neat look into the Order’s past.

Also note how the lodge name is spelled in the song, “Chapegat”.   Is this an error or did the lodge change the spelling of its name some time between this booklet being published and when the lodge’s first patches were issued.

How many other lodges have or have had lodge songs?

Fake 411 S1

There has been some discussion recently on patch-l about an eBay seller currently using the id, “discountbar“.  He is operating out of Huhhot, China and selling fake Boy Scout patches.

Several members of that list have pointed out that he is stealing images of real patches from this site and using them to illustrate his auctions.   Winning bidders report they do not receive the items pictured, but instead get computer designed fakes of those patches.

Among the items sold have been at least one 411 Unilachtego S1.   A collector, who shall remain anonymous for now unless he chooses to reveal himself, after seeing the 411 S1 up for auction emailed discoutbar, asking for an image of the actual patch the winner would receive.  The image at the top of this post is what was sent in reply.   It’s nicely done, but still an obvious fake.

Another patch-l member asked this seller where his patches were coming from.  He responded they were made by “sinapatchbar”.   Long term readers of this blog might remember this seller’s name.   Someone formerly sold on eBay under the name sina-patchbar.   I wrote about him on this blog back in 2007.

I am currently trying to work with eBay to get his auctions pulled as he is taking images from this site to be used in selling his items: both misrepresentation and a violation of eBay policies.

Remember back to 2006-7 and the Cloth Talk podcast?   It was a great resource for the hobby and a lot of fun both for listeners and participants.  Alas, “real world” commitments made it impossible for that to continue and the podcast disappeared.  Since then, there have been no patch collecting podcasts; at least none that I know of.  That has now changed.

Jason Spangler has been experimenting with a lot of different tools and resources on his website.   His most recent endeavor is podcasting.   His podcast is called Scouting Hot Finds Radio.    The most recent episode can be found here:

http://scoutinghotfinds.com/11/scouting-hot-finds-radio-segregated-scouting-part-1.html?mid=525545

The most recent episode includes an interview with Jason Shull where they discuss the history and patches of segregated Scouting in the United States.   Not only does he intend this to be a podcast that one can listen to on demand, he also plans to broadcast live and has set up a phone number where listeners can call in to his show and be put on the air.

I’m excited to see podcasting return to the hobby and look forward to great things from Jason.

Amangamek-Wipit 470 S132?

I have added special pages on this site for the 2011 Indian Summer and 2011 Summit Corps.   I still have a few images to add but most of what I have images for is now on the site.   Thanks for Rick Horne for most of these images.

To view these items, go to OA Images: National and Special Events Patches page and select either of these events from the “Other Specialties” drop down box.

Allohawk Menewi S1?

Allohak Menewi lodge, formed from the merger of Enda Lechauhanne 57 and Nachamawat 275, just issued its first flap.  This will be listed on the site as “S1?”.   The lodge will continue to use the number 57.  Thanks to Gap Danish and Nathan Pearlman for supplying scans of this new issue.

There is a notable history of mergers and name changes in this lodge’s history. Both Enda Lechauhanne and Nachamawat are product of mergers themselves.   If one wishes to collect this lodge’s predecessors there are now 15 different names to seek out.   See this lodge’s merger history for the details.

I am told 1400 of these flaps were produced and know of no restrictions being placed upon them.   At this time I know of no other issues from the lodge.

On a related note, I am wondering if another merger is soon to happen in western Pennsylvania.   I was looking at the “About Us” page on the Laurel Highlands Council website.  Look carefully at the map of the council near the bottom of the patch.    How many councils do you know that are not continguous, with the territory of another council splitting it into two or more pieces?   Does this bode ill for the Westmoreland-Fayette Council and Wagion lodge?   Do any readers know anything more about this unusual situation?

Gila 378 S76?

Gila lodge has joined the growing group of lodges that have issued flaps for breast cancer awareness. Thanks to Dave Panko for this image. Like other flaps of this kind, the color pink is prominent in the design.   Other than the use of pink, there is nothing on this flap to indicate its intended purpose.

I have listed this as “S76?” on this site.  Collectors of the breast cancer flaps now have one more to seek for their collection.   The various other flaps can be seen here.