NOAC 2009
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NOAC is finally here! Check back each day of NOAC, from Friday July 29th through August 7th for a daily news feed about our NOAC contingent.
News Feed
Day 1, July 31st
Our adventure started on Friday July 31st. We all arrived at Palm Beach International Airport by 5:50am for check-in. By 8am we were all on the plane and in the air on our way to ... Atlanta (not NOAC yet)! We had a three hour layover in Atlanta, ate lunch in the airport and were on our way again at 1:40pm. We arrived in Indianapolis at 3pm and quickly were loaded into two buses headed towards ... Camp Ransburg (not NOAC still). We went to Camp Ransburg of the Crossroads of America Council to spend one night there before heading to NOAC. We arrived at the beautiful camp around 4:30pm, unloaded our gear into our campsite and settled in. After eating a lot of pizza, our day was filled with relaxation with a large anticipation of NOAC. Tomorrow we will be at NOAC and will get to see what its all about.
Day 2, August 1st
Saturday was a busy day for the NOAC Contingent. This was the day we finally arrived at NOAC. We got up bright and early, ate breakfast at Camp Ransburg and were leaving by 10am. Merely a half hour later we were in the parking lot at Indiana University.
Day 3, August 2nd
Coming Soon...
Day 4, August 3rd
Coming Soon...
Day 5, August 4th
Coming Soon...
Day 6, August 5th
Coming Soon...
Day 7, August 6th
Coming Soon...
Day 8, August 7th
Coming Soon...
NOAC Information
It's coming!! It's the best thing in Scouting next to a National Jamboree or getting your Eagle. Saturday August 1st through Thursday August 6th. This event is going to be held in Bloomington Indiana at Indiana University. It will be the tenth time the Honor Society of Scouting, the Order of the Arrow has visited this campus. It looks to be a great time with lots of interesting things to do and if you are not careful you might just have fun and learn something.
The National Order of the Arrow Conference is one of those magical, mystical times that happen every two or three years. You will see ninety year old Vigil member talking to and having fun the same as the thirteen year old Ordeal member. You will see and meet people from all walks of life and every state in the Union and some foreign countries. It is the best time in scouting you will have if you let it happen and go with the flow.
Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge is as steeped in tradition as is NOAC its self. We always have several people on staff and usually take a contingent of between thirty and forty members. Our patch sets are greatly sought after. Anything with the "Gator" on it trades like wild fire. The dancers from our Hitchiti crew traditionally score well in the dance competitions usually in the top positions. Classes are attended by others and good information is gathered and brought back to the Lodge.
This year is no exception. The fun will begin on Wednesday 29 July departing by van going a day's ride into South Carolina to spend two nights and a day at an adventure camp. We will arrive that evening to cabins in the mountains and a campfire meal. The next morning will see us rafting down a river with trained guides. That afternoon will be a horseback ride through the mountain trails. The evening will end with a big cookout and a show. Friday we will continue on to Indianapolis to a Scout Camp again with cabins. There we will be treated to an evening meal. Saturday morning we will get up, have breakfast and depart for the University to arrive at check in which is at 1045.
I kind of need to put a disclaimer in here, if the price of airfare comes down low enough to make it feasible to fly, we may change to that. We would depart Friday and stay in Indianapolis as planned and then return back to West Palm Beach on Thursday. This will be determined plenty of time in advance and you will know in enough time how many pairs of underwear to pack.
If everything goes well at check in we will got to our dorms and get our rooms. Room partners have to be chosen in advance and cannot be changed except by approval of National. We did that one year and we really got into trouble. The rest of Saturday is left for exploring, signing up for dance competitions, patch trading patches (we will have a class on this so nobody gets taken advantage of) and resting up. Saturday night will be the first show and you will be in awe of the amount of Scouts in attendance as well as the show its self.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are training, dancing and competition days. Mornings you go to your class that you have chosen or to dance competition. In the afternoons there is time to explore NOAC adventures like TOAP and the OA Museum. There are also competitions Volleyball, Lodge ball, Wii Bowling and Ultimate Frisbee. These competitions need to be signed up for well in advance also. The evenings are full of Shows and other Events.
Thursday will see us up and departing as early as possible. Thursday and Friday are set as travel days but we may stop on the way home and have some fun, getting us back to T.K. on Saturday afternoon.
FAQ
Some questions that are usually asked are:
- “Where do we eat?” Each dorm is assigned a Dining Facility and you eat there. It’s usually in your dorm.
- “What do we wear?” Class “A” for travel and during the morning classes and evening shows otherwise it’s a Class “B” uniform. Civilian clothes are not needed. This is a Scout function.
- “How much money do I need?” Enough to buy me stuff… just kidding. Bring enough for snacks and sodas. I usually figure $20.00 a day for every day I’m gone. I don’t want to run short. Most of the time I come home with money.
Deadlines
Deadlines that have been established by Aal-Pa-Tah are as follows:
- February 15th you were to have your 1st $100 in to council to lock in your place.
- May 15th you have to have the next $295 in to council to payoff National ($395 total at this point).
- June 15th you have to have your Physical done and paperwork to council (remember it has to be on the new 4 page form).
- July 1st you have the rest of your money to Council
Meetings
Meetings that you need to be in attendance; this is a must attend:
- Saturday afternoon at 2PM in the Dining Facility on May 30th
- Sunday afternoon at 2 PM at Council Headquarters on July 5th (proposed)
Contingent Leaders
Your Youth Contingent Leader is Chas Carlson, Chas' contact information can be found in the member's area. His Advisor for NOAC is David Carlson. You can reach him at noac@aal-pa-tah237.org.
