NOAC 2015 arrives

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Editor’s Note: Jason Woodbury of Manning is attending the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan from Aug. 3-8.

The conference brings 10,000 Arrowmen from throughout the world together to share ideas, learn from one another and experience everything it has to offer.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America.

NOAC is open only to members of the OA.

Woodbury said he is one of 15 members attending from the Pee Dee region. He is an Eagle Scout, and has been a member of the Santee Lodge 116 for four years.

Woodbury will be providing several articles on the conference, which will be posted here. This is one of them:



In 1915 Dr. Urner E. Goodman and Caroll A. Edson founded Boy Scouts of America's honor society, the Order of the Arrow (OA). One hundred years later I and almost fifteen thousand other Arrowmen are joining at Michigan State University to celebrate a century of service. This time will be filled with games, competitions, training, and fellowship.
Santee Lodge #116 started to East Lansing Michigan from Society Hill, SC on Sunday morning. After more than thirteen hours of driving; our contingent, consisting of nine youth and five adults, arrived on the site of the National Order of the Arrow Conference 2015 (NOAC 2015).
Arrowmen can compete in activities ranging from Lodge Ball to American Indian Dancing. American Indian Dancers compete in different styles such as Traditional, Grass, and Prairie Chicken. Watching hundreds of dancers in homemade regalia gathered in one place is an amazing experience.
Every night speakers deliver inspirational messages about this year’s theme, “It Starts With Us”. Speakers included Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock, BSA President and former CIA director Dr. Robert M. Gates. Entertainment for the shows has included America’s Got Talent 2015 Champion Charlie Peachock, and country music singers Mattie & Tae.
With a whole week of fun, fellowship, and patch trading; Arrowmen can do almost any activity they could think of, from silk screening to SCUBA; from climbing to running 5ks. Over the next couple days I hope to meet new people and have lots more fun.