On a quiet Friday afternoon in September, nearly 500 Arrowmen from around the Pacific Northwest descended on the beautiful Camp Baker in Florence, OR for a weekend of fun and fellowship at the annual conclave.
The weekend kicked off with the introduction of our VIPs at the opening show on Friday night. In attendance this year was National Chief Anthony Peluso, Northeast Region Chief Justin St. Louis, Southern Region Chief Zach Callicutt, Western Region Chief Jordan Jefferis, Section W-1N Chief Antonyo Mitchell, Section W-1E Chief Chris Craig, Section W-3N Andrew Zucker, and Section W-2W Chief Hayden Mosher. Friday concluded with an amazing cracker barrel of bratwurst sausages and a special new Arrowman activity.
Saturday morning was filled with training sessions on a wide variety of topics including ceremonies, Meet the Man, social media, dutch oven cooking, merchandising in the OA, flute making, and even animal skinning. Arrowmen who attended at least three classes and filled out a short evaluation received a degree from Ktemaque University, the conclave training college of the section.
Newly inducted Arrowmen got a unique experience at the Very Important Arrowman (VIA) Luncheon. These Arrowmen visited VIPs and received a special treat.
After a delicious lunch, dozens of fun and engaging activities kept Arrowmen busy. Field games, a bounce house, shooting sports, tomahawk throwing, and climbing were among the popular activities at this year’s event.
Throughout the weekend, the section museum displayed memorabilia from throughout our section’s history and from NOAC 2018. The silent auction also ran throughout Saturday afternoon with Arrowmen bidding on items from patches to knives. All worn out from the activities, participants enjoyed a fantastic meal of smoked pulled pork with all the fixings.
The weekend wrapped up on Saturday night with an entertaining “Jurassic Conclave” theme show, recognition, and awards. Vincent F. Bishop was announced as the new section adviser, replacing Roy Walter Jr. who vacated the position in June. During the evening show, past advisers and chiefs of the section recognized and thanked Roy for his three years of service and dedication as the section adviser.
The highlight of the Saturday evening show was the presentation of the Arrow of Honor, an award that Section W-1S awards to recognize Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to the section. This year’s recipients are Christopher McCracken, Jordan Jefferis, and Dick Phillips.
During the weekend, the youth elected the group of section officers that will lead Section W-1S through the 2019 conclave. Christopher McCracken and Ethan Jones were both re-elected for a second year as section chief and section secretary, respectively. James Verheyden of Lo La’Qam Geela Lodge was elected as section vice chief.
On Sunday, participants said their goodbyes and put, “Jurassic Conclave” behind them as they marked their calendars for next year’s conclave, September 7-9, 2019 at Camp Meriwether near Tillamook, OR.
