Snakepower.Org, Cahuilla Lodge's website since 1998, has been once again recognized as one of the top websites in the country. Cahuilla Lodge is proud to be honored with some outstanding lodges produced by brother lodges throughout the USA, including fellow Section W4B members Tiwahe Lodge and Navajo Lodge. 
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By Chris Horn, 2003 - 2004 Cahuilla Lodge Chief I feel this contingent is the epitome of what a contingent should be at N.O.A.C. (shall I mention 100% brotherhood award completed?); it makes me feel proud to be their Lodge Chief. Today was a definitely an enjoyable day, not only for me but the entire contingent. The morning kicked off with the Founder’s Day parade. Cahuilla had its "snake-mobile" (golf cart) manned by Brad Denbo, Kyle Bradley and Brenden Lieux. Immediately following the parade, the Goodman Games started. At least nine youth in our group practiced brotherhood and fellowship as we rocked other Lodges in competitions. Despite a bit of rain, the Lodge set up and ran their camping promotion booth at the Founder’s Day Fair. Consistently, the booth drew a big crowd and we did an awesome job showing the nation Camp Emerson and Camp Helendade. Chris Dietrich, accompanied by many of the youth in our contingent (Chris Alexander, Kyle Bradley, Rusty Downard, Brenden Lieux), did an outstanding job giving detailed presentations that exemplified the very best our council has to offer. The day was not nearly over yet. After dinner, our Lodge headed over to the fourth and final show of N.O.A.C. Tonight’s show was a continuation of a story started on Saturday titled "Voices." The show was absolutely outstanding! What I liked most about the story was that it told a good moral point and communicated it to its audience in a fashion that we could relate to. Immediately following the show there was an O.A. rededication ceremony accompanied by ice cream and lots of fireworks. The night only got better when we attended our Area gathering at about 10:45 when 85 pizzas were delivered to feed lots of hungry (don’t ask me how) and surprisingly energetic Lodges. Mike Gollner did a lot of talking and Wiatava ran around and put cogs on people’s heads. (yes, they even got me too). The finale to this occasion was singing happy 50th birthday to Steve Bradley. Congratulations Steve! I sit here today writing this article to you at the end of an amazing week. N.O.A.C. is not intended to be a life changing experience, but rather an encounter with brotherhood, cheerfulness and service. You get whatever you want out of it. Over the last week I have come to call a group of 19 others my brothers. We have grown and developed together, generating ties that will not soon wane. We have laughed and cheered together. We have endured and competed together. We have strengthened our ties to that of brotherhood and the Order of the Arrow. No one, not a Lodge Chief, a chapter secretary, or average Joe Arrowman, could ask for more. Don’t miss N.O.A.C. in 2006 at Michigan State University! Click Here For Pictures By Scott Pohlers, and Chris Alexander Today at N.O.A.C. 2004 was very exciting. The day started off with some morning training followed by lunch. After lunch I personally visited the very interesting Order of the Arrow museum. On my way back from the museum things started picking up in a way people in Southern California aren’t used to. The sky turned dark and there was a change in the wind. Then the winds really started picking up and there was a tornado watch issued. I ate dinner in anticipation of the coming tornado. However, the Cahuilla lodge contingent was spared as the weather calmed down. However, on our way to the region gathering the clouds started raining again and the sky roared with thunder. We thought we were safe once we got inside. Inside, the area was filled with patch traders and arrowmen seeking to complete their cube puzzle. After a majority of arrowmen left the region gathering things were calmed down among the Scouts. I spent some time wheeling and dealing for patches I choose to return to the dorms. I figured the weather had calmed down a bit, but no, it was worse! The night sky was white with lightening bolts larger than some states! Even as I write this report lightning might strike and the power could go out. But, other than that my day was pretty fun. N.O.A.C. is awesome but I miss California weather. Scott Pohlers Hey guys waz up! Well today was pretty interesting to say the least. After breakfast we went to classes- which are pretty cool. After that we went to lunch. Well after that was free time and at the end of that there was a TORNADO! Wow! It was really cool. Then we cowered in fear. After we were done cowering in fear we went to a regional meeting. Wow, thrilling, and it gets better. Then we found out that we had to find cubes that made a big cube! Wow! Well that’s my day in a nut shell! Chris Alexander Also, our Lodge Chief, Chris Horn, visited the National Council of Chiefs. There, they covered National Events, Programs, and current future plans for the Order of the Arrow. Chris also had the chance to place a historic vote for the implementation of the online LLDC program. Click Here For Pictures By Corey Painter, 2004 Cahuilla Lodge Secretary Day three at N.O.A.C. started out with a blast and a quick celebration of Chris Dietrich’s birthday (not to mention our handsome website adviser’s birthday, not that he added this to Corey's article) and then off to breakfast. Once breakfast was done it was time to go to classes. The classes ranged from simple one-hour forums on how to paint Indian costumes to more complicated three-hour courses on how to efficiently use technology for awesome shows. Once the classes were done it was time to have lunch and then off to do individual events. Some boys went to the museum to exchange patches with scouts all over the country while others cracked down and studied for the brotherhood ceremony. This was the first time since 1992 that Cahuilla Lodge competed in the ceremony events at a N.O.A.C. Their efforts were not in vain as they won the Honor Ceremony Team award. Not only did they get honorable mention for their ceremony, but Meteu got an honorable mention for costume design. The successful characters included Chris Horn (Allowat Sakima), Corey Painter (Meteu), Scott Pohlers (Nutiket), and Rusty Downard (Kitchkinet). This is a huge honor for Cahuilla Lodge! Some scouts decided to try their luck with Chess but after being eliminated in the first round, decided it was best to go to dinner. Dinner was next, well for those who made it in time, and then it was time for the show. The theme for this show was Indian influence and all forms of Native American culture in the Order of the Arrow. There was a northern and southern drum team there to support the dancers which ranged from fancy dance to grass dance to free style. The winners of the dances were announced but the real award went out to the audience because they were treated to some of the best dancers in the country. The show may have been over and it may have been 9:00, but the night was still young and there was still much to do. Some scouts went to the bowling alley and after only a brief wait of an hour, played a quick game of speed bowling. Curfew was at 11:00 and it was now time to head back to the rooms but the night still wasn’t over. It was now time for the midnight run for pizza and once everyone had their fill it was off to bed to get some rest for the next busy day at N.O.A.C. Click Here For Pictures By Chris Ogaz, 2004 Cahuilla Lodge First Vice-Chief On this, the second actual day of N.O.A.C. 2004, the Cahuilla Lodge contingent of 20 youth and adults started the day off early. After waking up at around seven and eating breakfast as well as getting ready for the day, everyone who could figure out the schedule of their selected training classes on the first day of training went to their classes. Once training was over in the morning, everyone in the contingent went their separate ways to experience the plethora of activities around Iowa State University. There was everything from sports competitions, to patch trading, to Indian affairs activities. Since today is a Sunday, at 4PM the contingent headed off for an hour church service. Everyone went to their specific religious preferences in order to obtain our brotherhood award as well as fill those religious duties of the scout oath and law. There was even a great Quartet that preformed at the Protestant service. Every service had a great turnout and some reached numbers of well over one thousand scouts and scouters. Then after dinner, the night was topped off with an awesome show. Not only were there great motivational speeches given, but there were also three major awards given out to those who give service above and beyond, as members and nonmembers of the Order of the Arrow. There were 42 Distinguished Service Award recipients, 3 Red Arrow Award recipients, and the second Lifetime Achievement award recipient. Tomorrow, we all look forward to another day of training and activities, including high adventure and more competitions. Currently the contingent Brotherhood ceremony team is preparing. Click Here For Pictures By Chris Dietrich, 2004 Cahuilla Lodge Third Vice-Chief We arrived at the airport early on Friday full of energy and excitement. Friday was a relatively laid back day. After arriving at the hotel we went out for dinner and just hung around. Everyone was filled with excitement and a little bit of anxiety about the coming days. Most of the boys went to sleep late. Despite leaving the airport a little late we got off to a good start on Saturday. I slept for most of the five-hour drive so I don’t remember much. However, when I did wake up we were getting off of the freeway and we were minutes away from N.O.A.C. As the vans pulled into the parking lot at the Iowa State University, I looked out the window and was amazed to see over seven thousand arrowmen just like us registering for the next week’s activities. As we got out of the cars most of the contingent got to look around. I for one noticed the patch trading. Lodges from fifty states sent representatives, and almost every one of them had a special N.O.A.C. commemorative patch, not least of all was Cahuilla’s own. The N.O.A.C. patches and fundraisers went quickly, and by the end of the day many were having to buy more from the lodge, myself included. While the trading was going on, Chris Horn and Daniel Alexander were registering our contingent for NOAC. It went off without a hitch. We were driven to our dorms where we were greeted with a hot blast of humid air from the inside of our non-air-conditioned rooms. A few quick trips to Walmart fixed that when we returned with box fans, about one per room. The contingent ate and had a photo taken, and then it was on to the shows. The opening show was a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, lasers and a meaningful message. The key speaker was the National Vice-Chief David Dowty who spoke about his bonding experience at Phil break. Other speakers included all of the region chiefs, the National Chief, and Congressman Tom Latham of Iowa. From our vantage point in the low nose bleed seats, Cahuilla Lodge had a clear view of Michael Gollner, our illustrious section chief who hails from the Inland Empire, donning a yellow cog from the Wiatava Lodge. We tried to grab his attention, but he was off with his new "friends". Chris Horn proceeded to call and question; Mike claims that it’s all for the money. As the show ended, the arrow men piled out of the coliseum and went back to their dorms, ready for another day of brotherhood and cheerfulness. Despite the late night pizza run, most of the kids were well behaved, though they had to try hard to contain their excitement.
July 23 - "LODG127 Leaves For N.O.A.C., Lodge # 127 To Follow Soon
July 22 - Cahuilla Lodge to provide nightly updates on N.O.A.C.
Led by Lodge Chief Chris Horn, the Cahuilla Lodge website will be providing nightly updates including dispatches from youth
leaders as well as pictures of people and events to give you an idea on what our Lodge is up to.
If you have previously attended a N.O.A.C., you know how much fun it is for everyone. If you haven't gone, this may give you an idea on what the week-long event might have in store for you.
Competitions at N.O.A.C.
Cahuilla Lodge plans to participate in the following competitions:
Dispatches from N.O.A.C.
The Cahuilla Lodge officers, led by Chief Chris Horn, plan to file daily dispatches and pictures as they journey across
the United States to Iowa State University to attend the 2004 National Order of the Arrow Conference. Messages will be
sent out over the Cahuilla Lodge Snakepower listserve letting people know they are ready to be viewed.
2004 N.O.A.C. Planning
At the 2002 National Order of the Arrow Conference (N.O.A.C.), it was announced that the N.O.A.C. 2004 will be held in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University from July 31 to August 5, 2004.
It is never too early to start thinking
about building a contingent of spirited Scouts and Scouters from Cahuilla
Lodge. Because of the popularity of N.O.A.C. (over 7,000 Scouts regularly
attend the biannual event), we will receive limited spots of youth and adults.
This event will take time to prepare and a lot of time saving money.
Cahuilla Lodge is hoping to fill competitive teams in dancing, singing, ceremonies, and camping promotion. We have a long history of competitive success. At this point, it is up to you. Do you want to attend the largest event the Order of the Arrow offers? Do you want to be a leader in the Order and seek more service opportunities? Do you want to have fun at the same time helping better the Order of the Arrow program? If so, you should immediately express your interest to Frank Sydow, Lodge Adviser, and Chris Horn, Lodge Chief. They will be drawing up a list of interested Scouts and Scouters. Even though we will have a set allotment, we will be able to apply for more spots, meaning there is a good chance that you can join us in August 2004. We sincerely hope you will join us! |
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The Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society