Winter Banquet - Thank you!

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Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Fellow Wearers of the Arrow!

Thank you to all who shared fellowship and worked so hard to make the Winter Banquet held this past Saturday at Rainey Mountain a success! The fellowship, the fun, and, of course, the food was all outstanding. And made even more so by the spirit you brought with you to celebrate a great year that has passed and to welcome in a new year full of promise.

As I shared with you during the Lodge Adviser’s moment at the end of the program: ‘none of us are perfect.’ And even though I thanked a lot of people that make our lodge program a success, I failed to recognize some folks that worked very hard and shared their creativity to make the event really special. Please allow me to correct that omission now.

Vigil Honor Sister, ‘Miss Kim’ Carroll, was responsible for all of our decorations for the banquet. If you enjoyed the unique pictures that were found on the tables and in the “80” display on the mantle above the fireplace, Miss Kim is the one to thank as well as all of those that supported her getting these made. The table settings were also her doing. Thank you!

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If you noticed when you checked that there were placards with clothes pins that had names of all of members on them, please make sure to thank Vigil Honor Sister Miss Suzi Wiggs. Along the back side of the dining hall on the folded tables, the were historical publications and a timeline of Mowogo Lodge functions beginning in 1959. You were to get the clothes pin and put it on the event which you completed your Ordeal. This was a truly creative and interactive way to share your history in the Order of the Arrow and Mowogo Lodge.

It was really impressive…that is until I realized that our current Section Chief has a major issue with estimating time. He took it upon himself to place my clothes pin on the “1959” card which was at least five years before I came into this world. As he is an engineering major, I think we all hope he can improve on his ‘calculating’ abilities…SOON! Conclave is coming, Chief! In the words of the incomparable Stan Lee: “Nuff said.”

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My apologies to Miss Kim and Miss Suzi for the late shout out, but our appreciation and gratitude are no less for the work and creativity you shared with Mowogo Lodge! Thank you.

 

Yours in Cheerfulness,

Rusty Royston
Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge
Northeast Georgia Council, BSA

2023 Winter Banquet...in 2024!

 

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Good evening, Sisters and Brothers!

We hope this finds you well and ready to gather and celebrate another outstanding year of Cheerful Service for Mowogo Lodge!

Thank you to the many that have already signed up for the banquet for this Saturday at Rainey Mountain. The banquet will begin at 4:00PM with another outstanding meal by our excellent Lodge Food Services Team and a program that will recognize those that guided our service and leadership in 2023! We will have some special guests with us including the return of our favorite Coosa Lodge and Section E6 leader as well as our new 2024-2025 Northeast Georgia Council President, Mike Levengood. We look forward to sharing fellowship with you and celebrating another year of excellence and service as well as welcome a new year of opportunity to grow and improve.

If you haven't registered yet, click this link: Mowogo Members . It will take you to the page on the lodge website where you can register. Please be advised that registration closes tomorrow so that we can plan appropriately as walk-in registration is not allowed.

Also would like to send a big shout out to Brothers Sankalp Yeleti and Britt Bramblett for leading our lodge contingent as Acting Lodge Chief and Lodge Adviser at the Section E6 Indian Winter event held this past weekend at the Bert Adams Scout Reservation! Thank you and thanks to all who represented Mowogo Lodge there! I understand it was a great event.

Thank you for all you do to serve as examples of the best of Scouting in our council, in your communities, and in your daily life!

See you Saturday evening!

Yours in Cheerfulness,

Rusty Royston
Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge
Northeast Georgia Council, BSA

 

Indian Winter & Winter Banquet

New Year greetings, Sisters and Brothers!

We hope this finds you well and that your holiday season has been one full of both joy and rest as you prepare for the new year and getting back into the swing of things.

As we move out of the holiday season, we wanted to share information with you on some fast-approaching events.

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First, the Section E6 Indian Winter event will be held this coming weekend at the Bert Adams Scout Reservation in Covington, Georgia. This event now boasts the largest registered attendance for an Indian Winter at almost 400 participants and staff. Registration for Indian Winter has closed. For those that are attending, please review the following information received today about Indian Winter:

  • Check-In will be by Individual. This will occur at the Ashley Training Center.
  • Check-In will run from 5PM EST to 11PM EST. Please plan to arrive no earlier than 5PM.
  • Please bring your own tent
  • BSA Health Form Part A&B will be required (you will need to bring this with you as the lodge records will not be there).

Campsite assignments for each lodge are still being decided and we should know these in the next couple of days. Once we receive this for Mowogo Lodge, we will let you know. Please refer to the IW page at Indian Winter – Section E6 (oa-bsa.org) for more information.

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Following Indian Winter, Mowogo Lodge will hold its Winter Banquet at Rainey Mountain on Saturday, January 13, beginning at 4:00PM in the Dining Hall. This annual gathering marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next as we recognize those that have served with distinction in the various functions of the lodge program and the Founder’s Awards for 2023.

The menu has been planned and it looks to be a great meal and program! If you haven’t registered for the Winter Banquet, please go to Mowogo Lodge – 2023 Winter Banquet and register as soon as possible so we can plan a great experience for you!

Thank you for all you do to be a light for others to thrive and to make this world a be better place!

Yours in Brotherhood,


Rusty Royston
Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge
Northeast Georgia Council, BSA

Mowogo Lodge Leadership Development Conference

Greetings, Fellow Wearers of the Arrow!

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and are back into the swing of things.

This Saturday, December 2, Our Lodge Leadership Development Conference (LLDC) will be held at the Northeast Georgia Council University of Scouting. The University of Scouting will be at Frank N. Osborne Middle School: 4404 Braselton Hwy, Hoschton, GA 30548. Registration begins at 8:00AM followed by opening beginning at 8:45AM where Mowogo Lodge will perform the opening Flag ceremony.

The LLDC is required for members of the 2024 Lodge Executive Committee (Lodge Officers and Chapter Chiefs). This is an opportunity for our incoming Lodge Leadership to begin planning the work for the coming year. All members are welcome to come and join in the training. There is no cost for the LLDC training.

You can register at the following link:

https://www.nega-bsa.org/UniversityofScouting

You can also sign up for a Chik-fil-a lunch for a cost, but you must do so by the end of the day tomorrow. Otherwise, you will need to provide for your own lunch. The training will conclude by 4:00PM.

Thank you for being the role models that honored campers are supposed to be. The University of Scouting is a prime opportunity to demonstrate just that for Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venturers, and Scouters from around the Northeast Georgia Council!

Yours in Cheerfulness,

Rusty Royston
Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge
Northeast Georgia Council, BSA

 

Fall Fellowship

Greetings, Sisters and Brothers!

We hope this finds each of you well enjoying the crisp seasonal weather and readying yourselves for Fall Fellowship this weekend at Scoutland on Lake Lanier!

This weekend we will leave a lasting mark on one of the Northeast Georgia Council’s most important properties. Scoutland has served Scouting in our council for many decades. It serves as the staging environment for several programs and events including camporees, council jamborees, family camping, unit camping, youth and adult leader training programs: National Youth Leadership Training, Outdoor Leadership training, Baloo, Wood Badge, and many more. As an example, lead volunteers for council-level programs will be meeting in Cleveland Hall to discuss plans and status for each of their programs together as they have for many years this Saturday from 10:00AM to 1:00PM while we provide cheerful service and share fellowship. They have also been invited to share lunch with us as well.

This opportunity has brought many memories from the times I have enjoyed Scouting and learned many lessons at Scoutland over the past 46 years. My first experience there was as a First Class Scout during a camporee in the spring of 1977. The patch from that event stayed sewn on my uniform for many years (shown below). My unit camped in what is now the parking lot above the admin building. There are too many other programs and events I have participated in at Scoutland to mention.

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Scoutland is a beautiful property on Lake Lanier geographically located near the center of our council. Mowogo Lodge has provided service there in the past. In 1992, the Lodge Chief Kevin Jones led the first service and Ordeal weekend there. In 1999, Mowogo Lodge held a Pre-Camp Fellowship there. And many of our Chapters have held service events there as well throughout the years. Last December, the Lodge Executive Committee voted unanimously to begin holding an annual Fall Fellowship at Scoutland beginning this year in 2023. Building on the work that began in 1992, Mowogo Lodge will now have a regular presence at Scoutland. We now have the opportunity to share the cheerful service tradition that Mowogo Lodge is known for (both in our council and nationally) to a place that provides the unique experiential learning that Scouting, and specifically Scouting in Northeast Georgia, offers.

Service projects have been lined up and materials for completing them are there or are on their way. To begin this service, we will inform all participants at breakfast Saturday morning where and what needs to be accomplished. If you have the following items and equipment, please consider brining them so that we can complete as much as possible this weekend:

  • Battery-powered (charged) hand drills
  • Socket sets
  • Framing squares
  • Impact wrenches
  • 7/16” metal and wood drill bits
  • Other hand tools
  • Hand gloves

As this setting is somewhat new for Mowogo Lodge, please be patient and flexible as we learn together how to accomplish our tasks and goals at Scoutland. The Lodge leadership has been preparing for this new event all year. Our food services team has been working to prepare the kitchen for this event. I salute them for their vision in bringing this opportunity to reality. Their vision for Fall Fellowship is in part based on the time and experiences they have had there and they know the importance of Scoutland in providing the same chance for others to have their own learning experiences there.

As of this morning, almost 160 have registered for Fall Fellowship with more than 30 of those preparing for their Ordeal experience. Please remember that the most important task before us is creating a meaningful Ordeal experience for those sent to us from their home units. That experience serves the Lodge, the Order, and, most importantly, Scouting by recognizing those that their fellow Scouts, Venturers, and Scouters have honored by sending them to us.

Thank you for what you do and represent. And thank you for doing your part to make this first annual Fall Fellowship a success.

See you this weekend!

Yours in Cheerfulness,


Rusty Royston
Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge
Northeast Georgia Council, BSA

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