Welcome to the official web site for Order of the Arrow TKäen DõD Lodge 30. This page is a resource for all Arrowmen, and especially members of the Lodge in the Five Rivers Council, BSA. Please use this site as a reference for all lodge happenings and information. We thank you for visiting us, and if you have any questions, please email our current youth Lodge Chief.
The Lodge maintains a Facebook page to keep members up to date and our 2024 Lodge Calendar. You can pay your dues online or by filling out the 2024 Annual Membership Only Form and submitting it to the Elmira Office or bringing it to any Lodge event. Click here to download the Current Lodge Program Guide. Please keep in touch via email if you have further questions or would like more information.
Quick Links:
- Lodge Events
- Lodge Officers/Contacts
- Lodge Calendar
- Order of the Arrow: Scouting’s National Honor Society (What is it?)
- Lodge Membership (Requirements for Candidate, Ordeal, Brotherhood, Vigil)
- OA Awards
- Lodge Documents
- Helpful Links
- Lodge History
Annual Membership Fee
2024 Annual Membership Fee is $15 until 1/27/24. After the OA Banquet it will be $20.00. Click here to pay
Lodge Events
Induction Weekends (Members & Joining)
Two Induction Weekends are available to those who have been elected by their Troop or Crew.
The lodge runs 2 induction weekends a year (spring & fall) at Camp Gorton. Emails are sent to all candidates and members about the dates. They are also available on the calendar.
Candidates can register by selecting the Induction weekend that best fits their schedule and registering. A letter to new Candidates from the Chief and a Packing List are also available as part of the attachments on the registration page. Registration is available online.
Current Members are always encouraged to join new members at an Induction Weekend. To register please find the event in the calendar below and register.
Fellowship Weekends (Members)
Fun filled themed weekend event for all OA Lodge Members. There will be activities, training sessions, competitions, lodge officer elections. Next weekend can be found on the calendar.
E15 Section Conclave – @Camp Cutler May 31- June 2, 2024 (Members)
The Section E15 Conclave is an annual gathering of four lodges in our section for fun, fellowship, training, activities, and an opportunity to meet members throughout our area. We are hoping to have many members help to allow everyone to enjoy the weekend!
To register for the Section Conclave this link: Section E15 Conclave Registration Link – AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY 2024
National Order of the Arrow Conference 2024(Members)
The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) will be in the summer of 2024. NOAC is a semi-annual conference of arrowman from throughout the country to come together for activities, fellowship, shows, training sessions, and many other fun events.
OA High Adventure (Members)
Each summer, the Order of the Arrow offers a myriad of different High Adventure opportunities to meet your summer needs. Maybe it’s wetting your appetite by going for a plunge in the Atlantic Ocean with the Ocean Adventure at the Florida Sea Base. Or maybe hiking is your passion; if so, what better place to go than the Philmont Scout Ranch, where you can hike the same trails as your Scoutmaster or Scouting ancestors as a part of your Trail Crew experience? Have you ever thought about what the Native Americans and early explorers did to be avid traders? Maybe the OA Voyage is your calling. Whatever your summer aspirations may be, these National High Adventure bases have put together a multitude of options for you.
More information can be found at the National OA High Adventure Site
Lodge Officers
You can contact the lodge officers by clicking on their name. In accordance with BSA Youth Protection Policies, regarding one on one contact, all emails going to youth are also copied to the lodge advisor.
Lodge Chief – Emily McGrain
Lodge Secretary – Katie VanZile
Lodge Treasurer – Patrick VanZile
Lodge Adviser – Ryan Ross
Lodge Staff Adviser – Karl Ziegenfus
National Order of the Arrow Conference 2024
The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) will be in the summer of 2024. NOAC is a semi-annual conference of arrowman from throughout the country to come together for activities, fellowship, shows, training sessions, and many other fun events.
The Order of the Arrow – Scouting’s National Honor Society
For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, developing leaders, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support, and help to extend Scouting to America’s youth.
Mission
The mission of the Order of the Arrow is to fulfill its purpose as an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America through positive youth leadership under the guidance of selected capable adults.
Purpose
As Scouting’s National Honor Society, our purpose is to:
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- Recognize those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and through that recognition cause others to conduct themselves in a way that warrants similar recognition.
- Promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship as essential components of every Scout’s experience, in the unit, year-round, and in summer camp.
- Develop leaders with the willingness, character, spirit and ability to advance the activities of their units, our Brotherhood, Scouting, and ultimately our nation.
- Crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
Lodge Calendar
Lodge Membership
Membership Requirements
As of February 1, 2019, unit elections are permitted in Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout units. The Order of the Arrow membership requirements are as follows:
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- Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
- Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
- At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery Award, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Adviser or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
- Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection committee.
The Candidate
Once a Scout is elected by his peers at the Troop Level, he is considered a candidate. Each Candidate must complete an induction weekend to become an Ordeal member in the Order of the Arrow. A candidate has one calendar year from election to participate in their chosen induction weekend. The TKäen DoD Lodge holds Induction Weekends twice in the spring and once in the fall. At the time of election each Candidate receives a letter of information, and a registration form. Ordeal registration is not automatic with election but can now be completed online.
The Ordeal
The induction weekend begins on Friday evening and lasts through an open lodge meeting on Sunday Morning. At registration(Between 6:30PM and 7:30PM), a Candidate is assigned a group, called a Clan, that they will work with throughout the Ordeal. An Order of the Arrow member called an Elangomat guides each clan. The Elangomat stays with the clan during the entire Ordeal. Throughout the Ordeal the Candidate learns about the Order of the Arrow and contributes to various improvement or service projects. If the Candidate is successful, an Ordeal sash with a red arrow is placed upon his shoulder at the Ordeal Ceremony. The sash signifies that he is now an Ordeal Member of the TKäen DoD Lodge of the Order of the Arrow and he will receive a member handbook, a membership card, a lodge flap, and their first years dues are covered. New members are encouraged to take advantage of the Jump Start program soon after achieving Ordeal Membership.
Any member is considered active if his yearly Lodge dues are current, they are a registered member with the Five Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America, and they keep in touch with lodge activities.
The Brotherhood
To deepen their understanding of the Order and become a Brotherhood member, an Ordeal member must participate in a Brotherhood Ceremony. To be eligible for Brotherhood, an Ordeal member must be active for at least 6 months following the Ordeal, and must be registered with the BSA. Shortly before a Brotherhood Ceremony is to take place, the Ordeal member receives a Brotherhood email containing information, and a link to registration. If successful, the Ordeal sash is replaced by a Brother sash with a red arrow and two red bars.
The Vigil
After at least two years of active participation as a Brotherhood member, and having also shown exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest as an Arrowman, a member is eligible for nomination to the Vigil Honor. Both youths and adults can receive the distinction. Any Lodge member can submit a nomination to the Lodge Nomination committee. The committee reviews the nominations, and prospective honorees are petitioned to the National Lodge. To receive the honor, Arrowman must participate in the Vigil Honor ceremony. Upon successful completion, a sash with a red arrow, two red bars, and a red Vigil triangle replaces the Brotherhood sash.
Click here to submit an Arrowman for the Vigil Honor
The Founders Award
Introduced at the 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference, the Founder’s Award recognizes Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to their lodge. The award is reserved for an Arrowman who demonstrates that he or she personifies the spirit of selfless service, as advocated by founder E. Urner Goodman and cofounder Carroll A. Edson.
The award is a handsome bronze medallion bearing the likenesses of E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson, with a wooden base and a brass plate suitable for engraving. Available for uniform wear is a gold-colored arrow suspended from a red ribbon.
Lodges may petition the national Order of the Arrow committee to present between two and four awards annually, depending on the number of members in the lodge. If the lodge presents more than one award, at least one must be awarded to a youth under the age of 21.
Click here to fill out online recommendation.
TKäen DoD Lodge 30 Recipients
2023 – Jim “AR” Nelson
2018 – Peter Reif
2017 – Joe Roupp Sr.
2016 – Terrie Seymour
2015 – Kelsey Seymour and Ryan Ross
2014 – William Ernest
2012 – Ruby Way
2007 – Marcus Allis and Dan Jackson
2005 – Jon Fuller
2004 – Jim Bacalles
2003 – Neal Forsyth and Lois Love
2001 – John Bahl and Marlene Enlow
2000 – Brian Love and Bernie Briceland Sr.
1999 – Jamie Love and Roy Paddock
1998 – Jason Potter and Don Worden
1997 – Ron Hall
1996 – George Bacalles and Mike Asiello Jr.
1995 – Ted Love and Jim Griffin
1994 – Floyd Marley
1993 – Marc McGrain and Ken Masteller
Previous Lodge Recipients
Winingus Lodge 30
1992 – Jason Root and William Thomas
TKäen DoD Lodge 186
1991 – Thomas Feehan and Sean McInerney
1992 – Tim Griffin and Mark Kosty
Wakanda Lodge 186
1990 – Let Lowery
Seneca Lodge 394
1985 – Daniel Redner and Michael McCarthy
1987 – Peter Maybaum and Kenneth Maybaum
1990 – Adam Hungerford, Michael McCarthy, and David Powell
The James E. West Fellowship Award
James E. West was the first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, and he served in that position for more than three decades. The West Fellowship award is available for gifts of $1,000 and up in cash or marketable securities to a council endowment fund. The gift must be in addition to— and not replace or diminish—the donor’s annual Friends of Scouting support. Many individuals and corporations make these gifts either on behalf of someone else—such as in honor of an Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver recipient, a retirement, a special accomplishment, or anniversary—or in memory of a special individual. If an institution is truly “the lengthened shadow of one man,” it is more than fitting that the BSA honor James E. West’s major contributions to Scouting in such a significant way. The lodge has made many contributions to the council endowment fund honoring arrowman who have given unselfish service to the lodge.
Click here to fill out online recommendation.
2018 – Dusty Bahl
2017 – Kelsey Seymour and Joe Taylor
2016 – Peter Reif
2015 – George Bacalles and Roy Paddock
2013 – Don Many and Terrie Seymour
2012 – Joe Roupp and Jim Thomas
Lodge Documents
- Dues Form
- Dues Payment Online
- Lodge Leadership Position Intent Declaration
- National Leadership Seminar
- Unit Election Form
- Vigil Honor Nomination Form
- Tkäen DoD Lodge Policies and Procedures
Helpful Links
- Jump Start for new Arrowmen
- TKäen DõD Lodge 30 Facebook Page
- Five Rivers Council Website
- National OA Website
- Eastern Region Website
- Section E 15 Website
- National BSA Website
Section E15 Lodges
| Lodge | Council |
|---|---|
| Erie Canal | Western New York Scout Council |
| Lowannie Nimat | Longhouse Council |
| TKäen DÕD | Five Rivers Council |
| Tschipey Achtu | Seneca Waterways Council |
Lodge History
On January 1, 1991, the Seneca Lodge of Sullivan Trail Council in Elmira merged with the Wakanda Lodge of Steuben Area Council in Bath NY. As was the practice at that time, new lodges created by council mergers took the lower lodge number. This happened to be #186, which represented the Wakanda Lodge (later in 1993 when the General Sullivan Council was annexed TKaen DoD #186 took the lower Winnigus Lodge #30). The winter fellowship at Camp Gorton in February 1990 saw Arrowmen from both Wakanda and Seneca Lodges come together to design a new flap and to pick a lodge name. Ken Masteller was adviser of Wakanda at the time of the merger and Mike McCarthy of
Elmira was the lodge adviser of Seneca Lodge. The new lodge also had co-chiefs, Brian Eno from Seneca Lodge and Mark Kosty from Wakanda. The merger was a very harmonious merger since most of the lodge officers had participated in a two council contingent troop at the 1989 jamboree. The merger was so positive that the chiefs were asked to lead a session at the 1990 NOAC, held at Indiana University, on how to promote the true spirit of brotherhood when lodges are forced to merge due to council mergers.
The council name of Five Rivers had already been selected from a council wide contest held during 1989. At the winter fellowship the Arrowmen wanted to have a lodge name that complimented the council name. Since the “five rivers” merged in Painted Post and since “Painted Post’s” origin was Senecan (Chief Montour stands in the center of the village), the Arrowmen wanted to find out the Seneca name for “Painted Post.” Chiefs Eno and Kosty traveled to the Seneca reservation near Syracuse to talk to Myrtle Peterson. Mrs. Peterson was the instructor on the reservation of the Senecan language. When the chiefs met with Mrs. Peterson she told them that the Senecas never had a painted post. The post that existed in the Painted Post area was not “painted”. This plain post had been used as a type of bulletin board and when the white settlers moved into the area they painted it. To paint this post was desecration to the Seneca people. Mrs. Peterson suggested to our chiefs that they name the lodge TKäen DoD meaning “Land of the post”. By doing this they would honor the Seneca people, compliment the council’s Five Rivers name and be a name that the idea and research had originated with the youth of the lodge. TKäen DoD was thus born and has been our lodge name since the spring of 1991.
OA History
The Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson in 1915 at the Treasure Island Camp of the Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America. It became an official program experiment in 1922 and was approved as part of the Scouting program in 1934.
In 1948 the OA, recognized as the BSA’s national brotherhood of honor campers, became an official part of the national camping program of the Boy Scouts of America.