Section Conference Delegates,

Thank you for signing up to be a part of one of the best and largest contingents that Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge has ever brought to a Section Conference, aside from those which we have hosted! You are going to have a great time, I personally guarantee it! We have 96 Delegates attending from our Lodge, both youth and adult! With that, there is a lot of logistics and planning that your officers have been working hard to outline over the past few weeks. 

To start off, what exactly is a Section Conference? Section Conference is a fun filled weekend hosted by one of the 8 OA Lodges around the State of Florida where all of the other Lodges come together for Fun, Fellowship, and Competition. This is our chance to show the rest of Section S-4 what Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge is really made of! There are great shows, state of the art trainings, competitive games, and so much more!

The tone that we set as a Lodge at Section Conference is important. The actions of our membership define what Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge is all about while at these Conferences. We need to be sure that we have a very Spirited but yet Brotherly! We must remember that the Scout Oath and Law will, as always, be our moral compass for the weekend and that only the behavior of an Honor Camper will be tolerated.  We encourage you to get to know all of the members in our Lodge, but also extend the Cheerful Brotherhood to those from other Lodges.

This year, the Section Conference theme is “Seek the Fire at the Center”. The Lodge Executive Committee has also decided to have a “lodge theme”. For weeks, this theme has been a closely guarded secret by just the members of the LEC. Information regarding this theme has been emailed to you.

VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!! Mrs. P has emailed you regarding your health form status. Those of you that have expired forms should bring a COPY of form a and b signed and dated on Form b for 2013.  Three hole punched would be extra nice.

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/parts_ab.pdf

ALSO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!! Everyone should bring a BSA Permission Slip - no exceptions. No slip, no trip!

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/19-673.pdf

ALSO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!! - unless we have made other arrangments for you (and you should have been notified by email from Mrs. P), you should plan to be at TK (not Winn Dixie) at 5 PM Friday.

As far as packing goes, you should pack as if you are attending a normal campout. Remember to bring items such as a tent, sleeping bag, shower supplies, scouting clothes, water bottle / mug, towel, and other equipment like that. Friday Cracker Barrel, Saturday B. L, D and Sunday B will be provided. Dining Utensils will be provided. The Conference Uniform is Class A (don't forget your sash) and the activities uniform is Class B.  Of course, bug spray, sun screen, and hat as well as any weather-related apparel are a good idea.  I am attaching the Section Conference Planbook which Seminole Lodge, the Host Lodge, has published to explain everything that will be happening at conference, including the schedule, uniform, code of conduct and activities!

 It will take us between 2 and 2 and half hours to get to Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation and to return home on Sunday. Due to the length of the Section Business Meeting being unpredictable, we will be ordering optional boxed lunches from a local Subway. If you would like a lunch, please bring $8.00. We will be ordering the Meals to-go box special. This money will be collected Friday upon check-in so that we can place the order early! This includes a 6 inch sub, a bag of chips and a cookie. We will also provide a drink.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me at 561-267-8759 or m.mcloug@gmail.com. Thanks and we are going to have a great time at Section Conference!

 In WWW

Mike McLoughlin

Lodge Chief