Tecumseh Lodge in 2020
2020 was a disappointing year all around the world, and the Order of the Arrow was no exception. However, things could have been worse.
The year began with our annual Lodge Leadership Development and Lodge Appreciation Banquet, both held at the SKC Leadership Development Center (aka the Scout office). Everyone had high hopes for the year, plans were laid for an exciting Spring Fellowship, and there were no signs yet of the trouble to come. In addition to the usual roll-out of the officers' plans for the year and lodge leadership training, we recognized the 2019 Vigil Honor class and tapped out the 2020 Vigil candidates. We also recognized two incredibly deserving members with the 2019 Founders Award, including making the lodge's first-ever Founders Award presentation to a Brotherhood member, Isaiah Hayes (who was promptly tapped out as a Vigil candidate as well) for his tireless service as a lodge officer and at induction weekends over the past two years.
Unfortunately, before the year could even really get started, COVID-19 brought everything to a screeching halt. Ohio shut down schools and businesses three weeks before our scheduled Spring Fellowship, "Scouting's Greatest Mystery." Built on a mystery theme, the fellowship had a range of investigative events planned, including offering the Crime Prevention and Fingerprinting Merit Badges. The only evidence remaining of this event is the promo video. Hopefully it will be resurrected someday, but until then, the mystery remains.
Our first two scheduled Ordeal/Brotherhood induction weekends were also cancelled, the first at Chief Logan Reservation and the Second at Camp Oyo. Infection rates were still rising, and we had not developed a plan on how to safely conduct a large event. However, by our August induction weekend, it looked like things were quieting down, and the council accepted our proposed safety measures to ensure the safest event possible. These included all events taking place outside, masks worn at all times except when eating, food served in individual to-go containers and eaten outside, disposable gloves worn at certain times during each of the ceremonies, and more. The event was a great success, both in terms of participation and safety, and set the stage for two more induction weekends. Our safety measures also attracted attention from the national level; they were shared on a phone call with the National Chief and members of the National OA Committee by Lodge Chief Will Finley and helped shape COVID policies for OA events across the country.
In addition to lodge events, COVID impacted Section and National events. The C-4 Section Conclave, scheduled for mid-May, was initially postpoted until the fall, and then ultimately converted to a fully online event. While it was disappointing not being able to gather with our fellow Arrowmen from the section in person, going online meant no long drive, no sleeping in dubious tents, and best of all, no money. The 2020 Conclave was completely free, encouraging many Arrowmen to attend who might have missed it otherwise.
Perhaps one of the most disappointing cancellations of the year was the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC). Scheduled for early August, NOAC normally brings about 8,000 Arrowmen together for several days of fun, excitement, training, competitions, patch trading, and much more. Tecumseh Lodge had about 40 members set to attend. At first, National tried to offer an alternate event at the Bechtel Summit called Momentum: Launch, hoping that the outdoor setting would be safe enough to pull off the event, but that fell through as well. Momentum: Launch ended up as a virtual event online that was poorly attended (despite the fact that basic participation was free) and failed to live up to anyone's expectations.
FORUM, the area's OA training event which is normally hosted at Camp Lazarus, also had to be cancelled.
Because the first two Ordeals had been cancelled, the Fall Fellowship was converted to an Ordeal instead, providing a third opportunity to welcome new Arrowmen. At the same time, the National Committee announced that the normal 12-month candidacy window would be extended to 18 months for all candidates, so that those who had not been inducted due to cancellations could return in 2021 without needing to be reelected. Originally intended to be a temporary policy, this has since become a permanent changel.
Simon Kenton Council also announced the results of an extended review of the council's financial situation and our camp facilities, which determined that we could no longer afford to keep all four of our major camp properties. Unfortunately, the ultimate result was the decision to close the Chief Logan Reservation following the end of the 2021 summer camp season.