NOAC 2009 will be at Indiana University again. The dates are August 1-6.

I would not expect to see any info on the OA website for it for another month or so, atleast. They are still busy with ArrowCorps5. Once its fully over, then they will focus on NOAC. Personally think they will start promoting it in the Fall.

Yes, there will be a need for staff at NOAC. There will be an on-line registration system to put your name in. Last NOAC they weren't really picking most staff until after the first of the year. Be adviced that you will need approval from your lodge advisor.

I also hear that Indiana has less space then the last couple of schools, so there will be restrictions on the number of participants (and thus staff) who can come. Am hearing that lodges will be held to the youth/adult ration (1 adult per so many youth).

National has the NOAC 2009 website up and running. Applications for NOAC staff are available through the website. Although they have not had the National meeting yet, I heard from a Nat'l Committee member a week ago that the fee has increased. NOAC will cost $395 in 2009. Here's the link:
http://event.oa-bsa.org/events/n2009/

Slight point of information as I have seen it posted as at Indiana State as well.

Indiana State University (my alma mater!) is in Terre Haute.

Indiana University (where NOAC will be) is in Bloomington.

Prof.

Better jump on the NOAC wagon while you can- the Order won't be seeing another one until 1212, and then another 3 years before the Centennial of the Order. I wish they were going back to a 2-year rotation after Jambo 2010 but it looks as though the 3-year cycle will stay for a little longer.

I'm going to NOAC woot! Was wondering is it basically like a HUGE conclave? And how many people do they put in a dorm room?

MichaelOA,

NOACs are great. I won't compare it to a conclave since they vary so much based on your section. NOACs are full of fellowship, great shows, trainings on anything OA related, oa related activities, sports competitions, all kinds of great times.

To get a feel for NOAC check out http://oa-bsa.org/events/n2006/live/ It has recaps of each day of the 2006 NOAC.

As for the dorm rooms, it depends what the room is designed for but I have never been in a room that was more than two people.

Have Fun!

My sons just got invitations from their lodge for the upcoming NOAC. As one can probably imagine, it's not an inexpensive trip from out here in the Left Coast. The invitation says it will be $928 -- each. For two boys, that is probably not something we can accommodate on such short notice.

Maybe, if he wants to badly enough to work for it and spend all his summer-job earnings on it, we might be able to help send the older boy. The younger one will still be a youth when the next one rolls around, so if he's still active he could have another shot at it. Would he have to be nominated again, or can anybody just go? The letter sent by the lodge makes it sound like it's only for the select few arrowmen who are nominated. Right now, one of their friends in their troop is pretty high up in Lodge leadership, which is probably part of why they got the invitation. Then again, they're both very active arrowmen so maybe they would have been nominated anyway.

Is it really worth $928 per kid to go?

It would have been helpful if they'd done the nominations and sent the invitations out MUCH sooner. If we'd known about this last summer, we might have been able to work toward it.

My younger son's already looked at the price tag and said "no way." But my older son's been sick in bed the last 24 hours and hasn't seen the invitation or heard about it yet. I am not sure whether to be encouraging of him trying to go or not. It's a pretty big chunk of change.

-Liz

Yep it's worth the money. It may be cheaper if he works staff since all they would need to do is pay the fee and transportation. I remember my 1994 NOAC vividly and it was worth every penny.

As to the three year rotations, that b/c of national jambo and the BSA centennial. They gotta do something to get tot eh WSJ, NOAC, NSJ, NOAC rotation.

BTW anyword if BSA is really putting in a bid for the 2019 WSJ?

OUCH at the price! I haven't been to a NOAC since 1981 in Austin, but they are great for all. In '75&'81 we rode a bus to Miami, OH and Austin TX, in '77 we drove over the mountains to Knoxville. Driving and riding the bus was part of the adventure. Dance and Drum team competitions were excellent, in '81 I was part of the Dance Judging teams and just loved it. Both my sons are in the OA now, but neither have taken to the OA in a big way as I did. Besides, the younger son and I are off to Philmont this summer.

Liz wrote:
"The letter sent by the lodge makes it sound like it's only for the select few arrowmen who are nominated. Right now, one of their friends in their troop is pretty high up in Lodge leadership, which is probably part of why they got the invitation. Then again, they're both very active arrowmen so maybe they would have been nominated anyway."

I have never heard of a lodge handling NOAC recruitment this way. The lodges in Florida have open registration. If someone has $50 to pay a deposit; they can go to NOAC. In the past there have been youth-to-adult ratios imposed by National that occasionally limits adult attendance. I find it out that a lodge would "invite" Arrowmen when it's basically an event that anyone who can afford to go, can go.

As for the $928 fee, it doesn't sound that bad. Taking the NOAC fee out of the total leave your lodge with $533 to get Scouts to the event. I can imagine that airfare takes all of that in the budget. My lodge is charging $750. They flying from Tampa to Indianapolis and then paying the $30/35 to ride the shuttles to Bloomington. They are not doing any sightseeing on this trip.

Have to agree with Tokala regarding restrict registration. But then, we Florida Lodges try to get as many as possible to attend our Section Conferences, whereas in other sections, those events are usually limited to a select few.


As to cost. As staff I had to pay $400 to attend. I assume the same cost is what the boys pay. So anything above that is the contingent fees for travel and such. I was able to get airline tickets for $200, which was ok.

Almost time to leave. I'm leaving Monday morning because my arrival date is July 28. Got to start setting up!

Noac was fun, and within the first 30 mins I was on the giant screen in the show room for the power of one thing.

Anyone that saw the Budget Rental truck, that was me. I spent 10 days hauling gear all over the campus for the various programs and committee. My daily schedule was 8am-midnight. I'd do it all over again, and will...

In one 24-hour period we set up 200 tables and 400 chairs for the Hodag, at 11pm when it was over, we loaded it all in the truck for Founder's Day. Wednesday morning we unloaded it all and then loaded it again after Founder's Day. Then we unloaded by the tennis complex so everything could be palleted and loaded on the semis. The Hodag guys did a great job! They were set up ready to go by lunch time on Tuesday. That storm that blew through destroyed most of the Hodag. In just a few hours, they manage to get everything set up and ready to go again.