Playing in the Rain

At the latest Troop 281 meeting, the shirt to wear was not the usual tan color with too many pockets that is the usual dress code, but the Troop 281 logo shirt, or the "Class B" as it is known. The reason for the alternate dress was that the meeting was the "Outdoor Sports" meeting, where the focus was playing games outside. Apparently the heavens did not like that, and around the time the scouts finally got out to the front churchyard, the rain had started to pour. The scouts would not be deterred from their games, however, and split up into two groups based on height and age. The younger scouts were going to play football, and the older scouts at first played ultimate Frisbee, but later switched over to football as well. Eventually the rain got so heavy that all the scouts chose to go back in the church to do the non-active things in the meeting's agenda.

When the scouts had gotten back into their patrol positions, the new troop Committee Treasurer; Lynette Moughton, was sworn in as the newest adult working for the troop. Then Bret Carwile, the Order of the Arrow representative of the troop, had switched into full uniform after the games had ended. So everyone headed outside to the little yard adjacent to the external Scout Room door to have the new OA members inducted, even though it was still raining.

At the induction, everybody formed a circle while Bret and some assistants stood in the center and explained what the OA was to everyone in case there was someone who didn't know what it was. Bret and his little entourage then went around the circle, bringing his hand down on the shoulder of everybody who was a new OA inductee. Those new inductees being: Grant King, Steven LaCount, Avery Reynolds, Mr. Van Kuren, and Alex Rye (Alex, evidently thinking everybody was circled up for a game of duck duck goose, tried to switch is location so Bret couldn't *tag* him). After the new inductees had been assembled in the center and Bret explained what they were now, everybody rejoined the circle and closed the meeting with the traditional Crossed-Hands circle, all the while the rain coming down even harder by that point, so when the meeting was over everybody quickly went inside the church to get out of the downpour.

Ben Hallenbeck, Historian