2015 Allegheny Highlands Council Trade-O-Ree Report

Todd Rogers sends along a report from the 2015 Allegheny Highlands Council Trade-O-Ree held last weekend in Limestone, NY.

Take it away Todd,

I attended the Trade-O-Ree for the third year. I’m continually impressed how well run the event is. Robert Morris and his TOR committee do an excellent job of having everything staged when the vendors arrive and the council staff really make everyone feel at home. Despite being constrained by table limitations due to the size of the venue they always seem to have great foot traffic. It’s also one of the few TOR’s that I attend where 90% of the attendees are in uniform. Vendors, staff, participants, OA service guys, almost everyone. I always seem to find a few really cool and unique needs and this year was no exception.

The event featured another solid auction for both youth and adults, they did a scavenger hunt for the youth and did a youth vs. adults Jeopardy game on local Native American history and OA/BSA history. I’m pleased to say I was on the winning team for this proving yet again, that youth and speed is no match for old age and treachery.

I live in Washington DC and it’s a 5 1/2 hour drive to get up to the event from my house and this show is well worth the drive, despite the potential for inclement weather. It took me seven hours to get home due to the snow storm rolling through the Northeast yesterday, and I’d drive twice as long to attend this event. It’s always great seeing guys like Scott Dickerson, Steve Austin, Chris Carlson, Richard Kemp, Dort Simonsen, Todd Peine, Kevin Kranock, Robert, Lyman, Warren and so many more. Allegheny Highlands Council’s TOR and the Pittsburgh TOR are the two shows I really look forward to each year.

Interesting to note is that the Trade O Ree committee was soliciting information from attendees regarding expanding the show. They were asking about other dates and were considering shifting the venue towards the Casino on the Reservation in Salamanca or a larger space where they could do a 2 day event. I’ll be interested to see what changes they make since the show seems to get better each year.

An early to mid-May Date in Salamanca would likely add me to the attendees.

There were 3 CSPs issued for the event of the same design which also featured the OA’s centennial logo but did not contain the lodge name, number or totem. Would you consider these Lodge issues?

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“Besides, to lay and collect internal taxes in this extensive country must require a great number of congressional ordinances, immediately operation upon the body of the people; these must continually interfere with the state laws and thereby produce disorder and general dissatisfaction till the one system of laws or the other, operating upon the same subjects, shall be abolished.” –Federal Farmer, Antifederalist Letter, 1787