News

After three years, Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesports exposition, is back! It’s three days of presentations by paddle sports experts, adventurers, and entertainers and great prices on gear for your next outdoor adventure. Once again, the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. will be staffing a booth for Northern Tier, and we need your help.

We’ll have a booth in the exhibitor area with brochures, videos, displays, and lots of giveaways for kids and adults. The booth is a great meeting place for you and other alumni. We’ll also have talking points to share with prospective participants and seasonal staff.

Location: Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Way, Madison, WI

Dates: Friday, March 11 – Sunday, March 13

Hours: 3-8 pm Friday; 9am-6pm Saturday; 10 am-5pm Sunday

Cost: $15 per day or $30 for the weekend. Discounted weekend tickets are available online for $26 until March 5th. Parking is $8 per day. The SAA may have a limited number of passes for the day you volunteer.

Event website: Canoecopia 2022

Where to stay: The closest popular hotels are Sheraton Madison, Hyatt Place, and Clarion Suites (connected to the convention center). There are many hotels conveniently located nearby in the downtown area. Less expensive options are available in Fitchburg and Middleton (about a 15 minutes drive).

What we need: Members to volunteer for a two-hours at the booth. As much as possible, we’ll try to have two people staffing the booth together (contingent on enough volunteers, of course.) When registering, you can let us know your preferences.

Who: Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. (SAA) members (when registering, use the email address associated with your membership or log in). Become a member on our website prior to registering.

Register to volunteer here

Contact us with your questions. Dick Shank is the volunteer coordinator.

Evan Hardy, Dan “Vern” Miller, Tressa Theis and Ted Weiland have been elected to the Board of Directors by the active membership of the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. Their term will be for three years and commenced on January 1, 2022. Congratulations to Evan, Vern, Tressa and Ted!

The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.'s Nomination Committee appointed by the Board of Directors has nominated the following individuals to be included on the ballot for election to the Board of Directors for a three-year term (2022 to 2024):

Evan Hardy - A lifelong scouter and passionate about supporting the Northern Tier Scouting Experience.  He has worked at all three Northern Tier bases over 5 seasons, primarily as an Interpreter, while also holding the role of Atikokan Bay Post Director.  Evan currently lives in the Twin Cities with his wife Nora, who is also a former Northern Tier Interpreter of 5 seasons, and their daughter Michaela.

Dan “Vern” Miller - Worked at Northern Tier for 6 summer seasons on the OA Voyage program as a foreman and director and 4 Okpik seasons as an interpreter, musher, and director.  He resides in northwest Arkansas with his wife Angela (Northern Tier alumni 2007-2010) and their 3 children.  Vern currently serves as a Director and Vice-President of the Alumni Association.

Tressa Theis - Worked the summers of 2013 thru 2018 at the Ely base in the roles of trading post staff and Director of First Impressions.  Tressa is a lifelong Girl Scout, and earned her Gold Award in 2011.  She holds a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin River Falls and currently works as a speech-language pathologist in Eagan, MN.  Tressa currently resides in Inver Grove Heights, MN and enjoys spending time outdoors, taking personal canoe trips in the BWCA, and sharing the beauty of nature with all people.

Ted Weiland - Involved in scouting for 30 plus years, he served on Northern Tier staff for 3 summers and 2 winters.  Ted's current scouting positions include serving on the national subcommittee for the Distinguished Conservation Service Award, Logistics lead adviser for Central Region OA events, OA National Key Volunteer, and the Assistant District Commissioner.

Membership may nominate Active Members to include on the ballot for the election to the Board of Directors.  Send the nominee name along with a biographical resume and 10 supporting signatures from Active Members by September 15th, 2021 to the President using the Contact Us form on the website.

Additional Nominations.  After publication to the active membership of the Nominating Committee’s recommendations, the membership may have thirty days to submit additional nominations for inclusion on the ballot provided that these nominations are:  (1) made in writing, (2) accompanied by a biographical resume, and (3) are supported by signatures of at least 10 active members of the Association.  The thirty days to submit additional nominations must conclude by September 15.  Additional nominations must be received by the President.  Any additional nominee meeting the requirements of this section will be included on the ballot with those nominated by the Nominating Committee.

This year we will be honored to host Dave Kenney as our keynote speaker at the Saturday night banquet. Dave is a noted author writing the forthcoming history book chronicling one century of the Northern Tier program!

We are humbled to announce Owen Gibbs, Karl Huemiller, Joe Mattson, and Craig Reichow will receive the George D. Hedrick Volunteer Service Award. 

Be prepared, as we will not be offering walk-in registration for the reunion and picnic, or banquet. The last day to register is this Sunday, August 1st.

Register today at https://www.holry.org/event-3755842

See you at the next reunion in August 2023!

It is getting warmer with summer approaching. It is time to start thinking about joining us this summer for our biennial reunion!

This year we will host the reunion at Northern Tier’s Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base from August 20th to 22nd.

Be sure to claim your spot soon! Registration closes August 1st, or once full. There will be no walk-in registration.

Learn more and register!

Not a member? You'll need to join the association as a member before registering. 

We must sadly report Owen Gibbs peacefully passed away in his sleep this Saturday at his hunting cabin. His obituary may be read here. 

Owen was fondly known by generations of seasonal staff, having served on staff from 1967 to 1970 and 2009 to 2012. As a life member of the association, he also served on the board of directors.

The service will be held on Tuesday, March 23rd at 2:00pm (central). Due to COVID, it will be a private service for immediate family only. The service will be streamed live. You may join the livestream on Tuesday at https://vimeo.com/526174842

Cards to the family may be sent to Owen's daughter Erin Rydberg at 2421 Micarta Drive, Plano, TX 75025.

Brian Lux, Adam Long, Don Lee and Mike Joint have been elected to the Board of Directors by the active membership of the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.  Their term will be for three years and will commence on January 1, 2021.   Congratulations to Brian, Adam, Don and Mike!

The deadline for this has past.

The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.'s Nomination Committee appointed by the Board of Directors has nominated the following individuals to be included on the ballot for election to the Board of Directors for a three-year term (2021 to 2023):

Brian Lux - A passionate lifelong scout and dedicated OA member, Brian continuously supports scouts in reaching their goals and creating a better tomorrow. Brian was an OA Voyage Foreman in 2001 and has served as a Director, Corporate secretary, and Executive committee member within the SAA. Brian enjoys spending time with his family in the outdoors and currently resides in Oklahoma.

Adam Long - An avid outdoorsman and adventurer. Adam enjoys spending time on the lake including water skiing, fishing, and the beauty of nature. Adam was an Interpreter out of the Ely base in 2015, Bissett in 2016 and currently serves as Treasurer for the SAA. He currently resides in Minneapolis, MN.

Don Lee - A lifelong dedicated scouter with a passion to instill positive and memorable life-changing experiences. Don has served over numerous seasons in countless positions within Northern Tier High Adventure and the Sommers Alumni Association. Don enjoys the sound of the wilderness and values the lessons learned in the outdoors. Don is committed to bringing the High Adventure program to its highest peak. Don currently resides between Ely, MN and Tennessee.

Mike Joint - A visionary, hardworking, and passionate lifelong scout. Mike has worked his way up the ranks at Northern Tier High Adventure and was most recently the Associate Director of program before going back to teaching at Vermilion Country School in Tower, MN. Mike is synonymous with instilling, creating, and providing the best experience for scouts along with its continuous improvement for generations to come.

Membership may nominate Active Members to include on the ballot for the election to the Board of Directors. Send the nominee name along with a biographical resume and 10 supporting signatures from Active Members by September 15th, 2020 to the President using the Contact Us form (The deadline for this has past.) on the website

Additional Nominations. After publication to the active membership of the Nominating Committee’s recommendations, the membership may have thirty days to submit additional nominations for inclusion on the ballot provided that these nominations are: (1) made in writing, (2) accompanied by a biographical resume, and (3) are supported by signatures of at least 10 active members of the Association. The thirty days to submit additional nominations must conclude by September 15. Additional nominations must be received by the President. Any additional nominee meeting the requirements of this section will be included on the ballot with those nominated by the Nominating Committee.

Minor updates to nominee biographies made on Aug 31.

Are you a second year seasonal staff member or later and in college? Then be sure to apply for an academic scholarship by the deadline of August 15th!