Who said winter has to be cold?

Wow!  Where has the time gone?

Wait – is it still Winter?

Drat!

The above has probably been repeated many times in households throughout Ohio.  Judging by what we’ve experienced this year, the fact that Buckeye Chuck predicted another 6 weeks of winter should have been no surprise. 

Even though the weather has occasionally been frightful, we’ve been hard at work on a number of things.  The most recent was our EA Inspection on February 11^th.  We have several “new” officers this year, which necessitated more practices then we usually schedule.  Each did very well, which means the Inspection part of the morning went well too, both in our opinions and that of our Inspecting Officer.  We are happily looking forward to receiving his written report. 

The custom this year in the 15^th District is to take a photo of all present.  This is posted on the 15^th District Face Book account, and should be prominent here as well.  A total of 56 Brothers were in attendance, which was the largest number present for a 15^th District Inspection thus far this year.  Of those, 14 were our members.  An informal tally came up with 12 current or past District Deputy Grand Masters in attendance.  An informal breakdown of that number was interesting.  We counted 2 current DDGMs, plus 2 past DDGMs from our Lodge.  Of the remaining 8, it is believed that each had been our Inspecting Officer during their active years.  We consider that as remarkable.  

Other parts of our Inspection-day experience did not go as smoothly.  For the third consecutive year we experienced plumbing issues.  This time only the men’s restroom was impacted, and resulted in a quick discussion among our trustees.  The resulting plan is to replace the commode, faucets for both restroom sinks, and the water heater, which had separately turned in its resignation around Christmas.  This addresses both the current issues and those anticipated in the near future. 

Our recent newsletter included a multi-purpose questionnaire.  We wanted to make sure we had the most recent contact information, which is a larger challenge than one might suspect.  For instance, we’ve found that a number of people have disconnected land-line phones, which was frequently the only phone number we had on file.  Some members have moved, and most that have email have changed their email addresses over time.  The majority of questionnaires have been returned, but we are still hoping for a 100% response.

Those with email and ability to text have already experienced some of the benefits of the updated information.  We have used both for meeting and special event reminders.  This not only allows us to distribute information quickly, it is also cost effective – free!

One aspect of the questionnaire was requesting information on military service.  MWB Rick Schau, Grand Master of Masons in Ohio, has encouraged Lodges to recognize the military service of our members, and has designed a special commemorative pin for that purpose.  With the successful completion of our Inspection, we will be turning our attention to planning and scheduling a special evening for this recognition.  Although details aren’t known yet, it would seem to be a safe guess that a wonderful meal will be part of the festivities.

Below is our calendar as we know it now.  Adjustments will be made as received.

February 19, 2018 President’s Day

March 10, 2018      Spring Luncheon and Silent Auction Fund Raiser for the Child Evangelism Fellowship.  It will be hosted at the Cornerstone Alliance Church, 2010 Marion-Marysville Road, Marion, from 11am till 2pm.  Admission is free, but they are asking for a $10 donation for lunch.

March 11, 2018      Daylight Savings Time starts at 2am.

                              (Spring ahead, Fall back)

March 20, 2018      Spring arrives!

April 1, 2018           Easter

April 6, 2018           15^th District’s Grand Master’s Reception.  To be held at All Occasions in Waldo.  Gathering and Fellowship start at 6pm, with dinner and the program at 7pm.

May 28, 2018          Memorial Day. 

Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

June 3, 2018          Ohio Masonic Home Day, Springfield, Ohio.  See schedule link on the left side of this page.

June 22, 2018        Opening Ceremonies of the Ohio Special Olympics.  To be held at the OSU campus, Columbus, Ohio.

July 4, 2018           Independence Day.  Celebrate the birth of a nation! 

As of this date, 242 years and counting.

That’s what we know for now.  See you in Lodge!

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