Summer!

OK, we’re a little early.  The calendar might disagree, but the weather says it all.  Just drive around slowly with the windows down.  You can see kids playing, the aroma of BBQ is everywhere, and exercisers are wearing out their tennis shoes while swatting mosquitoes.  That’s a wonderful difference from the Artic ice storm that was January.

This year both weather and work have combined to make our planned meeting schedule more haphazard than routine.  We’ve had to cancel meetings for both reasons, and rearrange activities to properly take care of business.  One unfortunate cancellation was our dinner and meeting scheduled for this Wednesday, June 18^th.  As a result, our next meeting will be Wednesday, September 3, 2014. 

Every year the Deputy Grand Master conducts a series of meetings, called Roll Out Programs, to bring his message to the membership.  This year’s DGM, RWB Steven Cokonougher, is holding a meeting in each of Ohio’s 25 Masonic Districts.  This year’s edition is structured as a Town Hall meeting, with the ladies welcome.  The meeting for the 15^th District is reflected below, and is the last in the series.  If you are unable to attend that session, the complete list can be found at http://www.freemason.com/. 

There are a number of calendar listings to note.

June 18, 2014          Both dinner and meeting are CANCELLED!

June 27-29, 2014    Ohio Special Olympics, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Columbus, Ohio. (http://www.sooh.org/index.php )

July 4, 2014              Independence Day, commemorating the birth of our nation.

July 18, 2014            Deputy Grand Master’s Rollout Program, held at Palestine #158, starting at 7:30pm. 

September 1, 2014             Labor Day.

September 3, 2014             First meeting of the fall. 

That’s all we know for now.  Stay warm, watch for robins, and we’ll

See you in the fall!

Spring is here!

Finally.  Not that we’d claim that this was one of the worst winters we’ve had for a while (decades), but it has seemed to drag on forever.  Like virtually every organization in Ohio this has caused more than a few issues.  Chief among them was the combination of meetings and attendance.

Unlike many activities and organizations, we rarely cancel meetings.  Instead, we encourage each member to make their own determination.  Should a member decide staying home is a safer idea, we respect that.  The safety of our members is that important. 

Now that spring has sprung, we are back to our normal routine - at least until the next snow falls.  Until then our calendar has many suggestions for those suffering from cabin fever.  What better reason to get out and about?

March 29, 2014        Scottish Rite Local Degree Experience, held at Marion’s Palace Theatre.  Registration at 8am, Opening at 8:45am, concluding at 1:30pm.  The Class will honor RWB Fred Somerlot, 33^rd degree.  (http://www.valleyofcolumbus.com/ )

April 5, 2014             Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am.  Helpers for each of the degrees are being solicited.  Contact the DDGMs to express an interest.

April 10, 2014           EA Inspection at East Liberty #247.  The Grand Master will be attending, so get your dinner reservations in early.

April 20, 2014           Easter.

April 25, 2014           15th District, Grand Master’s Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209.  Doors open at 6pm, dinner at 7pm.

April 28, 2014           Masonic Night at Aladdin Shrine in Columbus.  The Past Masters Unit will be portraying the MM degree for Baltimore Lodge #475.  Doors open at 6pm. Lodge opens at 6:45pm, and should be closed by 9:35pm.  Refreshments will follow.   (http://www.aladdinshrine.org/ )

May 21, 2014            LaRue Lodge #463 Masonic Service Awards.  Dinner at 6:30pm, Lodge opens at 7:30pm. 

May 26, 2014            Memorial Day.  A time to remember those who have served our country.

 

June 8, 2014            Ohio Masonic Home Day at the Springfield Masonic Center.  Details will be posted as available at http://www.ohiomasonichome.org/ , and at http://www.freemason.com/ .

June 27-29, 2014    Ohio Special Olympics, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Columbus, Ohio. (http://www.sooh.org/index.php )

July 4, 2014              Independence Day, commemorating the birth of our nation.

July 18, 2014            Deputy Grand Master’s Rollout Program, held at Palestine 158, starting at 7:30pm. 

That’s all we know for now.  Stay warm, watch for robins, and we’ll

See you in Lodge!

.

We Passed!

OK, for those who are wondering, our 2014 MM Inspection was a success.  On January 18^th we were privileged to confer the MM degree on our most recent candidate.  RWB Charles Buck, DDGM, had many favorable things to say following the degree work, Lecture, and Charge.  WB Matt Pollock, DEO, added his congratulations to our Lodge Education Officer for his fine work throughout the year.  Best of all, our candidate received a quality degree presentation.

While we would love to claim that we “did this all on our own”, the opposite is true.  Assistance came from many directions.  Some of our own members stepped outside of their comfort zones, and zip codes, to assume speaking parts.  Several current officers shifted positions to cover the absences of others.  Some non-speaking roles were covered by our regular visitors.  To fill out the remainder, RWB Charles Wood recruited visiting brethren on the spot.  We were overwhelmed by the positive response.

Closing the chapter on this event would be premature without mentioning our dining arrangements.  Dinner was catered by Coonie’s Place, a local establishment known for quality food.  From comments received from our visitors, in person as well as on Face Book, they didn’t disappoint.  In addition, the wife of our SW contributed an assortment of cookies.  Next time we will probably have to plan on a larger number for dinner.

As we shift our focus away from our 2014 Inspection, we have information to share, and several dates to put on your calendar. 

Each year the Grand Master has multiple programs to recognize and reward those across the State who represent the qualities of leadership, character, and commitment, which are prized by the Masonic fraternity.  Two of these are the Grand Master’s Excellence in Youth Award, and the Community Service Award.  Both offer an opportunity to recognize individuals, both young and old(er), without reference to Masonic affiliation. 

Each community has excellent candidates to recommend for these awards, and over the years we have nominated many from our community.  What part can you play in this?  Tell us of the ones you know!  Give us the contact information, and the reason you feel they would make an excellent recommendation.  We can take it from there.  The deadline for submission to the DDGM is March 14^th.  The process takes some time, and needs final approval of the Lodge, so if you let us know in the next couple weeks, we should have everything submitted in time.

Here are the significant dates we know at this time:

 April 5, 2014                        Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am.  Helpers for each of the degrees are being solicited.  Contact the DDGMs to express an interest.

April 10, 2014                       EA Inspection at East Liberty #247.  The Grand Master will be attending, so get your dinner reservations in early.

April 25, 2014                       15^th District, Grand Master’s Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209. 

July 18, 2014                        Deputy Grand Master’s Rollout Program, held at Palestine 158, starting at 7:30pm. 

That’s all we know for now.  Stay warm, and we’ll

See you in Lodge!

.

Winter?  Yes.

Water?  Sadly, Yes.

We usually attempt to update our blog before Christmas, but this year the weather threw a wrench into that plan.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by the recent flooding.  Although the waters have receded, both cleanup and restoration will be lengthy processes.  Locally, the largest concentration of damage seemed to be in Kiwanis Village, which experienced something similar during the flood of March 2011.  The large number of volunteers who assisted area residents was heartwarming.  Local groups, businesses, and churches combined with Kroger’s, Red Cross, and volunteers from outside our area supplying meals, boxes, cleaning supplies, and strong backs.  A better example of communities coming together would be hard to find.

As a reminder, our next Lodge meeting will not be January 1^st.  Instead, it will be Wednesday, January 8^th.  Our By-Laws specify that:

When a stated meeting falls on a legal holiday,

it may be held on the following Wednesday.

As a result, we will have meetings on Wednesday, January 8^th (Stated), Wednesday, January 15^th (Stated), and Saturday, January 18^th (Special – MM Inspection).  In view of our Inspection in the MM degree, January meetings will feature MM practice. 

Recent posts referenced the recent legislation exempting fraternal organizations from paying property taxes.  We are pleased to report that our application materials have been approved by Grand Lodge, and submitted to the Marion County Auditor’s Office.  As the deadline for filing was December 31^st for consideration for 2014, we were well within the requirements.  According to the staff in the Auditor’s Office, we will be informed of the final decision as soon as it is reached.  There is no specific time limit for that part of the process, so we hope for the best.  Updates will be shared as they come available. 

Here are dates to put into your calendar:

December 31, 2013.           New Year’s Eve. 

It’s not too late to select a Designated Driver!

January 1, 2014.                 New Year’s Day.  The day when the resolutions meet the treadmill.  Or not. 

Normally the 1^st Wednesday of the month would be a regularly stated meeting.  Our By-Laws specify that when the 1^st is a holiday, the meeting will be held on the 2^nd Wednesday.  In this case, January 8, 2014.

January 8, 2014                  First meeting of 2014.  (See above.)

January 11, 2014                15^th District Work Day, held at Indian Lake #722, starting at 9am. 

January 15, 2014                Second meeting of 2014.  MM practice, in preparation for Inspection.

January 18, 2014                LaRue Lodge #463, Inspection in the MM degree.  Lodge opens at 5:30pm, dinner at 6:30pm, and the Second Section at 7:30pm. 

April 5, 2014                         Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am.

April 10, 2014                       EA Inspection at East Liberty #247.  The Grand Master will be attending, so get your dinner reservations in early.

April 25, 2014                       15^th District, Grand Master’s Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209. 

That’s all we know for now.  Stay warm, and we’ll

See you in Lodge!

.

.

Winter?  Not Yet!

OK, maybe not on the calendar, but don’t tell that to the weatherman.  We’ve already had temperatures in the teens, have endured the first 2 snowfalls of the season, and the area ski trails are open.  Add to that being in the official Christmas shopping season and you can understand the confusion.

With everything happening outside, we’ve been busy inside.  We had our Annual Meeting, complete with a delicious fish fry, and election of officers for 2013-14.  Our most recent candidate has progressed through the FC degree, and should give back his exam on the 18^th.  We’ve enjoyed a series of excellent dinners, with another coming up, also on the 18^th.  We’ve been preparing for our 2014 Inspection, complete with a catered dinner.  Join us!  No reservations required.

Our last post referenced the recent legislation exempting fraternal organizations from paying property taxes.  As you might expect the application process is a little more complicated than the media suggests, but we are moving forward.  Our supporting documents were gathered and are now being reviewed by Grand Lodge for completeness and accuracy.  When deemed worthy they will be presented to the Marion County Auditor for the final decision.  December 31^st is the deadline for consideration for 2014, although applications approved after that deadline will result in tax exemptions in later years.  As noted in our history, LaRue Lodge #463 - The First 100 Years, this isn’t the first time we’ve found ourselves in an interesting situation with our Lodge hall, and probably won’t be the last.  Updates will be shared as they come available. 

As mentioned above, our officers, both elected and appointed, were selected at our Annual Meeting.  On December 4^th there will be a closed Installation with WB Mark Wamack presiding.  Here is the complete list:

Dave Allman, Worshipful Master
Brian Lightfoot, Senior Warden
Gene McMahan, Junior Warden
Rick Sigrist, Treasurer
John Mathew, Secretary
Milton Lightfoot, Senior Deacon
Cedric Radcliffe, Junior Deacon
Pearl Gamble, Senior Steward
Mike Wells, Junior Steward
Richard Spracklen, Tyler
O. M. Roux, Chaplain
Rick Sigrist, Lodge Education Officer

Trustees:
Pearl Gamble
Cedric Radcliffe
Brian Lightfoot
Rick Sigrist
Richard Spracklen

Here are dates you will want to put in your calendar:

December 7, 2013.             15^th District Past Master’s Convocation.  Held at East Liberty #247 at 9am.

December 18, 2013            Dinner at 6:30pm.  Lodge opens at 7:30pm. 

December 19, 2013            LaRue’s Christmas in the Village.  This is the annual celebration in downtown La Rue. It is certainly a family-friendly event, starting with a parade at 5pm. Previous years have featured choirs caroling, free refreshments, carriage rides, and the Big Guy (Santa) making a special appearance. And did we mention free food?

December 25, 2013.           Christmas.  Don’t forget the reason for the season.

December 31, 2013.           New Year’s Eve. 

It’s not too late to select a Designated Driver!

January 1, 2014.                 New Year’s Day.  The day when the resolutions meet the treadmill.  Or not. 

Normally the 1^st Wednesday of the month would be a regularly stated meeting.  Our By-Laws specify that when the 1^st is a holiday, the meeting will be held on the 2^nd Wednesday.  In this case, January 8, 2014.

January 8, 2014                  First meeting of 2014.  (See above.)

January 11, 2014                15^th District Work Day, held at Indian Lake #722, starting at 9am. 

January 15, 2014                MM practice, in preparation for Inspection.

January 18, 2014                LaRue Lodge #463, Inspection in the MM degree.  Currently scheduled for an opening at 5:30pm, dinner at 6:30pm, and the Second Section at 7:30pm. 

April 5, 2014                         Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am.

April 10, 2014                       EA Inspection at East Liberty #247.  The Grand Master will be attending, so get your dinner reservations in early.

April 25, 2014                       15^th District, Grand Master’s Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209. 

That’s all we know for now.  Stay warm, and we’ll

See you in Lodge!

.

Autumn?  Yes!

After a warm start, we’ve finally settled into the fall weather patterns we all enjoy:  high winds, heavy rains, freezing nights, and the occasional blaze of sunshine.  OK, possibly those aren’t the best parts of fall, but they are pretty common.  Also common are the start of the NHL and NBA seasons, baseball playoffs, and football in mid-season form.  And don’t forget soccer!

In addition to all these activities, we have interesting things happening in Lodge.  In September we hosted the 15^th District Annual Awards program at The Plaza Inn in Mt. Victory.  We came away that evening with an award for Excellence in the FC Degree.  It looks quite nice beside our award for 2012, Excellence in the EA Degree.    We also hosted a pizza dinner for our members, initiated our most recent candidate, and announced a host of future activities. 

But wait!  There’s more!  The calendar below lists the important dates.

October 16, 2013.               Dinner at 6:30pm, prepared by our WM, featuring chicken as the main course.  Meeting at 7:30pm.

October 18-19, 2013           The annual communication of The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio will be held at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19.  Be sure to take your dues card and an apron.

November 6, 2013              Dinner at 6:30pm, menu to be determined.  Meeting at 7:30pm for election of officers for 2013-14.

November 9, 2013.             15^th District Education Meeting.  Held at Palestine #158 at 9am.  Primary focus of the meeting will be the MM degree.  The type-written ritual will be available.

November 20, 2013            Conferring the FC degree.

December 7, 2013.             15^th District Past Master’s Convocation.  Held at East Liberty #247 at 9am.

January 11, 2014                15^th District Work Day, held at Indian Lake #722, starting at 9am. 

January 18, 2014                LaRue Lodge #463, Inspection in the MM degree.  Currently scheduled for an opening at 5:30pm, dinner at 6:30pm, and the Second Section at 7:30pm. 

* Please see below.

April 5, 2014                         Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am.

April 10, 2014                       EA Inspection at East Liberty #247.  The Grand Master will be attending, so get your dinner reservations in early.

April 25, 2014                       15^th District, Grand Master’s Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209. 

There is additional information on the Inspection process that will be important to us this year.  A copy of the 2014-15 MM Inspection Standards provided at our District’s Annual Meeting identifies that the full MM degree experience requires 27 members plus the candidate.  As an acceptable substitute for a MM Inspection, 18 parts have been identified as the minimum required to confer the degree.  Dues-paying members of our Lodge are required to fill each of the 18 speaking or moving parts identified, plus the candidate.  Honorary members are not eligible to assist. 

This is where you come in.  We need all the help we can muster for Inspection on January 18^th.  If you are willing and able to do a speaking part, we need you! 

Just let us know that you are comfortable with and we’ll work from there.

Finally, in 2013 the Governor signed the State budget, which included language exempting certain not-for-profit organizations from paying property tax.  Masonic Lodges fit into this category, and Grand Lodge has been working to determine the process needed to apply for this consideration.  We now have the guidelines for filing, and the list of documents necessary for consideration.  We will submit our documentation for initial review by Grand Lodge next month, then to the Marion County Auditor for approval.  From the information provided, if approved this will not impact our property taxes until 2014.  More will be posted on this topic as it comes available.

That’s all for now. 

See you in Lodge!

.

RWB Ralph Lee

With sadness we share the following:

Ralph L. Lee, age 82, died at home at 1:45 AM on August 30, 2013 after a valiant battle with lymphoma. Ralph was born on January 18, 1931 in a log house on Co Rd 190 in Dudley Twp. Hardin County, Ohio; the only son of the late William Louis and Vesta Irene (Greer) Lee. He grew up in the Mt. Victory area and graduated from the Mt. Victory High School in 1949. On July 1, 1951 he married Mary Yvonne Mustain in Xenia, Ohio, the ceremony was officiated by longtime friend, Robert L. King.

Surviving is his wife of 62 years, Mary, a son Robert David (Evelyn Barkman) Lee of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, a daughter Barbara Ann Lee (Max Gregory) Rice of LaRue, Ohio, four Grandchildren; Jessica Rae Rice (Jeremy) Reed of Kenton, Ohio, Karen Danielle Lee (Jeremy) Budd of Grandview Heights, Ohio Jennifer Marie Rice (Kevin) McCleary of Delaware, Ohio and Thomas David Lee of Erie Pa.; also one great grandson, Noah Harrison Reed of Kenton, Ohio.

His first love was his family, but also loved the land and farming. He farmed for a number of years until economics forced him to obtain employment off the farm. Ralph retired from B. F. Goodrich and Honda of America. In addition to farming, he worked rehabbing commercial buildings and affordable housing for rent to families in the LaRue area. Ralph also had a passion for traveling visiting all 50 states and worldwide to China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the Scandinavian countries. He was so pleased when he could travel through the chunnel from England to France and back; something he had read about but never thought he would have the opportunity to visit.

He was a member of the LaRue United Methodist Church for over 50 years, as well as a 50 year member of the LaRue Lodge #463 F&AM, serving as District Deputy Grand Master for the 15th Masonic district, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Marion Commandry #36, Marion Council #22, Marion Chapter #62, Aladdin and Marion Shrine Clubs, George Lewis Behrens Chapter OES, Hardin and Marion counties Historical  and Genealogy Societies and fifity year member of the Painter Creek Grange.

Funeral Services will be held Wednesday September 4, 2013 at 11:00 AM at the LaRue United Methodist Church. Minister will be the Rev. Edward W. Fugate. Burial in the LaRue Cemetery. Friends may call at the Stofcheck-Ballinger Funeral Home in LaRue from 4 to 7 PM on Tuesday. Masonic Services will be held Tuesday at 7:00 PM at the funeral home.

Those who wish may make contributions to the LaRue United Methodist Church, 166 N High Street La Rue OH 43332.

Remembrances and Condolences may be expressed at www.stofcheck-ballinger .com