Veterans Day 2023-Thank You for Your Service

 

Created by Gene Russell -Thank you U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Red Wing Lodge #8 Helps United Way Packing for the Weekend

Charity has always been one of the fundamental principles of Freemasonry, and at Red Wing Lodge #8 we are proud of our 167 years of helping those in need. Our members make an important contribution every year by giving both their time and money to make a real difference to the community of Red Wing and the surrounding area.

On Sunday October 22, 2023, members of Red Wing Lodge #8 volunteered their services to assist the United Way of Goodhue and Wabasha County with a fundraiser for “Packing for The Weekend” held at the Southeastern Minnesota Technical College.

Packing For the Weekend” began at the Sunnyside School in Red Wing in January 2011. Today the program covers seven schools in Goodhue, and Wabasha counties. The program provides a backpack containing meals of approx. four to five pounds of nutritious nonperishable meals for school age children who are experiencing food insecurity at home. It is a program to make sure that no kids go hungry. To date the program has provided 8477 backpacks of food. Currently 200 back packs a week are distributed. 

For this year’s fundraiser, the participants could donate $30.00 and enjoy gourmet soups and breads made from local restaurants and chose an artesian handmade bowl to take home with them.

The 109 handmade bowls were made by three local artists applying their own creative skills. The bowls were created at the Red Wing Arts Clay and Creative Center. Of note, the making of a bowl is a three-day process by the artists.  

The empty bowl that was purchased now sits in my cupboard.  Seeing reminds of my time overseas when I saw many people extend their hand holding an empty bowl which expressed their need and hunger. Hunger exists everywhere today, in every community and every city. Helping this charity was a very worthwhile thing for Red Wing Lodge, in my opinion.

The members of Red Wing Lodge along with friends or family assisted with the serving of the soup, bussed tables, and general clean up. It was a lot of fun, and laughs. Most importantly it was wonderful again to see Red Wing Lodge come together with other members of the community to help their neighbors. 

 

Brother Ben Manning and his wife Kat provided wonderful music for the event.

I would also like to thank Nicolle Mechelke the Executive Director of the United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha and Pierce County for the delightful and informative conversation which provided the facts for this article.

Red Wing Lodge helps to Fight Child Hunger

Minnesota Masonic Charities 18th Annual Gala

On Saturday, September 23, 2023, Minnesota Masonic Charities hosted its 18^th Annual Gala at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The MMC Gala is my favorite Masonic event every year. When I receive my invitation, I am always excited to attend.  It is a chance to see old friends as well as learn about the organizations that MMC supports. The word gala originates from old French word gale, meaning to rejoice as in a festive celebration.

For the past 17 years the MMC gala had followed a standard format, that I thought was a very pleasing, of a social gathering of attendees from across Minnesota, some that I had not seen in some time, a delicious dinner in the beautifully decorated Dan Patch Hall, updates on charities supported and concluding with an inspirational message from the CEO.

This year the invitation letter promised there would be some exciting changes for the gala this year.  I realize that the word change can cause anxiety for most of us older Freemasons, so I took a big breath and read on.

This year’s gala dinner focus was fundraising for our scholarship programs, specifically the new “Kindness Scholarship, The Selfless Scholar.”

For those of you who are not familiar with Minnesota Masonic Charities, one of the many programs it supports is a scholarship program. They are one of the largest providers of scholarships in the state of Minnesota. MMC has given fifteen million dollars has already been given to recipients with an average of $1,500,000 a year awarded.

Education is a very powerful tool for transforming a person’s life. With MMC’s support and contributions, the Freemasons make a direct impact for deserving students to enable them to pursue their dreams, and make a positive impact on their community, state, and the world.

The promised changes to the evenings program, were a silent auction, a live action and other activities to enhance the fundraising efforts while providing a more enjoyable and engaging time.  

Upon arrival, on a rainy Minnesota evening, the Heritage Center was filled with many of my old Masonic friends, plus I had the opportunity to make some new ones as well. In exploring the Heritage Center, I found a photo booth that had been set up just outside of the Museum-library. There was a wine pull plus in the hall the silent auction items were on display.  There were also descriptions of the live auction items to prepare everyone for the bidding.

Most Worshipful Grand Master Dayton Berg

Markus Muller-MMC-Duluth

It was fun to watch people dressed up enjoying themselves having their photos taken and my wife and I decided to join in and have our photo taken as well. Afterwards we were presented with a print of the photos that provided a memorable keepsake of the evening. You may see by the photos that not everyone was as serious in their photos.

There was ample opportunity to wander the halls and a chance to mingle with the many guests. Music was provided by Past Grand Master Don Severson and his trio.

Reed Endersbe-Director of Membership Engagement

Just outside of Dan Patch Hall, where the dinner is served, a table of glasses of champagne or sparkling juice were available to take with you for dinner. Dan Patch Hall was lavishly decorated which created a very warm and welcoming atmosphere for the sell out crowd of 210 guests. The dinner and desserts were the normal excellent fare. The dessert, three mini bundt cakes in 3 different flavors, were on the table when we were seated, and I must admit I started with a couple tastes, and can vouch, they were excellent.

There were two other notable firsts that occurred this year, the first being that for the first time ever, rain dampened the arrival of the guests. The second being that the program did not start on time, promptly at 7:00 pm but did start at 7:01 pm.   Any of you familiar with MMC know that it runs a very tight schedule, so yes, this is certainly notable.

After dinner, John Schwietz, described the new scholarship program, the Selfless Scholar.  Then COL. Kurt Johnson took the stage to begin the Fund a Need and then the live auction. By the end of the evening $102,000 was raised for the Scholarship Program, with an additional $32,000 raised for the Masonic Children’s Hospital.

President & CEO Eric J. Neetenbeek

My favorite part of the evening is always when the President and CEO Eric J. Neetenbeek makes the closing comments for the evening. He reminded us of the noble and worthwhile on-going efforts supported by Minnesota Masonic Charities which include:

Masonic Cancer Center-University of Minnesota; and

Masonic Children’s Hospital-University of Minnesota; and

Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain; and

Minnesota Masonic Home; and

Minnesota Masonic Scholarships; and

many other community services that directly impact the lives of Minnesotans.

For me, and I know many feel the same, that the Minnesota Masonic Charities Gala is a wonderful time to celebrate and rejoice in the great work that is done throughout the year to help others in our communities. It is also a time to renew our commitment as Freemasons to our tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth by continuing our support to Minnesota Masonic Charities.

We were promised a few changes at this year’s MMC Gala, and I certainly enjoyed them, and I believe the other attendees did as well.  

 

 

 

 

 

Message from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Israel

Everything Old is New Again

1955 International Farmall -WB Paul Otte Proud Owner

 

Everything Old is New Again

Potluck and Hayride- Oriental Lodge #34 of Cannon Falls, MN

In my opinion, there is a lot to be said for the famous quote from the 1700’s writer Johathan Swift, who wrote Gulliver’s Travels, that “everything old is new again”.

This quote demonstrates the reoccurring nature and cycle of life, the drawing wisdom from past experiences to navigate solutions to today’s problems or situations.

When I was a young Mason, many moons ago, but who is counting, I attended many potlucks and get togethers with my brothers, outside of regular Lodge nights. Most of those events were not even in the lodge, but in Brothers homes, backyards, garages, and city parks. I have many memories of these informal gatherings that provided an opportunity to get to know each other and create bonds between us.

It was during those informal activities that I really got to know my Lodge Brothers and forged solid lifelong relationships.

I can’t put my finger on the time frame when these types of get togethers started to diminish, but like many things in life, the frequency gradually reduced, until the gatherings no longer happened at the Metropolitan Lodges.

As I was progressing thru the Grand Lodge line during the 2000’s, and as Grand Master, I had the great pleasure of traveling around every corner of the state from the “big city” Lodges to smaller rural Lodges. I must say I fell in love with many of the rural lodges because they were deeply involved in their communities, a principle tennet of Freemasonry, I even joined Red Wing Lodge and am active.  

I was very excited when I received an invitation to attend Oriental Lodge #34 annual Potluck and Hayride on August 30, 2023. It’s a lodge that I have been to many times, but not recently, and it was a gracious offer I couldn’t refuse.

Oriental Lodge is located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, approximately 45 miles from Minneapolis. The Lodge will be celebrating its 163rd Anniversary this October. The Lodge building has a very prominent location in the towns center. The Lodge members are very active in the town’s civic affairs. If you’re curious how the Brothers came up with the Lodge’s name 163 years ago, the word Oriental means “from the East”, how fitting for Masonic Lodge.

The lodges Secretary, Paul Otte, has hosted a lodge gathering at his country home to kick off the start of the Lodges Fall calendar for the past four years, factoring out the pandemic years.  This is a wonderful way for the members to gather and reacquaint themselves, with the Lodge being dark of the summer months.

The timing of the gathering is strategically important, it is exactly one week before the return to the normal Lodge calendar. This opportunity to gather in an informal setting, creates interest and generates excitement among the Brothers for the returning to Lodge and formal Lodge nights.

I have been told by the MN Grand Lodge, that attendance in our Lodges is down, with Brothers very slow to return to Lodge since the pandemic. I believe if more Lodges would host kick off events, like Oriental Lodge, it could greatly help generate interest in the return normal Lodge activities.

There was also ample time to socialize before and after the potluck dinner, but the highlight of the evening, for me, was a hayride for those who wished to ride. It was a picture-perfect evening for a hayride. Riding on the country roads thru the forests, and fields thru the scenic rolling countryside. The tractor pulling us along was a 1955 International Farmall, built solid last the test of time, much like Freemasonry.

Having grown up in Minnesota, a get together and a potluck just go together.  It’s a great way to bring people together in a relaxed atmosphere that allows time to talk, eat and get caught up on what everyone was doing over the Summer. It was also an opportunity for the six new Master Masons to get to know their Lodge brothers. The wives also got a chance to renew friendships and make new friends.

Also, a potluck get together has many Masonic qualities. It’s a shared activity with shared responsibilities. Everyone brings something to the table. It doesn’t matter if it’s something homemade or a last-minute purchase. It is a shared endeavor with something for everyone.

For those of us who practice our Freemasonry in the metropolitan areas, we can forget that just as many Masons practice Freemasonry in small towns and country Lodges. Attending Oriental Lodge’s potluck was also a wonderful reminder of my families farming background, and a way for us to quietly celebrate our Minnesota Farming heritage.

Lodge Education Officer, Roger Otte, presented an informative talk on the Plumb Line. The information was educational for the Brothers, and informative regarding an aspect of Freemasonry for the others attending “all without revealing the secrets” Roger said with a chuckle.

Oriental Lodge has had a very successful year bringing in six new members and in doing the degree work, with all six new members attending the potluck. Two of those new members drive 60 miles to attend Lodge. They pass five to ten Masonic Lodges to get to their new Lodge in Cannon Falls.  That is impressive and tells me that Oriental Lodge has done an excellent job of making their Lodge a special place that is welcoming, relevant, and a meaningful experience for them.

I had a chance to chat with, and get know, Worshipful Master Greg Ziemer. I congratulated him on the six new Brothers that he raised. He said thank you and gave me smile, and said I think we may have couple of more soon, which is really encouraging.

I think Oriental Lodge may have a blueprint that can help some other Lodges. I hope to explore this further in the coming months.

At the close of the evening, our hosts Paul and his wife Tracy, stood in the driveway as we said our goodbyes. In another fine Minnesota tradition, they stood with plates full of their garden’s bounty offering home grown tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini to any takers. I couldn’t pass that up!

The evening was fun, uplifting and memorable while being nostalgic and thoroughly enjoyable.  I thank Oriental Lodge for the invitation to attend and thank to everyone for the wonderful food and fellowship.

Some may call her a "Concrete Princess, but she is a beauty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rochester Valley Scottish Rite BBQ

On Thursday August 24th I had the opportunity to drive 90 miles to Rochester Minnesota to enjoy an evening of fellowship and BBQ with my Brothers with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the Valley of Rochester. 

This is a small group who are energized to do the work of bringing more light to Free Masons in Southeran Minnesota. 

It was pleasure to spend time with them and feel their energy and enthusiasm. They were discussing the plans for their upcoming calendar of degrees for their class of candidates, plans for education for the new candidates, plus education of existing members for the year. They also discussed selection of restaurants to hold feasts, and of course a Road Trip to the Grand Daddy of all, the Scottish Rite Festivals in Guthrie Oklahoma.

You can see for yourself the full calendar below. 

Oh, and the BBQ dinner of ribs, slaw, potato salad, beans, corn bread was just outstanding. All were made by our very own Past SGIG and Potentate, Jerry Oliver. 

If you are a Master Mason who lives in Southern Minnesota, there is still time to get your petition in to be part of the 2023-2024 Class of Candidates. The Class will start in two weeks. 

Grand Lodge of Minnesota- Past Grand Master Luncheon 2023

 The Fourteenth Annual Past Grand Masters luncheon was held on August 11, 2023, at the Minnesota Masonic Home in Bloomington, Minnesota (Covid prevented us from meeting in 2020). 

It is an occasion for all the Past Grand Masters along with the current Grand Master and his Officers to celebrate our heritage and honor our traditions, embracing the present while looking to the future.  

We have gathered since 2009 in the mid to late Summer when things are more relaxed, and it’s easier to travel. It’s also a more convenient time for the Grand Master and his officers to attend before their calendars become filled with Lodge events. 

It’s a wonderful opportunity for all of us to escape our daily activities for a time and to gather together in one place for just a couple of hours to share past memories and discuss the future with the newest officers. 

There were many who could not attend due to health issues, work and family commitments and we missed them, we were able to receive updates from those familiar with their circumstances.

There were no deaths to report among us this year, and that's something to celebrate!