Brethren! I hope February was an enjoyable month for you and your families and I truly hope that March is even better!
Although February was an extremely busy month for the Lodge, March is already projected to be a much busier month than January and February combined. We have three EA’s learning their catechism; we received four new petitions for the three degrees at our February Stated Meeting and already have four new petitions to read at the March Stated Meeting on March 8, 2012. If all goes well we will have another month packed with Degree work. As it stands right now we will have:
Entered Apprentice Degree: Two scheduled for March 13th and two scheduled for March 15th
Fellow Craft Degree: Two scheduled for March 20th and one scheduled for March 27th
Degrees for all nights will start at 7:00 pm with dinner stating at 6:00 pm. Dinner plans have not been set yet, but I can assure you that the Junior Warden and our “ladies” will have an awesome menu planned. Please ensure that you stay posted to the Lodge website at queencitylodge.org or the Lodge answering machine for changes and updates.
Since I am on the subject of Degree Work I want to commend our Past Masters during February’s Past Master month. During February, our Past Masters did a fantastic job conferring three Entered Apprentice degrees. It was nice getting to watch from the sidelines as our Past Masters showed the members in attendance that “they still got it”. I truly believe our newly made brothers received a degree worthy of remembering. Thanks so much Worshipful Brothers!
Bro. McIntosh, as Education Committee Chairman is always looking for those Master Masons that would like to give a 15-minute short talk on a Masonic topic. If you are interested in giving a short presentation then let me know and I will pass the message or come by the Lodge during a stated meeting or on an Education Open Discussion night and meet with Bro. McIntosh. Congratulations are in order for Bro. J.C. Wilm and Bro. .H.Storck who each received Vision 2013 Education Certificates for their presentations on “Freemasonry and Mathematics” and “Being Brought to Light” respectively. At our March Stated Meeting, Bro. J.C. Wilm is scheduled to give us a presentation on “Charity”.
Hope to see you on Saturday, March 3rd for our monthly Lodge Breakfast. Our February breakfast was a packed house. So packed it was difficult for me to find a chair to sit down. We estimate that over 100 visitors were in attendance. Our “kitchen crew” did a fantastic job ensuring that everyone was fed a delicious breakfast. In anticipation that we will have a huge crowd yet again this month, our cooks have planned to cook even more bacon and provide more chairs for our visitors to sit and enjoy the meal. Most important is that all proceeds for this breakfast go to our Larry C. Alford II Scholarship Fund. So, please mark your calendars and plan on joining us.
Grand Lodge Session is scheduled for March 28th and 29th. As I understand not everyone will be able to attend this Year’s Session I will not email or mail the list of events to everyone. However, I will make the activity list available for download from the lodge website.
Some of you may have an email address that I may not have. If you have an email address and have not received an email from me within the past several days – please send me an email at secretary@queencitylodge.org and I will ensure that you are added to the email distribution list. I send frequent reminders of Lodge activity so if you wish to be reminded – make sure I have an email address. Email sure helps on postage costs!
Our tour of the Grand Lodge on February 18th was a great success. Although we only had a handful in attendance we all had a great time. Starting with a breakfast and a drive to Nashville in a 15-passenger van, we were complete and on our way back to Clarksville at noon. Thanks to Bro. K.B. Davis for providing the van and driving us down. I am hoping the Worshipful Master decides on another tour later in the year to allow those that could not make this trip, an opportunity to go. If you have never been to the Grand Lodge – you are missing a big piece of Tennessee Masonic history.
The OES Annual Chili Supper and Silent Auction was a HUGE success. Approximately 50 people attended, had a great meal and time mingling before the anticipated Silent Auction. As a major OES Fundraiser, the Ladies raised $2,200 dollars for Charity. If you have never attended this event – you definitely missed out on a great evening. Since this is an annual event – plan on attending next year and get in on the “fight” over who wins the items during the auction. That is the fun part! Great job and Congratulations to the Star Ladies on another successful event!
In conjunction with all the other items on the March calendar we have one significant event to highlight for the month. On March 31, 2012 the Annual Master Mason Recognition Dinner will be held to recognize four of our Master Masons raised during 2011 and their ladies. Hosted by our Junior Past Master, Bro. G.D. Thompson, this event will highlight his year as our Worshipful Master and before the end of the evening he will be presented with the coveted Past Master’s Apron. This year’s dinner will be catered by Brunies and will consist of an awesome Schnitzel Dinner. The Guest Speaker is tentatively the Deputy Grand Commander of the Tennessee York Rite Bodies. You can expect frequent updates about this event. Tickets are $10 each and will be available for purchase from any Lodge Officer. The suspense date to do this is March 26, 2012. It is imperative that tickets be purchased before this date to ensure that the Thompson’s have an accurate headcount to provide the caterer. Additionally, I will keep a supply of tickets in the Secretary’s Office and make myself available frequently throughout the month to ensure that those desiring a ticket do in fact obtain one. This event is open to any Master Mason and an adult guest. I hope you can find time in your buy schedule to attend this important event.
Lastly, I need to remind those that have not paid their 2012 Dues that you remit payment immediately. I will be reading the names of all members who have not paid their 2012 dues at the March stated Meeting. This is required by our Lodge By-laws. If any brother is having difficulty in paying their dues – please contact me immediately. I am available in the Lodge most evenings for this purpose or you can mail your payment to:
Queen City Lodge No. 761
PO Box 761
Clarksville, TN 37041
Until Next Month!
Steve Slater, Secretary
secretary@queencitylodge.org
