The North Carolina Mason

September/October 2010 TRAVELING THE tar heel state News From North CaroliNa's lodges By Ric Carter Thomasville Everybody’s Day in Tomasville is one of the oldest street festivals in North Carolina. Tom- asville 214 was manning a tent at the September 25 event. Te lodge had several summer outings this year. Tey had a late Independence Day celebra- tion when they had a cookout before their July 6 meeting. Tey also had another visit to see the Hi Toms minor league baseball game. Te July 28 game raised money for WhiteStone and gave the lodge a chance to be seen by the community. — Trestle Board Hookerton Te July 20 work day at Jerusalem 95 saw lots of chores accomplished. Tey replaced the back door and the small air conditioner. Tey installed a new ceiling fan and did some other minor re- pairs. He had lots of helpers, but the key was having Charles Chapman there. He’s an accom- plished carpenter. — Te Jerusalem Journal Hickory Te Annual Family Day at Hickory Masonic Center was set for August 14. Hot dogs, ham- burgers, ice cream, games, and activities for kids were on the program. Te guys at Hickory 343 are looking at tak- ing a group trip to Scream Time Zip Line Tours. Te trip will feature a zip line ride of more than 2,000 feet through the Blue Ridge Mountains. — Hickory Lodge Pilot Mountain Pilot 493 and King 722 volunteers helped serve more than 500 hot dogs during National Police Night Out. Dickie Crump hosted it at his famous Sandwich Shop. Pilot Lodge Masons also served hot dogs for the local library Summer Time Reading Time. Teir Dinner for Widows of Masons was set for August 12. Tey were traveling over to 13 Bones restaurant in Mount Airy for steaks. Te guys at Pilot recently enjoyed a program on vexillology, the study of flags as taught by J. T. Shelton, Jim Nicholson, and Don Isaacs. Tey learned about proper usages and proce- dures for our national flag. Tey got a demon- stration on the proper method of ceremonial folding of the flag at military funerals. — Te Pilot Mountain Traveler Charlotte Temple 676 Junior Steward Josh Rimany par- ticipated in a bicycle ride June 5 to raise money for the fight against leukemia. Te 100+ mile ride was held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Rimany raised more than $5,000. — Trestle Board Steele Creek 737 raised more than $6,000 with their recent Fish Fry and Car Show. Tey divided the money among four charities. Steele Creek Lodge elected Ray Smith to life membership in May. — Trestleboard Excelsior 261 ran a ritual review class ev- ery Monday night in July. David Carricker was helping men prepare for the Class B Certified Lecturer Exam. — Trestle Board Charles M. Setzer 693 is having a School Tools Drive again this year. Tey were collecting back-to-school items for kids at the Masonic Home for Children. Tey were urging donation of mechanical pencils, binders, calculators, felt- tip pens, highlighters, and flash drives. Renovations in the dining room at Setzer Lodge are pretty much complete now. Tey’ve got new paint and new carpet. Tey’ve added ac- cent tile at the entrance, the kitchen counter, and the drink corner thanks to Entered Apprentice Jack Stallings’ skilled tile work. J. J. Yates donated six round tables for the room. On the food front, they were planning a ham- burger and hot dog cookout at their July meet- ing. Teir spring barbecue brought in $1,200 for charity. Te fall fundraiser is set for October 16. — Charles M. Setzer Lodge Wilson Wilson 712 again presented four $1,000 college scholarships this year. Tree went to college bound high school students and one to a student at Wilson Community College. Te grants are financed by the lodge’s annual golf tournament and honor Bruce Boyette, the lodge’s founding master. Wilson Lodge has a spaghetti supper fund- raiser scheduled for November 5. — Bill Nichols Kenansville St. John’s 13 had their annual picnic set for September 2. Tey have it at Maxwell Mill every year. Te lodge provides chicken-and-pastry and attendees bring a covered dish each. Longtime lodge secretary Snodie Wilson was to get his Veteran’s Emblem for 50 years mem- bership at the picnic. — Lodge Log Jacksonville As of early September, preliminary sales for Semper Fidelis 680’s barbecue fundraiser had already topped $2,000. Te event was scheduled for September 10. Lafayette 83 hosted a scholarship visit with Semper Fi Lodge recently. Tey raised $1,200. — Trestle Board Wilmington St. John’s 1 is replacing the fire extinguisher system in their kitchen. Te chemical used in the previous system is no longer maintained, so replacement is the only option to closing to kitchen. Tey are taking collections for the job. — St. John’s Lodge Salisbury A contingent of kids from the Masonic Home for Children visited here July 29. Tey were entertained by Andrew Jackson 576 at Dan Nicholas Park. Grilling hot dogs was featured. Motion sensor controlled lights have been in- stalled at the Masonic center here. — Master’s Journal Statesville Statesville 27 joined Mooresville 496 to host an information booth at Mooresville’s Indepen- dence Day celebration. Statesville Lodge’s quarterly friendship breakfast was set for July 31. — Te Joppa Informer The North Carolina Mason Page 3 Black Mountain At their September stated meeting, Black Mountain 663 celebrated Past Masters’ Night. Charlie Stafford was set to sit in the master’s chair for the occasion. His first stint in the chair came in 1978. — Te Traveling Trowel Hayesville 23. It was to be an all-day job calling for lots of help and fun. Cary Eat breakfast at O’Charley’s in Cary on December 11 and help support our charities. The guys from Cary 198 are selling tickets for the breakfast, serving plates, and busing tables to earn the money. Talk to a member for details. Cary Lodge’s officers got to show their abili- ties and get an early practice on their stations for next year at a meeting in August. — Trestle Board Green Level A Red Cross blood drive was to be held at Green Level 277 August 1. — Trestle Board Apex Shooting is a focus of Apex 584 these days. Tey recently raffled a shotgun. On August 21, they were planning to host a sporting clays fund- raiser at Deep River. — Trestle Board Conover Tere was a new location this year for Con- over 709’s annual hamburger and hot dog char- ity sale. Tey held the May 8 event at Tractor Supply on Highway 70. — Te Conover Connection Kernersville Te Kernersville Chamber of Commerce hosts a regular Business Before Hour event in which local leaders get together for breakfast. Kernersville 669 was hosting it at their lodge September 14. Lodge volunteers cooked and served breakfast, helped park cars, and conduct- ed tours of their lodge. — Te Kernersville Masonic News Warsaw Warsaw 677 was to get a new coat of exterior paint this summer. — Warsaw Lodge Asheville Nichols-West Asheville 650 is supporting 35th District hosts picnic By Rodney Paulson KINGS MOUNTAIN — More than 125 Masons and family members gathered at Patriot Park here May 29 for a district picnic. Fairview 339 hosted the lodges in the 35th Masonic Dis- trict including Grover 375, Cleveland 202, Boil- ing Springs 388, Shelby 744, Casar 579, Camp Call 534, Fallston 356, and Lawndale 486. Festivities began with a chili cook off judged by Kings Mountain Mayor Brother Rick Moore, Kings Mountain Special Events Coor- dinator Ellis Noell, and Gaston Gazette Food Critic Cathey Noell. Donnie Morgan from Shelby 744 claimed the Best Chili title. Te championship plaque, made by Darryl Blanton, will hang in Shelby 744 until a new winner is declared next year. Te children enjoyed a day of fun in the sun and cooling off in the water. Some played on the Winston-Salem Old Town 751 continues their support for the Bikes for Books program in local elementary schools. They recently got a thank you note f rom the principal of Old Richmond School. They awarded two bikes there during the last school year to kids with improved reading skills. — On the Level at Old Town Lodge Canton Sonoma 472 is keeping a busy schedule. July 17: Annual Family Picnic, August 5: Past Masters’ Night, August 14: dinner honoring the Eastern Star and ladies of the lodge, and Octo- ber 7: Veterans’ Dinner. Sonoma Lodge is raffling a Marlin 243 rifle and scope. Te drawing is set for October 9 dur- ing their spaghetti supper. Proceeds go to the Masonic Homes. — Valley of the Moon Southport Pythagoras 249 was having their golf tourna- ment September 18. Tere was plenty to do get- ting sponsors, golfers, door prizes, signs made, and more. — Newsletter Valdese Lovelady 670 had their annual lodge pic- nic planned for October 2. — Te Light of Lovelady Mount Gilead Over the past few years, Blackmer 127 has spent lots of time and a bit of money to get their lodge in tiptop shape. Following the dis- covery of termite damage under the kitchen, the floor no longer sags and is now covered in new vinyl. Te front exterior has a fresh coat of paint and a new sign. Landscaping has also been looked after. What they are most proud of is the job they’ve done on the lodge room floor where carpet has been discarded and the hard- wood floors given special decoration. — Blackmer Buzz 10-foot high water slide, others enjoyed the wa- ter park at Patriot Park. Brother Rocky Pack and Brother Eric Carroll (city firemen) brought over a fire truck for the children to tour. Games were played. Te favorite of the children was the all- you-can-eat ice cream provided by Don Mor- gan’s Homemade Cream. Fairview 339 provided BBQ ribs cooked by Chuckie Dover and John Scism and a few other Brother’s from the lodge. Families brought po- tato salads, baked beans, cole slaws, and other picnic foods. Desserts included banana pudding, pineapple upside down cake, coconut cake, and other goodies. Te 35th District lodges are looking forward to the making the picnic and chili cook-off an annual affair. Rodney Paulson is a member of Fairview 339. Raleigh James B. Green 735 held three ice cream socials this summer. During the August 12 gathering, they enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs (98 served), watermelon, slaw, and chips. The featured homemade ice cream flavors in- cluded chocolate, strawberry, banana, vanilla, and peppermint. Green Lodge raised their dues from $100 to $130 for 2011. Green Lodge events coming up later this year include their barbecue fundraiser October 8 and Past Masters’ and Awards Night October 16. — Te James B. Green Scene Millbrook 97’s Spring Barbecue cleared more than $4,300. Everything went well except for Max Bloodworth’s new hush puppy cooker. Word is that he will have to do some redesign before the fall fundraiser. Steak Night at Millbrook Lodge was enjoyed by all. Special praise went out to Steven Dieck- haus for his mushrooms and to TC for his an- tique Jeep rides. Millbrook Lodge is sponsoring several fami- lies for Te Ride Home, an organization which helps POW/MIAs and their families. A work weekend at the lodge got some painting, cleaning, fixing, and throwing out done. They’ve used some rental income to replace gutters, fix sidewalks, add stainless steel tables in the kitchen, and replace half the tables in the dining hall. — Millbrook Messenger Kenly Officers of the 16th Masonic District met here in July to help the senior wardens of the district plan their upcoming year. — Grover Dees Stantonsburg Joseph Warren 92 is in possession of the 16th District’s traveling gavel known as SAMON. — Grover Dees Manna Food Bank. Tey have a food barrel at the lodge and urge members to drop canned food in at each meeting. Te lodge is also raising money to replace the chairs in the lodge room. Tey’re expected to cost $200 each. Nichols-West Asheville members are being asked to wear their uniforms to degree work in the lodge. Tat includes blue lodge shirt, khaki pants, and dress shoes. Tey are giving direc- tions for buying the shirts from a Masonic sup- ply house. — Te Cornerstone Te Montford Park Players are making the Asheville Masonic Temple the home for their winter Shakespeare and Dickens series. Tey will start with three major productions a year and perhaps add others. — Trestle Board Robbins Elise 555 was holding a fish fry on July 30 to help our Masonic Homes. — Rick Best Greensboro Gate City 694’s trips to Grasshopper baseball games seem to always draw good attendance. Forty lodge members and f riends showed up for their latest trip to the Greensboro ballpark. It was 93° behind home plate where they sat. The game nearly slipped f rom the Grasshoppers’ grasp, but they managed to eke out a one run win with a ninth inning comeback. Gate City’s annual hot dog, hamburger, and ice cream event drew the biggest crowd ever. More than 150 folks were served. Te lodge fish fry was set for July 31. Lodge license plates and caps are still avail- able at $20 each. — Trestleboard Franklin Te big weekend at Junaluskee 145 this summer was in the middle of July. On July 17, they had their Poor Man’s Meal featuring plenty of food and bluegrass music. Te next morning they were making their regular church visit together. — Trestleboard Spruce Pine October 2. Tey’ll be playing at Grassy Creek Golf and Country Club. Vesper 554 is holding its golf tournament — Te Beacon Swansboro Seaside 429 termed their recent grilled chick- en fundraiser “a resounding success.” — Trestle Board If your lodge has a newsletter for its members, make sure The North Carolina Mason is on your mailing list. Lodge newsletters are a major source of news for Masons around the state. If you don’t have one, think about starting one. Newsletters are a good way to keep your mem- bers active, happy, and informed. Clay 301 was cooking Boston butts on July — Dean Waldroup

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