The North Carolina Mason

TraveLing The tar heel state News From North CaroliNa's lodges By Ric Carter 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. May/June 2014 The North Carolina Mason Page 3 see STATE, page 4 Youngsville Youngsville 377 will sponsor the Eighth Annual Epp Catlett Memorial Golf Tourna- ment September 30. ey play at Old Lib- erty Golf and Country Club. Proceeds from their fundraisers go to the Masonic Homes as well as their $1,000 scholarships for Franklin County students. — Dean Mooney Highlands Grand Master Dalton W. Mayo was made an honorary member of Blue Ridge 435 in March. — Trestleboard On March 9, members of Blue Ridge Lodge visited a local retirement home to present Wil- liam Creswell his Veteran's Emblem recognizing his 50 years in the lodge. — Dave Cashion Gibsonville Tabasco 271 held their annual Spring Pork Cooking April 11–12. ey sold whole butts for $25 and pints of chopped for seven dollars. eir golf tournament was set for May 17 at Brookwood Golf Course. Tabasco Lodge has proposed raising their dues over the next ten years to $50 plus per capita. — Trestle Board and Jeff Cox Charlotte Master Kenny Barnette, of Charles M. Setzer 693, has stepped up the duties of his lodge com- mittees to help streamline the business sessions of lodge meetings. e kitchen improvements at Setzer Lodge are complete. e appliances are fresh, and there's plenty of workspace. ey thanked Jack Stallings for his work on the tile floors, Eddie Wrenn for the appliance setup, Dale Bruck for cleaning, and Buddy Hopkins for his energy ev- erywhere it was needed. Setzer Lodge's Boston Butt Sale was set for May 3. — Trestleboard Steele Creek 737 held their blood drive May 10 at the same time as their charity fish fry and car show. — Bill Smith Temple 676 raised nearly $3,000 for Patriot Rovers in their first ever Temple Lodge Char- ity Challenge, a marksmanship competition at Shooters Express in Belmont March 22. Patriot Rovers pairs rescue golden retrievers with veter- ans suffering from traumatic brain injury or post traumatic stress disorder. e lodge plans anoth- er Challenge June 14, this one for the benefit of WhiteStone's Masonic residents. Temple Lodge members took care of their adopted street March 9. ey clean up a stretch along Randolph Road. — Temple Lodge Excelsior 261 held a fundraiser and blood drive March 17. — Temple Lodge West Gate 738 held their Annual Past Mas- ters' Degree April 7. ey preceded their raising of two new Masons with a meal of their well- known fried chicken. — News From the West Derita 715 was having a historical program April 7. Stephen Campbell was telling them about Stonewall Jackson based on a biography called Savior of the Valley, A Mason's Orphan. Jackson's wife lived in Charlotte. On the fundraising front, they were to hold their spring charity event April 18 for Masonic charities. ey are planning to participate in a volunteer workday at Carowinds this summer. — Derita Lodge Raleigh William T. Bain 231 held their annual barbe- cued chicken fundraiser on April 11. — Kevin Walton James B. Green 735 organized a trip to Philadelphia May 2–4. ey visited the beauti- ful Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania headquarters with its spectacular lodge rooms. ey visited a lodge on Friday night and took a tour of the city's Independence landmarks with Masonic ties. ere was an opportunity for shopping also. ey took a tour bus and invited other Masons from the 14 th and 15 th Masonic Dis- tricts to join them. Green Lodge held their Spring Barbecue Fundraiser on April 11. e family ice cream socials they have had each year are returning in June, July, and August. — James B. Green Scene Green Lodge made Luigi Ammons an hon- orary member March 25. — Scott Sholar Wendell Lots of places are adding easy operat- ing defibrillators these days. They save lives. Wendell 565 is taking member donations to put one in the lodge. The November spaghetti dinner at Wen- dell Lodge brought in $2,200. That brought their charity totals last year to $3,251 to our Home for Children, $1,069 for WhiteStone, and $700 to other causes. eir Past Masters' Night was to be held May 3. — Let ere Be Light Spruce Pine Vesper 554 holds excellent and regular edu- cational programs. Recent topics include un- derstanding the less familiar words used in our ritual, lodge etiquette, investigations, how to welcome visitors, and differences to expect when you visit another lodge. April 17 was the date for the annual joint meeting they have with Bakersville 357. ey always enjoy a ramp supper together. Vesper's charity golf tournament is set for August 23. — Newsletter Clayton Granite 191 was to hold their Barbecue Charity and Scholarship Fundraiser May 17. ey were selling pulled pork for eight dollars- a-pound and whole Boston butts for $25. — David John Weaver Greenville William Pitt 734 sold pancakes and sausage in their May 7 fundraiser. Junior Warden John Harrelson led the cooking crew in this fifteenth year of the event. Four people attending ex- pressed an interest in joining the lodge. e event brought their total donation to the charities this year to $4,500, more than $69 per member. — Tom Jones Smithfield Fellowship 84 held their annual pancake breakfast fundraiser March 29. To make sure everything was in impressive order, they held a clean up day March 15. — Grover Dees Cary April 11 was Spring Barbecue day at Cary 198. ey cooked 1,500 pounds of pork shoul- ders. ey netted more than $3,800 for charity. — Benton W. Oakes Jr. Candler Hominy 491 held a pancake breakfast at a lo- cal restaurant on April 26. — Terry Gevedon Marshal French Broad 292 had attendees and help- ers from seven lodges when they did a First Degree April 22. — Terry Gevedon Greensboro e 26 th Masonic District's Arthur John- son Memorial Golf Tournament was held May 17. e event to raise money for the Masonic Home for Children Scholarship Fund was held at Holly Ridge Golf Links in Archdale. — Gary Ballance Gate City 694 members joined Buddy Ow- ens April 12 to help the gardening residents of WhiteStone. ey moved dirt to garden beds so that plots were ready for planting. On March 15, Gate City worked their adopt- a-street route and held a pancake supper to raise money for the Masonic Home for Children. Ba- con, sausage, grits, and biscuits joined the all you can eat pancakes on the menu. ey are holding their Hot Dog and Ham- burger Family Dinner June 7. ey are also pick- ing a date for their baseball night with the local minor league baseball game. — Gary Ballance Guilford 656 honored US Representative Howard Coble with a special dinner April 12. ey also used the buffet dinner and an auction as a fundraiser for the Masonic Home for Chil- dren. ey were to present the inaugural How- ard Coble Citizenship Award. — Jetze Bouma They were making a major effort to up- date contact and military information of the lodge's members. — The Trestleboard P. P. Turner 746 is trying to assemble a ird Degree Team composed of past masters of their lodge. — P. P. Turner Lodge Weaverville Blackmer 170 was holding a barbecue fun- draiser May 3. ey were raising money for the four scholarships they award each year to college- bound North Buncombe High School students. — Terry Gevedon Burnsville Bald Creek 397 was to hold their Widows' and Past Masters' Night May 17. — Terry Gevedon Fayetteville Fort Bragg 667 continues to hold their monthly fellowship breakfast. — Kenneth Wical Creasy Proctor 679 has it annual fundraiser dinner planned for July 15. is one raises money for the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford. — Derec Mercer Concord e 28 th Masonic District is planning an out- door degree for August 23. e location will be in Vulcan Quarry and start to 10:00 a.m. Grand Master Dalton Mayo will lead the district de- gree team in the second section. — Steve Schenk District degree held in Greenville GREENVILLE — Six lodges from the Sixth Masonic District cooperated in a five-candidate Third Degree on March 22. Crown Point 708 hosted the degree with candidates from Bethel 589 and Ayden 498. Bethel Lodge's Kenneth Smith got to raise his son, Corey. Justin Robinson was mas- ter for the first section, and Dennis Campbell was King Solomon for the second section. — Charles Summerlin Pineville James K. Polk 759 sponsored a blood drive March 22. ey also held a community breakfast and a yard sale. Between the two, they made near- ly $1,800 for the Masonic Home for Children. — Randy Richardson and Marc Whitman Apex Apex 584 is working hard at raising money for our charities this year. A charity dinner is set for June 14 at a Morrisville Italian restaurant. ey are also conducting a rifle raffle (drawing in September). Each will divide proceeds evenly between the Home for Children and our resi- dents at WhiteStone. David Nyce has been carrying model air- planes and rockets to the Masonic Home for Children for the kids to enjoy and fly for a few years now. One of the ways he finances the proj- ect is with a rack of fishing lures he keeps at the lodge. Take a lure and leave a donation. — Trestleboard Stedman e Seventh Annual Jack Forbes Memorial Golf Tournament is set for June 7. Stedman 730 will sponsor the tournament at Lakewood Golf Course in Salemburg. — Ken Wical King Reading for Bikes is a program King 722 has recently adopted to improve the skills of the kids in their neighborhood schools. On dates in May and April, they sponsored electronic equipment recyclings. Money from the recycled items will help sponsor the program. — Paul Isaacson Green Level On April 1, Billy Upchurch, of Green Level 277, received his Diamond Jubilee honoring his 60 years as a Mason. — Stan Latta Broadway Friendship 763 was planning a Lodge Family Night for March 29 at a local restaurant. ey have also launched a new web site for the lodge. — Chris Tacia Thomasville Lodge Master Tony Downs reports that omasville 214's stew sale was "successful de- spite the weather." ey are currently planning a corn hole tournament. — Trestle Board Kenansville St. John's 13 members recently earned service awards. Carl Tucker got his Diamond Jubilee for 60 years as a Mason. John Barnett received his Veteran's Emblem for 50 years. e lodge will be drawing on May 26 for the grill they are raffling. — Lodge Log Cleveland Scotch Ireland 154 has instituted study classes on first and third Tuesday evenings. eir study will be guided by the wants and needs of the attendees. e lodge roof replacement fund is growing. Scotch Ireland is again participating with Spencer 543's Back to School Pool Party. ey gather school supplies for the kids at the Ma- sonic Home for Children and throw a pool party on the day they deliver them. — Newsletter Statesville e Statesville Masonic Temple Committee was holding a gun raffle for the benefit of White- Stone and the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford. Four guns were being awarded. Only 400 tickets were to be sold at $20 each. — e Joppa Informer Winston-Salem Old Town 751 scheduled their 40 th anniver- sary celebration for May 31. ey had special commemorative pins made for the occasion. e celebration was to feature games and activities for young and old alike so as to better please the members' families. Other events on their May agenda were a lodge workday, a pancake supper, and a Masonic youth group fundraiser. — On the Level at Old Town Lodge and Alan Williard Hillsborough Eagle 19 is redoing their stairs. It is part of their ongoing care and restoration for their 1820s lodge building. Mosaic 762 members are giving them a hand with the work. — Keith Morgan Kinston St. John's 4 held their ird Annual Corn Hole Tournament May 3. ey awarded three prizes for top finishers and held a raffle for a set of Corn Hole boards. Proceeds were to go to Masonic charities. — Lynn Hill Elizabeth City Eureka 317 designated April 1 their Reunion Night. It was the night they asked rarely seen brothers to make a special effort to come to lodge. — On the Level Southport Pythagoras 249 recently reimbursed one of their members who paid the funeral expenses of an impoverished member of the lodge. e lodge held their Easter Barbecue Sale April 18–19. eir Ninth Annual Masonic Golf Tourna- ment is set for September 20 at Lakes Country Club in Boiling Springs. — Newsletter

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