The North Carolina Mason

November/December 2009 The North Carolina Mason Page 3 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 and informed. see STATE, page 5 Hayesville Clay 301 held a Barn Degree and Fundrais- er October 30. e degree was held in Ronnie Smith's barn. It featured hay bale seating. Hope they were careful with those burning tapers. e degree included a barbecued chicken fundraiser to help fund the lodge's roof repair. — Derek Cheek Statesville Masons hosted a special Type O Blood Drive at Statesville 27 on August 13. Donors got a t- shirt and a chance to win a $1,000 gas card. — e Joppa Informer Mount Gilead Blackmer 127 has held its Fifth Annual Charity Fun Shoot at DeWitt Farms in Ellerbe. ey enjoyed a day of skeet shooting, food, and fun together. is year, they raised $1,547 for the Masonic Home for Children and WhiteStone (MESH). — Blackmer Buzz Fayetteville Creasy Proctor 679 held it Past Masters' and Awards Night September 29. Past Grand Mas- ter Charles Ingram was the evening's speaker. He delivered a message about William R. Davie, Father of the University of North Carolina, en- titled "A Great Man in a Time of Great Men." Creasy Proctor Lodge's Widows' Night was scheduled for November 3. — Timothy Williams Clifford Duell 756 has been enjoying lodge visitations this year. On July 13, nine members of the lodge went to Lillington to see Lilling- ton 302 perform a ird Degree. ey were impressed by the lodge's use of piano music in the degree. Duell Lodge itself has done several degrees which featured guitar music. ey also enjoyed a "fine" dinner before the degree. Eight Duell Lodge members also recently visited Aurora 33 in Clio, South Carolina. e south of the border Masons promised to return the visit. e lodge hosted their first Past Masters Breakfast Forum October 10. e morning's purpose was to consult with the lodge's past leadership about their feelings about the future direction of the lodge. John Cook recently earned his Veteran's Em- blem for 50 years membership. Lodge Chaplain Ray Utley was the recipient of the Grand Lodge of Florida's 55 year award. Clifford Duell 756's Past Masters'-Widows'- Veterans' Dinner was set for November 7. Ner- vous Night, when officers advance to their next stations, was to be held November 16. — Blue Sheet Mount Olive ey celebrate a big Family Night every fifth Tuesday at Mount Olive 208. eir next party is December 29. — Trestle Board Greensboro Fifty people attended P. P. Turner 746's first Homecoming August 20. It was termed a "huge success." Rob and Paulette Mitchell prepared the meal and Master Mike Daniels did the program. Past Grand Master Bill Simpson was to be the featured speaker at Turner Lodge's October 15, Ladies' Night. Just in time for anksgiving, Turner Lodge's Annual Pork Shoulder Sale was be held No- vember 21. e 16–18-pound shoulders were sold for $40 each. Saved Mom a little cooking in more than one house. — P. P. Turner Lodge Gate City 694 stays busy. ey've joined Greensboro's Adopt-A-Street. Four times each year they will pick up trash along the 1.3-mile stretch of North Holden Road between Benja- min Parkway and West Cornwallis Drive. Gate City Lodge is again collecting things for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The sol- diers they are sending goodies to include their own John Thomas Brandt as well as other members of the Armed Forces f rom Greens- boro and elsewhere. Gate City's PhoneTree is now operating, re- minding members of upcoming events and an- nouncing short-notice happenings. eir pullover shirts with lodge name and square and compasses are now available for $25. Gate City Lodge went to two baseball games this year. More than 50 attended the Grasshop- per game each time. Gate City member Percy Sudsbury was fea- tured in an article in the Greensboro News and Record July 19. Sudsbury has been one of the people working on the Ralph Pegram Memorial Library at American Legion Cone Post 386. e Library holds more than 1,700 military-related books (fiction and nonfiction). Pegram, who died in 1998, started the library. e library includes museum objects and collects artifacts and stories of service men and women. — Trestleboard Paw Creek West Gate 738's Fall Chicken Fry was held October 15–16. ey have been holding chicken cooking fundraisers twice a year for years now. Lodge maintenance cannot be stopped be- cause of budget overruns. West Gate Lodge was asking for contributions from members to help cover increasing costs of keeping up the facili- ties. e air conditioning system required work. ey also are installing a wheelchair ramp and concreting the driveway to their dumpster. OSW classes continue at West Gate Lodge on Monday nights when there is no degree work or stated meeting. — News from the West Canton Sonoma 472 held its Charity Fundraising Dinner October 17. ey were serving spaghetti. Veterans' Night was set for November 5. It is an annual event to honor veterans of our armed services. — Valley of the Moon Smithfield Fellowship 84's Pancake and Sausage Breakfast this year raised more than $2,200 for their scholarship fund. The 2009 schol- arship went to Emily Jones who is now at UNC-Wilmington. Fellowship Lodge was handing out service awards at their recent Past Masters' and Ladies' Night. John Simon Shallcross, Billie Eugene Combs, and Daniel Mathews were to get Dia- mond Jubilees for 60 years membership. ey presented service awards to family members of two members who had earned them but passed away before presentations — Gordon Howells's 60 and John Horace Keene's 50. — e Trestleboard South Mills New Lebanon 314 is trying to raise $2,000 to replace the heating and air conditioning system in the lodge. — e Plumb Line Salisbury Andrew Jackson 576 will be celebrating its 100 th birthday January 21. at's the night they'll hold their big banquet. Lodge shirts and hats proclaiming the occasion are also coming. Jackson Lodge held their Past Masters' Night August 20. Twenty-four past masters were there for the steak dinner. — Master's Journal On August 29, Fulton 99 hosted a visit by local Prince Hall lodges to our 28 th Masonic District. Fulton Lodge served a simple meal of hot dogs and hamburgers. Lapel pins from Grand Master Dan Rice were presented to Western Star 9 PHA Master John Cole and Faithful 376 PHA Master Jimmy Jones. A re- turn visit by our members to Western Star was planned for October 24. Fulton Lodge's annual barbecue fundraiser was scheduled for October 22. Both Fulton and Andrew Jackson lodges are looking for volunteers to do repair chores at the lodge. e jobs include hedge trimming, paint- ing inside and out, stripping and waxing floors, and some minor trim repair. — Master's Journal Stantonsburg SAMON, the 16 th Masonic District's trav- eling gavel, was snagged by Joseph Warren 92 in October. They got it on a visit to Mount Lebanon 117. — Grover Dees Hickory Two lodge members at Hickory 343 ar- ranged for lodge members to enjoy a day of shooting on the gun range at Catawba Wildlife Club. ey got a couple of hours on the range together October 5. Members of the lodge recently enjoyed a Brotherhood Bike Ride along the Virginia Creeper Trail. e site near Whitetop, Virginia is set up for hiking, mountain biking, and horse- back riding. Hickory Lodge's Chicken Pie Sale was No- vember 7. e eight-dollar pies were available at reduced prices and free delivery for large orders. e proceeds were to help support Catawba County First Step Domestic Violence Services. — Hickory Masonic Lodge Cary On October 3, Cary 198 held their annual Ladies' and Awards Night. Sonny Bjork was named Mason of the Year for his work with the cooking crew and for taking charge of the lodge's support of the Masonic Home for Children. Members of the Chef 's Crew were given spe- cial aprons and top cook Charles English got one naming him "Grand Master of the Hush- puppy Oil of Joy." ey enjoyed New York strip steaks. Lodge officers served the widows. Mem- bers served their own guests. Their Fall Barbecue was set for November 6. The proceeds were going to the Home for Children in memory of Don Ellers. — Trestle Board Conover ey were calling for a work party October 24 at Conover 709. ey were planning to paint the outside stairs and lodge ceiling. — View From the East Kenansville St. John's 13 termed its annual picnic this year "the best yet." e entertainment "outstanding" and the chicken and pastry was "delicious." ey hold it at Maxwell's Mill. — Lodge Log Beulaville Beulaville 658 was to hold its annual golf tournament September 26 at Majestic Pines Country Club. — Lodge Log Pilot Mountain irty-two people attended Pilot 493 trav- eled over to the Town and Country in King to entertain their widows. e Widow's' Dinner was held August 14. Four Masons and two Eastern Stars went to WhiteStone (MESH) on September 6 to con- duct the chapel service for residents. Pilot Lodge's Fall Barbecue was coming up in November. — e Pilot Mountain Traveler Wallace Wallace 595 was raffling a gun this fall. e drawing was scheduled to coincide with their October 5 Ham and Egg Supper to honor past masters and the ladies. Wallace Lodge's Wilton Francis Townsend got his Diamond Jubilee Award for 60 years membership earlier this fall. — Bulletin of Wallace Lodge Stedman On November 2, Grand Master Dan Rice visited Stedman 730. While there, he presented H. B. Smith Jr. his Veterans' Emblem honor- ing his 50 years as a Mason. While there, Rice shared a documentary film about the Masonic Home for Children. — omas Pope Concord Masons help Relay for Life TARBORO — On June 19, Concord 58, Corinthian 230, and Scotland Neck 689 spon- sored a concert at Edgecombe Community College. The proceeds, $6,744 was given to the Relay for Life, the well-known charity which supports Cancer research. Here, Concord Lodge Master John J Andrews Jr. and Hartwell Fuller are presenting a check to Pam Gould, local co- chairman of Relay for Life. — E. Ray Rogister Tarboro Daily Southerner photo Kannapolis Cannon Memorial 626 held a charity break- fast July 25. — Randy Crainshaw Clyde A Mason Picnic for the Public was set for October 24 at Clyde 453. e "get to know us" event was serving hot dogs and letting their neighbors learn more about the lodge in a low- key environment. — Valley of the Moon Raleigh Members of Masters 754 went to Oxford Oc- tober 4. ere, they visited the Masonic Home for Children and fed the youngsters a pizza supper. In another show of support for the kids, Masters Lodge entered a team and sponsored a hole in Chip Shots for Kids, a golf tournament for the Home for Children conducted by the Home's Alumni Association. Masters' team fin- ished with a 66, six under par. Frank Gatton and Dillard orne received Coaching Recognition Awards for their work with Masters 754's degree candidates. — e Trowel Raleigh 500 was pleased when they recapped their Pig Jig from earlier this year. ey raised $8,000 for the Masonic Home for Children and Central Children's Home with the pig cooking contest. ey cooked 21 whole hogs, 600 pounds of Boston butt, 100 chickens, and 160 pounds of precooked barbecue. More than 1,700 people attended the contest. Next year's Pig Jig is set for May 22. Make sure your lodge or Masonic orga- nization enters a team and enjoys the fun. Raleigh 500's Past Masters' Night was set for October 20. — On the Level James B. Green 735 had hoped to reduce their newsletter budget by reducing their mailing to a few pieces in the US Postal Service with most copies going by email. ey did not get enough email addresses to make their goal. On August 11, Green Lodge's John Held was presented his Diamond Jubilee Award for 60 years membership. Held is planning a lodge trip to Washington, DC in spring 2010. James B. Green 735's chicken barbecue fund- raiser was to be held October 2. — e James B. Green Scene Millbrook 97 was holding it fall barbecue Oc- tober 9. ey were fixing both pork and chicken barbecue. — Millbrook Messenger J. J. Crowder 743 was holding a pancake breakfast October 10. ey were raising money to help a local family with a child suffering with multiple sclerosis. — Stephen Meserve Rose Hill Rehobeth 279's annual fundraiser was set for September 18. ey were delivering orders of ten or more plates. ey were hoping to bring in $4,000 this year. Rehobeth Lodge was manning a booth at the Muscadine Harvest Festival. — Rehobeth Lodge Charlotte Temple 767 presented service awards in Oc- tober. Veterans' Emblems for 50 years member- ship went to Warren Drye and Harry Harris. — Temple Tales Excelsior 261 is signing on to help out at a local elementary school. Lincoln Heights El- ementary has asked them to help with their Real Men Read program. Lodge members volunteer to read to or with students there. Concerns about building maintenance and cash reserves have made Excelsior Lodge raise their dues. eir 2010 dues will go to $85 and to $100 in 2011. Special events scheduled by Excelsior in- cluded their September 12 Fall Family Gath- ering at the Red Fez Shrine Club at Lake Wylie and their September 28 Past Masters' and Veterans' Night. —Trestle Board Steele Creek 737 was planning their Annual Barbecue. Proceeds from the eight-dollar plates go to the Masonic Home for Children. — Trestleboard Spruce Pine Vesper 554 was holding its golf tournament October 3 at Grassy Creek Golf Course. Hole- in-one prizes included a Subaru if you hit one on the ninth hole and golf weekends in Las Vegas or Memphis on others. Each member of the win- ning team got a $100 gift certificate. Sixty-dollar certificates went to guys who were the runners- up. Proceeds were for the Masonic Homes and local charities. Vesper Lodge is selling lodge shirts for $20. ey even have several colors to choose from. — e Beacon Weaverville Vance 293 was holding a barbecue fundraiser for the Masonic charities September 19. Enter- tainment was scheduled. — e Beacon Asheville Mount Hermon 118 holds an annual Alms Day Dinner to raise money for charity. ey were combining it with their awards presenta- tions this year. It was scheduled for August 2. — Trestle-Board

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