November/December 2012
The North Carolina Mason
Page 5
A newcomer���s perspective on Homecoming
I truly don���t know where to begin to express
my fascination and appreciation for the Oxford
Orphanage Homecoming and St. Johns Day Celebration. To begin, Homecoming was an incredible weekend of events. From the Chip Shots for
Children golf tournament to the mingling groups
catching up after the Sunday Luncheon, the weekend was filled with fun, food, fellowship, and so
many stories. The Home I worked at in Illinois did
not have an annual Homecoming event, nor did
they develop an Alumni Association. Sadly 100
years of connections, stories, and history are fading
away. I am very pleased this is not the case at the
Masonic Home for Children in Oxford.
Not only is Homecoming a rare event in child
welfare, but the Home���s celebration is impressive
in its own right. The combination between the Oxford Orphanage Homecoming and St. Johns Day
Celebration brings together two groups who have a
keen interest and stake in the Home. The passion for
the Home relating to the Alumni Association and
Masonic Brotherhood is evident and productive in
generating ideas, support and resources.
I have not seen a Shriner���s parade since my
childhood. I quickly reverted back to my youthful enthusiasm as I laughed and took pictures of
the ongoing parade of miniature cars, trucks, boats,
as well as, pirates, clowns, and a cast of characters, all amusing and evoking and all courtesy of
our beloved Shrine Temples from Amran, Sudan,
and Oasis. Please refer to our ���After Event Page���
for a complete list of volunteers, barbecue results,
and other items associated with this year���s event
at . Thank you to all.
I would like to thank the children, staff, volunteers, Alumni and Oxford community for their
support and hard work throughout the weekend.
The children worked to offer shirts, snacks, drinks,
and fun activities to scores of visitors. These activities are extremely important to the children as they
learn how to interact with guests, provide customer
service, and develop an appreciation for giving back
and helping others.
In addition, the children are led by an incredible
staff. The staff not only prepared expertly, but implemented a very smooth weekend while catering to
thousands. The staff role model to the children the
importance of hard work, responsibility, and interaction. In addition, our volunteers were simply fantastic.
We could not offer this event without our volunteer
support. Not only did they give of their time, their
presence made everyone feel welcome and at Home.
The Alumni Association is another rare gem
in child welfare. Their dedication, commitment,
diligent work, and desire to maintain contact with
each other and the Home are a driving force to not
only the Homecoming weekend, but to programming ideas and resources. I enjoyed learning about
the history of the Home from the Alumni���s perspectives and from different periods in time. The
overall message was how important the Home was
and is in the lives of the Alumni.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the
Masons, staff, and alumni who worked so hard to
make this weekend so successful. My hope is we
will work together to make your Oxford Orphanage Homecoming experience better each year.
Kevin Otis is Administrator of the Masonic Home
for Children at Oxford.
Dobson degrees
get interesting
DOBSON ��� There were several interesting
relations and peculiarities in the degree work
of Copeland 390 earlier this year. Will Darden,
Rob Darden, Clay Chilton, and Tim Brewer
were all elected to the degrees in February. They
were all initiated in March and passed in April.
The lodge held a Third Degree on each Friday
night in May, raising the four.
Will Darden raised his brother Rob. He
also taught and examined him on his Third
Degree catechism.
Clay Shelton is a third generation Mason.
He was raised by his father and assisted by his
grandfather.
Tim Brewer is the brother of Copeland
Master Dempsey Brewer. Dempsey sat in the
East for his brother���s degree. He raised him and
coached him on all his catechisms.
All four were proficient in their Third Degree
catechisms by June. Darden learned his in four
hours and Chilton in five.
��� Charles Haney
Dan Hopping photo
By Kevin Otis
Brother Hodapp, center, posed with some of the audience after the lecture.
Hodapp lectures in Raleigh
RALEIGH ��� Christopher Hodapp, one
of the best-known authors on topics Masonic
of our generation, spoke at Hiram 40 here at
the Raleigh Masonic Temple on September 8.
Hodapp is perhaps best known for Freemasons
for Dummies (one of the best introductions to
Freemasonry) and Deciphering the Lost Symbol (a guide to Dan Brown���s The Lost Symbol).
Masons and non-Masons alike were invited
to the lecture. The lodge goal was to, ���learn more
about��the��fraternal organization��as it exists in the
modern world,�� its�� mysterious�� history�� and origins, and other very interesting myths and facts
Independence Day in Garner
GARNER ��� Garner 701 held its annual fundraisers recently, one in May and the other in July.
The annual Mark Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Riverwood Golf Course in Clayton on May 9. It was a success even though the weather did not cooperate. Barbecued chicken was
served to the players when the tournament ended. The annual July 4th fundraiser was held on July 3
at Lake Benson Park in Garner during the town���s annual Independence Day celebration. Hamburgers, drinks, and funnel cakes were sold to benefit our charities.
��� Richard Lynch
HOMECOMING, from page 8
to Doric 30 from Delaware. Both these teams
qualify as honorary Tarheel lodges due to their
long-time participation in the NC Masonic Pig
Jig held each spring and also cooking at last
year���s inaugural Masonic Homecoming.
Other cook-off winners were Chicken: Spurmont 98 (first), Stokesdale 428 (second), Doric
30 (third); Ribs: Spurmont 98 (first), Raleigh
500 (second), Stokesdale 428 (third); and Pork:
Nubia Grotto, New Bern (first), Orphans 761
(second), Doric 30 (third).
Saturday was the big visitor day. Various entertainments were on the Home���s campus for
everyone���s enjoyment. The first big event of the
day was the Shrine parade. Units from all three
of North Carolina���s Shrines participated in the
lengthy, and efficiently run, parade. A good
crowd gathered along the route, most of them
on the roads at the Home. Besides the usual
miniature vehicles, costumed characters, and
other entertainments for which the Shrine is
famous, the parade featured officials from the
local community as well as a broad range of
Masonic organizations.
As the parade ended, the crowd got serious about visiting the Pit to enjoy the pig and
chicken. While they were feasting, the music
began. The Mark Roberts Band led things off,
with T. Graham Brown joining them after a set.
Early in his career, you could hear Brown doing
advertising jingles for McDonalds, Disneyland,
and Budweiser as well as being the ���Run for
the Border��� voice for Taco Bell. Now, he���s better
known for hits ���Hell & High Water,��� ���Don���t Go
to Strangers,��� and ���Darlene.��� His broad audience
appeal made him a popular act with the crowd.
During the day, both Wilkerson College 760
and Orphans 761 met on campus. Tours of the
campus and the Cobb Center were conducted throughout the day. More than $8,000 was
raised with several fundraising efforts over the
weekend. Special thanks are due to Johnny Surles for another great job as festival chairman.
about Masonry.���
A good crowd was on hand to see the real
face they have seen a number of times on cable
television asking and answering questions about
Freemasonry and its history.
The $15 ticket got the audience a seat in the
Temple���s theater, refreshments before the lecture, and a book signing afterward. Organizers
were happy with the results which they termed,
���a fun, successful, and inspiring evening.���
Proceeds went to the building fund at the
Raleigh Masonic Temple which is currently in
the midst of an extensive fix-it program.
Ric
Carter
photos
