February 2016

Today I had the honor, along with Worshipful Robert A. L. Whitfield, the funeral master, to deliver the masonic funeral service for a departed brother neither of us had met. He belonged to a lodge in another country. That made no difference; he was a brother whose family asked for our support which we were privileged to provide. Masons support each other.

Work on the lodge is complete and we are pleased with how the building looks with its new dining room windows. The new design also has a trench to keep excess water from entering the building. It will take time to recoup the $60,000 we spent repairing the termite and wood-rot damage. During our first meeting of the year in early January, Senior Warden Harry Burt shared our plan to decorate some of the dining hall columns to recognize past and future monetary contributions to the lodge as a way to begin to recover these funds.

Planning for the annual Crab Feed fundraiser is coming along nicely. We are importing crab from the Washington Area this year. It will be fresh, cleaned, cooked and cracked. We are also preparing homemade clam chowder that we introduced last year. Finally, we are offering perfectly cooked steaks as in the past. Be sure to check out the silent auction items we will offer.

I am pleased to announce that Brother Cary Carlson has affiliated with our lodge. Bro. Carlson is Past Master of Berkeley Lodge No. 363 and Orinda Lodge No. 122. Worshipful Cary is a gentleman and a scholar and we are all happy that he has come over to “The Friendly Lodge”.

The Hall Association has purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the lodge, which will be mounted on the wall in the dining hall just as soon as we have mastered all the California requirements. The AED is a needed addition to our lodge and could potentially save the life of a loved one. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the AED, please send a check to the Acalanes Masonic Hall Association, PO Box 1, Lafayette, CA 94549. We are planning to offer a training session on the AED and a CPR certification class in the near future.

Lastly, we are striving to strengthen our ties to other masonic organizations this year, especially our youth organizations. Be sure to check for opportunities on how you can be involved.

This is an exciting year thus far. We have a great leadership team that is bringing new ideas and lots of enthusiasm to the lodge. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get involved.

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