Brothers:

Trestleboard as a PDF.

It seems like I am writing these messages more frequently, each time I write them. In closing out the first quarter, we had a successful inspection on our Entered Apprentice degree and hosted the first Blue Lodge Council meeting of the year. We also were very present in the community conducting several CT Chip events and supporting the CPTV telethons. A major highlight of the first quarter was another sold out Ladies at the Table. A special thank you needs to go out to the brothers who prepared and served this event.  Also thanks to all who attended it, as it was a great time for all.

The second quarter is upon us and it is shaping up to be a busy one. We had several of our Entered Apprentices unable to make their Fellow Craft degree, so we are going to slip another Fellow Craft degree into the schedule before the summer. That is going to be on May 5th and our Junior Warden and his stewards are planning a dinner for that evening.

In April, the Wardens and I will be attending the Grand Lodge Session that will find us at the installation of a new Grand Master. That Grand Master will be joining us in Columbia Lodge on the evening of May 19th for our Annual Awards night. This year we have 34 brothers that are due service pins totaling 1,460 years of Masonic service! As a mason currently working on his 10th Masonic year, that just blows me away.  We have one brother due to receive his 70 year pin.  He was raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason in April of 1940 and has the longest current Masonic career in our lodge.  Congratulations Brother Bagshaw, I hope you have many more. Dinner reservation forms are included in this mailing, so please return them soon as this event is always well attended.

In June we will hold a Master Mason degree at our first meeting and are planning to hold an open meeting at our 2nd meeting in June on the 16th.  That evening, we will be holding our annual “Secretary’s Barbeque” and have asked the DeMolay to come and put on one of their public cerenonies. The DeMolay boys have their annual Conclave coming up in July and we are going to run this dinner as a fund raiser to help Pinemeadow Chapter, the only chapter in our district, to offset their costs for that event. Please invite your ladies and any friends to see our Masonic Youth in action while they perform their Ceremony of Light.

Our Secretary, Brother Bob, reports that dues payments are well ahead of previous years.  Please take a look in your wallet, and if you don’t have a current 2010 dues card, you may have inadvertently missed the first notice. If you don’t have a current dues card, please give Brother Bob a call, before he starts sending out second notices.

As I said, we have a busy quarter coming up, and I hope to see some of you brothers that don’t make it to lodge regularly, coming out and visiting with us and enjoying the Masonic fellowship that is available to you.

Fraternally,             Brother Jeff