From The Masters Desk
Dear Brethren, Ladies & Friends Of Golden Rule Lodge:
June was a great and busy month for Golden Rule Lodge, and the next few months look to be the same. A recap and preview…..
At the June Stated Meeting the Brothers elected Mr. BLANE CURTACE to receive the Degrees of Masonry in GRL. His 1st Degree will be on July 20. PLEASE be there to support the Officers and Mr. Curtace as we Initiate this fine gentleman and set his feet upon the path to the Light of Masonry!
On June 8 we had the privilege of celebrating with Bro WALTER GADSBY his 50 Years in Masonry by bestowing upon him the Golden Veteran’s Award! The ceremony was preceded by a great Prime Rib Dinner, and our Inspector, Wors Dennis Anastole, was there to present the award. This was a Special Evening with a lot of reflection, and one everyone will long remember!
Our Annual Lodge Picnic was Sunday, June 14. We were again at the Peppertree area, where we have had so many great picnics in the past. For whatever reasons, our attendance was down from past years, but those of us there had a great time! Wors John Kirk served as Head Chef, and with the assistance of Bro John Cahill and Wors Jeff Nacht, helped put on a feast fit for royalty! Prime Rib and Filet Mignon – what more could anyone want?! Jeff and Nancy – the chocolate cups were a delicacy beyond words. Thank you!! Along with horseshoes, egg toss and dart throwing contest, everyone had a great time and went home happy. We’re already planning next year’s picnic….
On June 15 we Initiated Mr. Tony Daniel into the First Degree of Masonry. We had a good turnout of both GRL Brothers and members from other Lodges. What a thrill to see two long lines at the appropriate moment! The Officers performed well and it was a great evening! Thanks to all who attended. Please join us again on July 20. In mid-June, several of our newer Brothers came up to me and proposed a First Degree Roundtable where Brothers could come together and discuss what the First Degree meant and meant to them? I thought this was a GREAT idea and hastily put one together on June 22. Imagine my surprise when over 30 Brothers showed up – EAs, FCs & MMs from 4 different Lodges - with only a couple days notice? The discussion was a great success, lasting until almost 10pm. And - everyone wanted to do it again NEXT month! Maybe we’ve latched onto something that can become another multi lodge event that can benefit all of Masonry in the Valley? I’ll give you an update next month.
We have two Degrees scheduled for July – a First Degree for Mr. Blane Curtace on July 20, and a 3rd Degree for Bro Roberto Robles on July 27. We hope you can all be there to support the Officers & the Candidates.
AND – it’s not too early to start getting ready for our Annual Traveling Degree to Columbia!! The dates are Friday, Sept 11 – Sunday, Sept 13. We have already reserved the Aladdin Hotel and the Columbia Temple, so all we need now is YOU to make your reservation! Call the Aladdin Hotel at: 1-800-696-3969 to book your room. Ask for the special Golden Rule Lodge rate of $89/night for up to FOUR people in the room. I will be sending out more information soon on Banquet dinner items, cost, special activities, etc. Right now – the main thing is to get your room reservation booked!! We have a couple of surprises planned to make this years Traveling Degree one of our Best Ever!! Don’t procrastinate – call the hotel NOW!!
Lastly – our July Stated Meeting will be a Casual, Hawaiian themed night and attire. Go find your wildest, brightest Hawaiian shirt and wear it. There will be a prize for the best shirt – voted on by the Brothers. Let’s see what YOU can come up with! See you all in Lodge!
Fraternally, Hank Vlcek – Master
From The West
Dear Brethren, Ladies, and Friends of
Golden Rule Lodge No. 479,
Golden Rule Lodge has an opportunity to support our community in August. Jeff Nacht’s lady Nancy Morgan has asked us to support the National Night Out event on Tuesday August 4th by having the Lodge do our Child ID program. The Nation Night Out is held throughout the US and is a crime and drug prevention event that is sponsored nationally by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by the San Jose Police Department. This year is the 32nd anniversary of National Night Out with over 38 million people across the country expected to participate.
National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police/community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. This is a free event open to the neighborhood at Starbird Park, 1050 Boynton Avenue San Jose. There will be approximately 500 people from the neighborhood attending with hot dogs & chips donated by The Harker School along with Ice cream and bottledwater. There is a free raffle with items being donated by the community, along with music and fun activities for the kids.
This would be great opportunity to show our ‘Brotherly Love’ by donating a few hours to ID the children. The event runs from 5 – 8:00PM. Unfortunately, I’ll be out of town so I need two or three brothers to volunteer setting up the equipment, helping the kid’s get their ID’s and putting everything away. Do you have time on Tuesday evening Aug 4 to help make this event successful? If so, please contact me by email. Thank you in advance.
Fraternally,
Robert Ahrens, PM
From The South
Brethren,
I am working on my Junior Warden’s proficiency which I need to dedicate as much time as I can carve out.
The Monday July 6th Stated meeting dinner will be an Asian Feast at 6:30 pm. Bring your significant other and get together for a great dinner. Put this on your calendar and be ready to respond to my emails.
Also - block out the first weekend in September for the Columbia travelling degree. Bring your significant other for this fun weekend.
Join us in Columbia on Friday afternoon, 3rd degree is on Saturday with dinner Saturday evening with some special Masonic messages and entertainment and return home Sunday a.m.
Registration and reservation details to follow by email shortly.
I look forward to seeing you in Lodge on July 6th.
Fraternally,
John Cahill, Junior Warden