Greetings Brethren:
Our third and final focus area this year is Fellowship. Fellowship is all about coming together outside of our meetings. It’s the bonds and links of brotherhood we share that unite us, and what really draws us into the Lodge room. We have a number of great events coming up that will help to build the fellowship in our Lodge and create lasting memories. On April 8th, we have a once in a lifetime(!!!) opportunity to gather together to watch the Total Solar Eclipse that will pass directly over Avon Lake. We’ve had some brethren in our Lodge working hard to secure the necessary plans and permits needed to pull off a huge weekend event (April 6-8th) to open our building & property to the public to enjoy the eclipse and hopefully earn some money by renting out parking. A big shout out to RWB Behm, WB Cain, Bro. Hayden, and WB Spooner for all their hard work! For the weekend leading up to the Eclipse, we’ll have a food truck and beer garden available, and an opportunity to show the community some of the great things Freemasonry offers. And while we will be “hosting”, there are bound to be many lasting memories and ties of fellowship created by this event – something surely not to be missed! Then, on Wed., April 24 we’ll once again hold our annual Range Night event at the Parma Armory. This has become a much-anticipated opportunity to come together away from the Lodge and just enjoy the friendship and comradery of our Brethren while taking part in some sport. RSVP at westshorelodge.org and thank you to WB Kilpatrick for coordinating this year’s event. In May, we’ll be planning our Family Garden Party. This will be an evolution of what used to be called “Ladies Luncheon”, which was originally held to thank our wives & ladies for their support. Now it will be an opportunity to share in the fun and fellowship of the Fraternity with all of those who support us, be it wives, partners, siblings, children…really anyone we want to share with. We’ll have family friendly games & food, so feel free to bring the little ones! It’ll be a great time to come together and get to know not just the men in the Lodge, but their families and friends as well.
Being roughly 5 months into the Masonic year, this is also an excellent time to take a pulse, and look at how we’re meeting the Brethren’s needs. It’s amazing just how much we’ve accomplished in a few short months - from our standard Lodge events like inspection & awards night, to our Lodge clean-up day, to our fellowship dinners (thank you WB Taras) and outings like Breakfast in the Park (thank you WB Goldbach), to seeing a great number of candidates coming thru the Lodge. West Shore Lodge has done fantastic. Yet we’re always looking to improve. While we plan and schedule events, our key goal is to serve YOU. Lodge shouldn’t just be business or the ritual…it should be the time we come together in fellowship and enjoy seeing friends we may only see once or twice a month, or a few times a year. Finding the right programming that gets people wanting to come out is important to us. If you have programming suggestions or events you’d like to see in Lodge, please reach out so we can get something scheduled. Feel free to contact me at wmarshall@westshorelodge.org if you have comments or suggestions about an event.
Again, thank you for all that you do for our Fraternity.
Bill Marshall
Worshipful Master