Summer Newsletter 2009

Fourth of July plans are being made, see the bottom for more information about this annual meeting.
• • • • • • •
Warpole Lodge's Open House and 19th Annual Pancake Breakfast was a huge success. 434 tickets were collected (there are always a few who forget to turn in their tickets.) 300 commemorative engraved glasses were passed out at the open house to those who visited the lodge room upstairs. Many couples and families only took one glass, so we believe the number visiting our newly renovated lodge room was closer to 400. We extended our open house 2 hours to accommodate the large crowd. Check out 4-year-old Carter Mattix's photo on the front page of the Ohio Masonic Home's "Beacon."
• • • • • • •
Summer improvements are getting underway with 10 windows being scheduled to be replaced in the dining room, pie room, office and ladies' rest room thanks to funds provided by the Pancake and Sausage breakfast, which showed a profit of nearly $3,000 this year.
• • • • • • •
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, Warpole Lodge will again be holding its annual meeting and election of officers. The required meeting will include annual reports on the activities of the lodge and a complete report on the finances. The election of officers follows the reports. Following the business meeting, FREE shrimp will be served. Due to the major hurricane a few years ago, we switched the menu from oysters to shrimp. The members must like them since they eat nearly 5 pounds of the little fellers with cocktail sauce.
In addition it’s harder to find cooks willing to make oyster stew and bread and fry the oysters. The last time we purchased oysters, they were nearly $70 a gallon and we needed about 2 gallons. Several members either do not like them or have diets that do not include them. So a conversion to the less expensive, non-cooked shrimp made sense.
So if you would like to try to put shrimp on the endangered species list, come to the meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
• • • • • • •
Warpole Lodge's open installation of officers is being planned for Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. Guests will be allowed to witness the ceremony at approximately 8 p.m. Watch for more information as the date approaches.
• • • • • • •
Our Masonic Updates sent via e-mail to about 250 addresses are very popular and an excellent way to announce Masonic funeral services and other information. One of the hardest parts setting up the program was getting the addresses, and making changes on them weekly. If you are not receiving them and wish to be included, just send me a message to: rpool1@woh.rr.com and I'll ad you to the list. Please note that there are not 2 Ls in the address, the second one is the Number 1. I know that's confusing and the address was assigned to me when it was installed. If you are having a problem understanding this or with my E-mail messages, give me a call and we'll try to solve the problem. I do not send attachments or jokes with the messages and if you are included in our list, you should receive your newsletter about a week before your mailman delivers the printed version to your mailbox.
• • • • • • •
Sharon Kloepfer was appointed Deputy Grand Matron of District 10 at the Grand Chapter session held in Dayton last Fall and is completing her year of service. EvaDelle Traxler is her page and Richard Eyestone her aide.
Several members of Warpole Chapter were also chosen to serve on Grand Chapter Committees: Pat Eyestone was selected as chairman of out-of-state registration; Deb and Ron Pool, Hospitality; and Deb Pool on the Youth Committee. Diane Burks is completing her term as Grand Representative of Kentucky and EvaDelle Traxler is the Grand Representative of Washington.
• • • • • • •
A new corps of OES officers will be installed on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4:00 p.m. Congratulations to Worthy Matron-elect Darla Hudson and Worthy Patron-elect Ron Pool.
• • • • • • •
The council’s annual Amish cheese sale will be in full swing this fall, the high-quality products will be delivered before Thanksgiving, you will pay for them at the time of delivery.
• • • • • • •
A reminder, 2010 lodge dues are due by the November annual meeting and dues notices will be mailed very soon.
The dictionary defines a tradition as: a custom, opinion or belief handed down to posterity, orally or by practice.
That's right, for 85 years the Masons of Upper Sandusky's Warpole Lodge have been getting up and arriving at the Lodge to open a meeting promptly (usually) at 5:30 a.m.
Too early for most birds, too early for most businesses, too early for much traffic, but not too early for some of our dedicated members.
They know they have been part of a long tradition along with another one, opening the huge oak doors facing Johnson Street. With the exception of when they were repaired, I can count on one hand the times the heavy doors have been opened at a function other than the 4th of July meeting.
I was born the same year my Dad, Russell, was worshipful master in 1947, as far as I know he never missed a 4th of July meeting since he became a member, a tradition I have continued since being raised in 1969. Many vacations or family events have been postponed until after the annual holiday meeting, something my family understood and encouraged.
I often asked Dad, why he would get up so early on his day off to attend a meeting, His answer was one I could not understand, but one I had to experience.
In my earlier years of membership, I could expect waiting in line while the other 100+ members would be served and wait for an open seat, since our dining room could not accommodate the patient crowd.
The same crew of men cooking would be expected in the kitchen and many of them were giants of our community, they too helped carry on our tradition.
Our officers over the years have been very faithful in continuing our tradition. I'm sure there are many things they have missed or postponed so they can participate.
Now many of our wives cook, serve and clean up after our breakfast. We thank them for helping carry on our tradition.
How traditional are you?