Our meeting on August 7 was a nice one.  We had a potluck that included hot dogs and various side dishes and desserts and enjoyed each others’ company prior to the meeting.  Then we had an ante room meeting to accomplish our business before going our separate ways. 

Reports were made of the successful Afternoon Tea benefiting Paws for Purple Hearts which raised about $1,683, plus a donation from a generous benefactor (who will be missed very much) of another $1,000, and of the delivery of the prizes and monetary donation to the Humboldt County Library for their Summer Reading Program.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, with a “Salute to Teachers!” and a school supply drive.  For your information, this was another service event that was brought up by and supported by Brother Lee.  Refreshments are at 7:00, meeting at 7:30.  Attire is business casual. Please bring school supplies to adorn the East and spill over into the West. The supplies will be donated to Alice Birney School.

In the meantime, I hope you have all RSVP’d and plan to attend the reception for our Grand Electa Deanna Bay on August 31 at 7 p.m. in Loleta and the brunch honoring our Deputy Lisa McCombs on Sunday, September 1, at 11:00 a.m. in Arcata.  Both of these ladies are very special people, and it’d be so great to support them and show them our appreciation and love.

Looking ahead, our meeting on October 2 is a Teddy Bear (and other animals) Picnic with refreshments at 7:00 and meeting at 7:30.  It is also elections night, so if you aspire to any elected office, please remember to have your signed paper on the dais stating what office you aspire to with two signatures by other members of the Chapter nominating you for that position.  You do not have to be there in person, but your paper needs to be present for me to read under elections.  Thank you!

Please remember we are a small Chapter, so it is important to attend the meetings if you are able to ensure we have a quorum so we can conduct business and vote on things. 

Both our September and October meetings will be long form for our officers so we are sure to conform to the OES rules about such things.

Also please check the articles being posted on northcoastmasons.com by our Chapter and other Chapters, by Masonic Lodges, youth groups, etc., to keep up with everything that is going on in our District area. 

I look forward to seeing everyone on September 4.

Take care, and be well, and thank you for being you –

Joni Hewston, Worthy Matron
Camellia Star Chapter No. 63

  “Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the World.” – from Albert Einstein

Greetings Honored Ladies and Sir Knights of Eureka Court and California Order of the Amaranth.
We are nearing the end of August and hoping to also be nearing the end of the summer temperatures and smoke from all of the fires, that seem to arrive every summer. We hope that all of our members are safe with family and friends and are settling in for the cooler weather we all hope for.

 July was the time for our Official Visit from our Deputy Grand Royal Matron, Elizabeth Lorig, and Tricia Coombs, our Grand Lecturer. It was a successful visit and both ladies, after observing our Court and its records, gave gracious remarks.
We received Communications for the newly installed Supreme Royal Matron and Patron, the Supreme Lecturer and Grand Secretary and our Associate Grand Conductress. Our own HL Dolores Wright sent a message of “love and missing everyone” from her home south of us. She is not able to travel as she and her husband Paul (PRP) were able to do in the past. HL Jary is doing better with new medications. HL Donna Kennard (PGM) was able to share some of the things she did while on her visit as Grand
Representative to Oklahoma. Her granddaughter was able to attend sessions with her. We also received a message that the OES District 1 Tea held for “Paws for Purple Hearts” was successful to the tune of $2,300.00. Thanks were received for all those who participated to this worthy cause.

Nine members of our Court responded to an invitation from HL Tricia, Mother Advisor of Humboldt Assembly IORG, and HL Liz, Deputy of the Assembly, to assist with an initiation at Humboldt Assembly, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. Some of our Honored Ladies were Rainbow Girls in their youth and some were not, but all stepped up immediately to assist. And what a fun time it was. They were joined by members of the Eastern Star Chapters in our District and gave a wonderful, inspiring Initiation. This reporter was one who was a member of Rainbow in the 1960’s and due to living in an area where the Assembly had closed, had not been to a meeting since. But the ritual came back to mind immediately. And I thank Liz and Tricia for the opportunity to participate. HL Jaelen Lorig was the Installing Faith and did an excellent job. The new initiate had the best team on the job. Ladies, when is the next one. I’m ready. 

​

Members and Friends of Eureka Court, welcome. We hope you are having a good summer. We have a couple of months left of this season, if all goes well. Otherwise it may be several months until summer leaves us for the cooler weather.
   DID YOU KNOW   The summer temperatures are taking a great toll on Shasta and Trinity Lakes. Scientists say that from July 1st through 9th Shasta Lake has lost 2.2 billion gallons of water and Trinity Lake has lost 828.5 million gallons, just due to evaporation. Just an interesting fact you can share with friends who wonder why the lakes are not at the levels we think they should be.

   The Stated Court meeting was held on June 26. It was a busy meeting. In addition to a vote on a by-law change, which we detailed previously, several members were installed into their Grand Offices and Chapter Offices. Congratulations to all who were installed and thank you to all who participated.
   Royal Matron and HL Tricia are asking for ideas and input from the members for a fund raiser for the fall. A Bowl-a-Thon has been
suggested and ideas are welcome. It sounds like a fun way to raise some money as well as promote our organization and enjoy being around friends, old and new.

   Below are a few reminders of things upcoming on our calendar. Remember, your support at these events promotes “paws-a-tivity” and fellowship with other Masonic orders.
Chapter Dates
July 24 – Eureka Court. Our next meeting is the Official Visit of our
Assistant Grand
  Lecturer and Grand Royal Matron.
September 25 – Eureka Court. Official Visit of the Grand Royal Matron and Grand Royal Patron.
Other Noteworthy Events
   August 10 – Initiation for International Order of Rainbow for Girls
   August 11 – Masonic Family Picnic
   August 31 – OES Reception. Grand Electa. Deana Bay
   September 1 – OES Reception. Lisa McCombs. Deputy Grand Matron
!  September 24 – Madaket Cocktail Cruise. Reservation Required. $20.00.
!  September 28 – Queen Christina Luncheon. Los Angeles County Zoo.
   Reservations Required.

Dates are subject to change, so be sure to check with the appropriate organization. Also check for specifics as to confirming reservations and
cost. Reservations are usually required four to six weeks in advance.

Those of you who have been missing our meetings of late, we hope that you are back in good health, your family visitors have returned to their homes, and your various vacations and other obligations will now allow you
to join us at our next meetings.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when you share it.
   By Albert Schweitzer.

My Brothers and Friends,

Busy times here at Six Rivers #106. First of all we are doing a few degrees from First to Third. July 13th saw  our annual Michael J. Vertar Memorial Outdoor degree at Wor. Steve Jacobs Estate in Fieldbrook. This year we Raised Br. Charlie Johnson to the degree of Master Mason; congratulations my Brother, we already have a place in the line prepared for you. Skipping ahead to August 27th, we will be Initiating a new brother at the Lodge starting at 7 PM. Mr. James R. Reid (Mitch) will be welcomed into Masonry and it is hoped his new Brothers -to-be will all attend.

A good time was had by all 22 Masons, their family and friends at our Lodge Crabs game and BBQ night on July 23rd. Tri-Tip steak was cooked by Br. Charlie Johnson, which was enjoyed by all; we even got free Crabs hats to honor the 80 years of Crabs baseball in Arcata. Our next big event will be the District wide Picnic in Fortuna on August 11th, starting at Noon. Come for the BBQ beef and  stay for the good fellowship. Again this year, a chili cook off will be judged with prizes and everything!  All chili is welcome. Please bring your specimens in a warming dish and they will be dealt with in a proper manner.  Looking into September, we will be honoring our local First Responders with a BBQ dinner on September 11th at the Lodge. We are inviting the Arcata Police and McKinleyville Firefighters as well as our Lodge Brothers and families. On September 28th, We will be assisting Ca. Grand Lodge in placing two Corner Stones, one at Eureka High School starting at noon and the other in Blue Lake at their new Health Center starting at 3 PM.  There is much to do and your help would be appreciated.

Thank you George Durfee, WM #106

Greetings, brethren.

The days are flying by and it’s August already. The Perfect Ashlar Society has a big project in front of us and brothers, I need your help.

We have purchased 252 bicycles that will be donated to Toys 4 Toys, and they’ll be given as Christmas gifts this year. The only catch is that the bicycles will need to be inspected and some minor repairs performed as required. A few of the bikes will also need to be assembled.  If you are willing to join the team and have metric tools, we meet at the Toys 4 Tots warehouse on the weekends and spend a few hours working on the bikes. Please reach out to me for details and I look forward to seeing you there.

My contact information:

dvsarver@gmail.com

You can also reach me through the lodge or iMember.

Quote of the month:

Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. -M. Scott Peck

Upcoming events:

August 11^th – Sunday, 12pm, Masonic Picnic at Rohnerville Park in Fortuna. This is a free event and the whole family is welcome. Come out and enjoy the day with the whole North Coast Masonic Family.

August 8^th – Thursday, 6pm, Officer’s Rehearsal – advanced stations

August 15^th – Thursday, 6pm, Officer’s Rehearsal – advanced stations

August 22^nd – Thursday, 6:30pm, First Degree for Mr. Jace Baldosser.

August 29^th – Thursday, 6:30pm, First Degree for Mr. Damon Ladousier.

We all know how important the First Degree is, so please join me as we welcome two new brothers to our fraternity.

And now, in his own words, I’d like to introduce you to Brother Joseph Freedman:

I was born in İstanbul Türkiye, came to America as a baby, and grew up in Humboldt County. I’m a dual citizen.

I have a big family in Türkiye on my mother’s side, and also family in Australia, Hawaii, and San Francisco on my father’s side. I am single and have no kids.

I am currently a student taking classes in math & computer science, and I make and sell pens. In the beginning of the year I had finished building a robot/CNC that fully automates the pen-turning process. Starting from rough pen blanks to finished pen barrels, from the press of a button on my phone.

I have also been building a quantitative hedge fund called Fintron. In a nutshell, it involves various technologies for identifying and exploiting market inefficiencies autonomously, similar to the concept of a self-driving car, though for finance. It involves a lot of programming, math, statistics, machine learning, and most of all, dealing with data!

Besides building machines for making pens and software applications, I like to throw knives in my spare time, and go out in nature. I used to play video games a lot and I still miss them. Skyrim, GTA 5, and World of Warcraft were my go-to. I and my family also like traveling.

One of the special interests I’ve had, particularly as a teenager in the Boy Scouts, is bushcraft & survival skills. Building shelters, fires, tools, etc. Right now my focus is on modern and future technology, but primitive technology is also really important to me and I will come back to it more in the future.

I smashed my PS4 in November of 2021, because I loved playing video games too much, 5+ hours a day. I realized I was wasting so much time, and I decided to start learning programming instead.

The main reason I joined Freemasonry is that I’ve always been curious about ancient wisdom and philosophy, and I wanted to learn more about it through Freemasonry. The brotherhood aspect is also great and I’ve met very interesting people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

My message to all of you is to embrace your uniqueness. We all have flaws that we’re working on, and I am no exception to that. But our weaknesses are often on the other side of our strengths, two sides of the same coin.

Some weaknesses are worth fixing, while others can be complemented by the strengths of our fellow team members. The wisdom is, knowing which ones to fix, and which ones to accept.

Work on your weaknesses, to navigate the world more effectively, while tripling down on your strengths. Your difference is what makes a difference in the world.

Respectfully,
Dan Sarver
Master
Humboldt Lodge No. 79    

Our new term started off with installation on June 9 with a fairyland theme.  Betsy was installed as Honored Queen for her third term.  Logan was installed as Junior Princess. The other officers installed for this term are Carla as Chaplain, Emily as Recorder, Alice as Treasurer, Lily as Librarian, and Aubrey as Inner Guard.

On June 15, our Bethel participated in the Flag Ceremony at the Elks Lodge.  New Junior Princess Logan did an outstanding job paying tribute to the American Flag.

Our meeting on June 17 was a business meeting at which we started planning the new term.  One thing that we are looking forward to this summer is fitting in a camping trip!

We left for Grand Bethel in Visalia on June 19.  Three of our members had entered competitions, and received some awards! Good work, ladies! Grand Bethel is always more fun the more involved you are.  Our Bethel was selected to be the Representative of Kentucky, so we will be communicating with the Bethels there to see what sort of activities they like to do.  Our Honored Queen Betsy got to carry the Kentucky flag.  Our Bethel also took part in the necrology ceremony. After Grand Bethel, we visited Discovery Kingdom on our way home.  Lots of fun – and exhaustion – ensued!

On the 4th of July our Bethel had a booth selling Krispie Kreme donuts in Old Town Eureka.  Thank you to all who stopped by to purchase donuts!  It is our main fundraiser for the year and helps pay our way to Leadership Camp in October.

Junior Princess Logan took a brief break from the donut booth to be a part of the parade in Ferndale on the 4th of July!

On July 14, we helped the 4 Chapters of Eastern Star with their Afternoon Tea benefiting Paws for Purple Hearts.  

Next up, we look forward to attending the Masonic Picnic and traveling to Oakland for Librarian’s Day North at the Chabot Space and Science Center where we will spend time with our Grand Guardian and Daughters from all around the north end of the state!

Because our first meeting after summer always lands on Labor Day, we have requested a special dispensation to move the meeting (as we usually do).  Our next meeting will be Monday, August 19, at 7:00 p.m. (which will be our Deputy’s instructional meeting), and then the next meeting will be September 16, on the usual third Monday of the month. We will not be meeting on Labor Day.

We would again like to thank everyone who supports our Bethel.  We have received several donations from the Masonic family organizations, and we greatly appreciate them all!  We also appreciate seeing the Masons, Eastern Star, etc., when they visit our meetings or events or purchase something from us when we have a fundraiser.  We could not do all the things we do without the support.  

Thanks again, and Happy Summer, everyone!

Bethel No. 86 Eureka

Hello, again, everyone!
    This has certainly been a busy summer!
     We had a very nice gathering on June 15 to present Sister Peggy Mecham-Carlotti with her 50-year certificate and a pin that is special to her – her mother/Sister Flora’s 50-year pin!  Worthy Matron Joni and Worthy Patron Lee started things off, and then Sister Karen Parlato read a special poem Sister Peggy had found before she presented Sister Peggy the pin and certificate.  A lunch and fellowship followed.  Thank you to all who came to help celebrate this special day.  As Sister Peggy says, “Friends are the flowers in the garden of life!”

    Sister Joni and Brother Lee were in process of putting together prizes for the Humboldt County Library’s Summer Reading Program to present to the Library, along with a monetary donation toward more books and supplies for the Library.  They did have a date to go shopping for prizes; however, that got derailed when Brother Lee ended up in the hospital with a nasty infection.  And then went back into the hospital later, and is still there as of the writing of this article (July 21).  He is in the ICU.  Lee’s advice is never to do your gardening without your gloves.  This whole mess started with a spider bite while he was gardening bare-handed.  

    Our Friendship Night was on July 3 with a theme of “Hats Off to American Heroes!”  Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a special night.  Thank you to Sisters Alice and Peggy for the refreshments before the meeting – they were delicious!  For those who did not make it to the meeting due to back issues, ill, health, etc., we missed you and hope you are feeling better by now!

    July 14, 2024, was the District-wide fundraiser Afternoon Tea to benefit Paws for Purple Hearts at the Humboldt Masonic Lodge in Eureka.  Sister Terri Ewing, Past Grand Matron, was our special guest and speaker.  There was also a silent auction, and Sister Christie Smith made adorable purple paws available for a donation of $10+.  The afternoon went very well, and we raised over $1,300 plus we received a generous donation of an additional $1,000!  Thank you to all who attended and all who helped!  Also thank you to the Job’s Daughters for assisting, keeping hot water on the tables, etc.

    It was sad and unfortunate that Brother Lee could not attend the tea as he had gone into the hospital for the second time the Thursday before.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and perhaps send him a card letting him know you are thinking about him.  This hospital stay has not been fun for all the usual reasons, but in Lee’s case, he is a “social animal” cut off from so many of his friends.

    Coming up on the calendar:    
    The plan for our August meeting is a potluck at 6:30 p.m.  Sister Liz will provide hot dogs and buns, and the rest of us should bring condiments and side dishes to complement the hot dogs.  After supper will be an ante room meeting and a board game night.  Please bring simple easy-to-learn board games so we can all have a lovely time together!   While the August evening is mostly about the fun, we do still need a quorum to be able to conduct business, so it is important for all members who can to be at that meeting!

    Please keep in mind we will have a school supplies drive at our September meeting.  Please collect school supplies to bring in September.  Everything collected will be donated to one of the local schools.  Thank you!

    Our October meeting will have the theme of a Teddy Bear Picnic.  Please bring your favorite stuffed animal(s) – they do not have to be bears – to share at our Teddy Bear Picnic!  Picnic before the meeting at 7:00; meeting starts at 7:30.  This meeting is also elections, so if you aspire to any of the elected offices, be sure your written and endorsed aspiration is on the dais prior to the start of the meeting. Thank you.

    As you probably know, we are trying to update our list of addresses and emails for all of our Camellia Star members.  If you have not (or know of a member who has not) recently received a letter in the mail from Sister Joni or have not received an email from her in the past six months, please let her know so she can update the list.  You can contact Sister Joni at joni@reninet.com, (707) 499-9478, or P.O. Box 370, Eureka, CA 95502, to update her with current contact information.

    Thank you to all of our members and friends just for being you.  We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Warm summer wishes to one and all –
Joni Hewston, Worthy Matron

PHOTOS:

1-Karen Parlato making the presentation of 50-Year Pin and Certificate to Sister Peggy Mecham-Carlotti
2-Peggy Mecham-Carlotti listening to Sister Karen making the presentation of her 50-Year Certificate
3-More than 250 years of membership in District 1 represented on June 15, 2024
4-Terri Ewing, PGM, speaking at the Afternoon Tea benefiting Paws for Purple Hearts on July 14
5-Some of those in attendance at the Afternoon Tea
6-Some of the delicious food donated by the members of our District for the Afternoon Tea

                      ROHNERVILLE-REDWOOD CHAPTER No. 76 – August 2024

AUGUST is going to be a busy ‘fun’ month. So much is going on. Our regular stated meeting will be Thursday, August 8. The theme for the 7:30 meeting will be ‘The 50’s’.  Dress for the evening will be 50’s attire. We will be honoring 50-year members. Hope you can make the meeting. Come visit with Tom and Shari.

The annual Masonic Picnic will be the Sunday, August 11, in Rohner Park. The meat will be out of the pit by noon. The Masons will serve meat and beans. You should bring you plates and eating utensil, and a side dish/dessert. The Masons appreciate donations to help cover the expense of the meat and the rental of the park facilities.             

Grand Electa, Deanna Bay’s Reception will be Saturday, August 31, in the Loleta

Pavilion at 7 p.m. RSVP to Janessa Woolley by August 21^st.         

            202janessawoolley@gmail.com| or 707.617.0259

AUGUST –

   1 – Arcata Chapter meeting (7:30)

   7 – Camellia-Star Chapter meeting (7:30)

   8 – Rohnerville-Redwood Chapter meeting (7:30) Theme – The 50’s

  11 – Masonic Picnic (noon) – Rohner Park

  14 – Ferndale Chapter meeting (7:30)

  31 – Grand Electa’s Reception (7:00) – Loleta Pavilion

  21 – Sept. 2 – Humboldt County Fair

We hope to see you at the August meeting and/or the Masonic Picnic.

If you need a ride, please call Kim (707 298-4322) or Karen (707 725-3532).

Who are these young guys? These are the members of the senior softball team, Senior Moments, the team that Humboldt lodge has sponsored for the past seven seasons. The members are 60 plus years in age. They want to thank the lodge for their support and hope that the lodge will support them in the years to come.

My Brothers and Friends,

Greetings on this beautiful 4th 0f July Holiday. We will have a busy and hopefully fun and productive month here at “ye olde lodge”. Our big event is our Outdoor Third Degree for Brother Charlie Johnson on Saturday, July 13th starting at 11 AM. We will be holding the degree at Wor. Steve Jacobs Estate out in Fieldbrook. A BBQ lunch will be provided at Noon with massive amounts of fellowship permeating the air. These outdoor degrees are few and far between and are an exciting Masonic Event; so, come on out and support our soon to be newest Master Mason.  Maps will be provided upon request.

Continuing in this vein, we will be initiating our new candidate, Mr. James M. Reid (Mitch) on August 27th at 7 PM at Six Rivers Lodge. Come and help welcome our newest Mason.

This month’s family and friends’ event will be our journey to the Crabs Game on July 16th, starting at 6:30 PM. We have reserved the picnic area on the left field side of the stadium at the Arcata Ball Park. We will be providing grilled Tri-Tip steak and assorted sides at no charge. So sign up your family and come out and join us. A good idea to bring a jacket and some comfy lawn chairs; picnic tables are provided.

Important business meetings occur on July 23rd at 7 PM, the Hall Association Meeting and on July 30th at 7 PM, School of Instruction (All #106 Officers must attend). As time permits, we will be honing our skills on Mexican Train Dominoes as well.

Looking ahead, August 11th is our District Wide Picnic in Fortuna and on September 11th our First Responders Dinner. Let’s not forget our Grand Lodge Corner Stone Event in Eureka and Blue Lake on September 28th.

Fraternally,

George Durfee, WM