Welcome to Fall!
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Brothers!
Welcome to Fall and a chance to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine at a reasonable temperature. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy these mild days before things turn too cold. One opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine, while sharing time with your Masonic family, is to come out and walk with us on Veterans Day in the parade! I hope you can join us. We had a great time on St Patrick’s Day and I expect Veterans Day will be even better. Hopefully we can again round back up at the Masonic Center for lunch or snacks and fellowship with our extended family.
As you can see, we have FINALLY completed the addition of the closets, installation of the new sign outside, and are just so close to being done with the Air Conditioners. The next step is to replace cabinets in the Library outside the Lodge Room and replace the cabinets in the Ante-room.It will be really nice to have a fully stocked library that all the bodies can contribute to. I know the Scottish Rite has a pretty substantial library that has been stored at the Madison office and Solar has a good selection as well. One theing we need is a Librarian. Illustrious Brother Mike Addams was our Librarian when we dismantled it in 2016. If you’re interested in the job, please reach out to Brother Jerry Burfitt or myself. We also have to install carpet in the new office and plan to have the tile floors stripped and waxed before installation of officers.
We had the first half of our reunion this weekend. Please join me in welcoming Brothers William Bailey 18°; Greg Bodine 18°; Greg Ervin 18°; Jeremy Gilbert 18°; Jacob Gillihan 18°; Jonah Waters 18° and Robert Long 18° to the Scottish Rite. They received incredibly well delivered degree work from Shoals Valley on the 4th and 14th degrees, and on the 18th degree from our own KSA. I truly appreciate all the work everyone put into making it all happen. Ill Brother Doug Burfitt, Honorable Brother Kevin Burns and of course Ill Brother Jerry Burfitt, GC are to be commented for pulling it all together. Keep up the great wor! Thank you Brothers!
The next big event is the installation of officers. We will announce dates and times and a program once it is all final but please plan to attend. We have a lot going on that night and a lot to celebrate and hope you’ll come join us in all of it.
Administratively, we have produced what we believe to be a balanced budget for 2020 that will actually result in a small surplus we can use to replenish the maintenance fund. We are very excited for all the work that Brothers Eddie Brown, Jerry Burfitt, Tom Craig and Michael Morgan have put into it. Operating in a deficit is not a prescription for longevity and we have finally found a way to overcome it. The nominating committee isputting the final touches on the slate of officers for 2020 so we will be able to present that in November along with the proposed calendar for 2020. We have had a couple of committee opens as well that will give another brother or two a chance to shine and while contributing positively to the progress of the Valley. If you’re interested in taking on a project, please let me know and we’ll see what you’re interested in. There are a lot of ways to help, and a lot of areas we need help in so please don’t be shy in letting us know how you would like to be involved.
Finally, Illustrious Brother Smokey’s wife has created a beautiful quilt that we are using to raise funds for the SR Foundation. Please consider contributing to the raffle and helping us sell tickets for this worthy cause. We want to be sure to show our appreciation to Bobbie Ferguson for her talent and her time.
I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting. Until then, have a safe and happy Holiday Season.
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Dave Lakin, 33°
Personal Representative
Huntsvillle Scottish Rite
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