Dear Odd Fellows and Pledges,
First, I want to thank everyone who came to the Initiation last Wednesday! Attendance was great and our Elected and Appointed Officers performed an excellent Initiation Ritual. I would like to welcome our 14 newest members: Yvonne Clinton, Pamela Cohen, Steve Cohen, Marna Ghliglieri, Paul Ghliglieri, Brian Horsfeld, David Hungerford, Teresa Jamison, Merrie Lee, Bill Rundquist, Jane Rundquist, Rolland Vallejo, and Richard Watson. Thank you all for joining our Davis Odd Fellows Lodge, and I look forward to hanging out/working with you at future events!
Second, here are some great events and activities in which to get involved:
1. Chocolate Festival Committee. The Odd Fellows Chocolate Festival Committee will meet in the Committee Room on Tuesday, March 1, at 6 p.m. Any member who is interested in organizing the inaugural Davis Chocolate Festival (planned for November 6) is invited to attend and join the committee in planning this fun event. If you need more information, contact Dave Rosenberg at daverose@jps.net.
2. Three Degree Night. Tuesday, March 8, in the Lower Hall, starting at 6:30 p.m. (sharp) and ending before 8:30 p.m. You can receive – all in one evening – the Degree of Friendship, the Degree of Love, and the Degree of Truth. Full instruction on each degree will be given that evening, and at the conclusion of the evening, you will hold all four degrees in an Odd Fellows Lodge. Once you have all degrees, you are eligible to hold office in the Lodge. You will then also be eligible to join the Davis Encampment (where you can receive three more degrees – the Degree of Faith, the Degree of Hope, and the Degree of Charity), and as a member of the Encampment, you get to wear – if you wish – the (coveted) purple fez. If you wish to attend the three degree night on March 8, you must RSVP to Dave Rosenberg at daverose@jps.net. You will need to bring $30 cash or check to pay for the three degrees. Checks should be payable to “Davis Lodge”.
3. Odd Needle Crafters. Next meeting is March 14 7-9 p.m. at Diana Schmiegel’s house.
4. St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Pub Quiz. Join us at the annual St. Patrick’s Dinner and Pub Quiz on Thursday March 17. Doors open at 5:30 pm with dinner around 6 pm. RSVPs are required, please email dreedng@gmail.com. The price is $11 with includes dinner of corned beef and cabbage and potatoes and carrots. Beverages including beer and wine are included. Bring a dessert to share if you wish.
5. 4th Tuesday Matinee Group. Keep an eye out for the next Matinee details for March 22nd. Anyone can come to any movie–there’s no RSVPs or expectations. We will discuss the movie after it’s over at the lodge committee room. If you’d like to be on the email list to receive notices of this group every month, please email Diane Steele at steeledome@gmail.com. See you at the movies!
6. Grand Lodge Sessions. The Grand Lodge meets in Modesto for four days starting May 11th. I would like to encourage all members to come out and see the Grand Lodge at work, as well as support Brother Dave Reed as he is installed as Deputy Grand Master. This is also a great opportunity to meet members of other California Lodges.
7. Odd Balls. The next Odd Fellows bowling outing will take place on Saturday March 5 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Capital Bowl in West Sacramento. The cost is $5.00 per game and $3.00 for shoe rental. No need to RSVP.
8. Odd Fellows of Davis CA #169 Facebook. Please join our closed Facebook group to share the latest events and trends in all things Odd Fellows! Simply search in Facebook for the page name “Odd Fellows of Davis CA #169” then click Join Group.
9. Team BaldFellows. A team of six Odd Fellows will “Brave the Shave” in the fight against pediatric cancer and we can use your help. On March 10th at 5 p.m., Jean-Paul Montreuil, Joel Mandel, Lewis Kimble, Kathy Hemness, Stewart Savage, and Parvaneh Keivanfar will participate in the St. Baldrick’s Day head shaving event. We will be helping raise money to be used for pediatric cancer research. To donate or learn more, please visit https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/teambaldfellows.
10. Academic Scholarship Committee Deadline: April 15th. Visit https://www.davislodge.org/lodge-documents/ for more information and the application, under the heading “Davis Odd Fellows Lodge Scholarship.
11. Picnic Day Float. The Picnic Day Float Committee would like to encourage all committees to make signs and join the float on April 16th.
12. Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance. On April 3rd from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance Fundraiser, co-sponsored by our Community Support Committee. For more information visit http://yolohealthyaging.org/
13. Music Committee presents Thursday Live! On March 3rd, Thursday Live! Will feature Joe Craven and The Sometimers. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m.
14. Odd Fellows Wine Club. Next gathering will be Friday, March 11, 7:00PM at the home of Diane and John Steele.
15. Second Sunday Bingo! Come play bingo for Team BaldFellows on March 13th! Doors open at Noon, games begin at 1PM.
16. Children’s Concert with Ed Lewis. Young children ages 2-10 years old are invited to join Ed Lewis in an interactive performance at the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge. Enjoy storytelling, puppetry, singing, and dancing! March 12th, 1 p.m.– 2 p.m. Admission is free, donations are kindly accepted.
17. Odd Fellows Book Club. The first book for the Odd Fellows Book Club is Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey, by Marie Mutsuki Mockett. The book club will meet to discuss the book on Tuesday March 15th at 6 p.m. For questions, send an email to Heather Barnes at hjbarnes76@gmail.com.
18. The Davis Rebekahs Present: Bollywood Night! The Davis Rebekahs are hosting a Bollywood fundraiser, happening April 2nd, 2016 at our Davis lodge at 7:00 p.m.! To purchase tickets or for more information please visit their Eventbrite page: https://davisrebekahbollywood.eventbrite.com
19. Golf Committee. The following Odd Golfers have expressed interest in playing: Charles Filmer, Jeff Oblinger, John Knotts, Greg Simmons, David Hafter, Chuck White, and Darrell Pereira. Please let Charles know if you wish to be added to the list of players to be notified of activities (clrfilmer@sbcglobal.net). Initially, we have scheduled the very odd time of the Wednesday afternoon before the third Thursday of each month to play a round of golf. Other dates and activities (group lessons, driving range, etc) can be proposed.
20. 2016 Lodge Dues are Now Due. Annual dues to be an Odd Fellow are a reasonable $55. 2016 dues are now due to the Financial Secretary Duff Devine. Checks should be payable to “Davis Odd Fellows” or pay online via PayPal at https://www.davislodge.org/membership-renewal/. Be sure to include your name as part of the PayPal order. If any member is having financial challenges paying dues, contact Dave Rosenberg at daverose@jps.net. We have a fund available to help and the matter will be handled with complete confidentiality and privacy.
21. 1000 Mentors for Youth Committee. A new committee has been formed to help youth of all ages access opportunities and reach their potential through connecting with mentors in a variety of situations. For example, Ed Lewis volunteers with the Writing Buddies program that teaches mentors how to help children improve their writing skills. If you are interested, please contact Ed Lewis at ed-lewis@sbcglobal.net.
22. Club Night at the Lodge This Thursday. Club Night at the Lodge- every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lodge, Lower Hall. A great social time for members, pledges and guests. Chicken Bake served with Rice Pilaf and Seasonal Vegetables at $7 per plate. Trivia Night at the Lodge with Trivia Master Kevin Sitz. Also, enjoy the big screen TV, the full bar, puzzles and table games, and socializing with members and guests. Presented by the Good Fellowship Committee.
Jean-Paul Montreuil
Noble Grand