Sunset Lodge, in conjunction with Group 160 N-Trak, is hosting a model railway show this Saturday (November 22nd) at our lodge.

N-Scale (1:160) is one of the fastest growing segments of the model railway hobby.  The scale is considered to be ideal for smaller spaces, as it is about 1/2 the size of the more common HO scale.

Group 160 will be setting up an opertational layout in our lodge room, which will be approximately 25′x15′ in size.  Members will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the popular hobby of model railroading.

The display will be open to the public from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM.  There will be a private dinner following the show for members of Sunset Lodge, Group 160 and invited guests.

This event is partiularly fun for children (including inner children), so please bring your family to enjoy the sights and sounds of the model trains.

For additional information about Group 160, please visit their website.

On Tuesday, November 18th, Sunset Lodge was pleased to initiate Alex Robertson as our newest Entered Apprentice Mason.  Conferring the 1st degree upon Bro. Alex was our Bro. Shay Maghame, or Jr. Warden (elect), who was conferring the Entered Apprentice degree for the first time in the East, and who performed his duties in an entirely satisfying manner.

It is very encouraging to see our officers for 2009 progressing towards their qualifications, and our gratitude goes out to Bros. Rick Garcia, David Neal and Shay Magahme for their dedicated effort on behalf of our lodge.

On had to witness Bro. Alex’s degree was his Grandfather and a number of other guests.  We are pleased to welcome Bro. Alex into our fraternity, and look forward to his progression toward the light of Masonry.

On Tuesday, November 11th, Sunset Lodge conferred upon Bros. George Haag and David Koenigsberg the 2nd Degree of Masonry.  Pictured with Bros. Haag and Koenigsberg is Bro. David Neal, our Senior Warden Elect who sat in the East for both of the degrees.

Joining Worshipful Murray Cooke and Worshipful Michael Wamback as one of three current members of our lodge who boast Canadian birth, Bro. Neal is sporting a poppy on his lapel, a tradition still very popular in Canada in recognition of those who have given their lives in service of freedom during the first and second World Wars.  These poppies are distributed by the Canadian Legion to support Veterans.  There is talk that Sunset Lodge may obtain enough of these poppies to enable us to adorn our officers collars next November, and perhaps a new tradition will be born in our lodge.

We congratulate Bros. Haag and Koenigsberg on their being passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, and we certainly look forward to both of these brothers being raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in the near future.

The 103rd Annual Installation of Officers of Ocean Park Chapter #245 OES is to be held at our lodge on Sunday, November 16th @ 2:00 PM.  Being installed as Worthy Matron will be Krista Schwimmer, who will be assisted by her husband, Michael Wamback, who will be installed as Worthy Patron.

In addition, Bro. Luis Menjivar, one of our newer Master Masons, has been elected to serve Ocean Park Chapter as Associate Patron.

The theme for the installation will be “Celtic Faery Fantasy”, and will feature performances on the Celtic Harp.

The installation ceremony will be followed by a beef stew lunch in the dining room.

For additional information, please contact Krista Schwimmer

At our November Stated Meeting, Kim Andres PM (affiliation) announced, on behalf of the Hiram Award Committee, that Michael Wamback PM has been selected to receive this most prestegious award.

Michael served as Master for our Centennial in 2005.  He has created a number of successful events for our lodge, including the Model Railway Shows, open houses, and other community events – which have assisted in creating the positive membership growth we are now experiencing.

In addition, Michael and Clifton Aduddell PM created a lecture series, which was introduced at Sunset Lodge in 2004.  This lecture series evolved to include public off-site lectures at the world famous Bodhi Tree Bookstore in the heart of fashionable Melrose Ave.  All of this culminated with the formation of Solvitur Ambulando, a Masonic and General Interest Study Society comprised of members of Sunset Lodge and Ocean Park Chapter #245 OES.

Michael continues to serve Sunset Lodge in the capacity of Officers Coach and Assistant Secretary, and as such edits or bi-monthly Trestleboard newsletter and this website.

Tentatively, the award ceremony is being planned for Tuesday, December 30th @ 6:30 PM.  Celebrating his Nova Scotia heritage, we will be throwing a Maritime Kitchen Party.  Dress will be casual and the meal will consist of fish & chips followed by the award presentation and entertainment in the lodge room.

Sunset Lodge has elected our Officers for the ensuing Masonic year.

Master-elect: Ricardo (Rick) Garcia
Sr. Warden-elect: David Neal
Jr. Warden-elect: Shahram (Shay) Maghame
Treasurer-elect: Harold (Hal) Willis
Secretary-elect: John Barry

Rick will be appointing a team of Officers for 2009 that will feature a number of new faces from among our newly raised brethren. Our lodge has grown to the extent that we have more members currently who have expressed an interest in taking an office than we have spaces for. Given the talent that we have currently in our lodge, there is every expectation that the standards for our ritual will be among the highest in the district this year.

Congratulations to the newly elected brethren, and we look forward to your stewardship of our lodge in 2009

The former head of an outlawed masonic lodge linked to some of Italy’s biggest scandals has sparked an outcry by announcing that he will take part in a television talk show to give his version of events.

Licio Gelli, the 89-year old former grandmaster of the shadowy Propaganda 2 (P2) group, will be the main guest in “Venerabile Italia” (Venerable Italy), a programme on Italy’s history from fascism to the 1980s.

The P2 was founded in 1969 and used to be the country’s most powerful secret organisation with prominent politicians, business leaders and military officers as members.

(Read article here)

(Note: The P2 Lodge was closed by the Grand Lodge of Italy for its ties to the Mafia, Fascists and other “undesirable” associates, and the members of P2 who refused to resign from the organization were expelled from regular Masonry.)

The new Limestone Medical Center won’t officially open for about four month, but the ceremonies have already begun.

Masons for across Texas converged on Groesbeck last Friday to ceremoniously level two cornerstones at the facility.

“This is a special time for this city and county,” said David B. Dibrell, past grand master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. “And this is special for us. It’s unusual for us to have the chance to level two cornerstones at one time.”

Cornerstones and cornerstone ceremonies are part of architectural history.

The cornerstone of a building is the stone that lies at the corner of two walls and forms the corner of the foundation of an edifice. Upon it the alignment of the entire structure will rest. History records, from ancient times, great ceremony involving the cornerstone before construction began on the architect’s design.

Records of the observance are found etched on clay tablets left by peoples of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Assyria. It was a ceremony marking a moment in time. Even today, when schools, churches or local government buildings are scheduled for construction, there are moments along the way to completion that are especially memorable.

One of the most beautiful and meaningful of those moments is when the fraternity of Freemasons conducts a rite similar to those recorded in history. The ceremony of symbolically leveling a cornerstone. It is performed with solemn ceremonies giving dignity to the occasion.

(Read article here)