Perhaps the stars were in near-perfect alignment last Thursday as Kenton Lodge no. 145 held its April stated meeting with a full agenda while also hosting representatives from various neighboring lodges.

Prior to the lodge opening, the brethren in attendance were treated to a simple meal of pizza due to unexpected delays caused by weather and traffic conditions.

Soon after the opening ceremonies, the lodge recognized the brethren from the following lodges:

• Beaverton Lodge no. 100
• Friendship Lodge no. 160
• Sunnyside Lodge no. 163
• Enlightenment Lodge no. 228

Visiting members from other jurisdictions were also recognized:

• Brother Lars Kagan of Mystic Tie Lodge no. 237 under the jurisdiction of of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina
• Very Worshipful David Rice, District Deputy of the Grand Master for District 19 of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington

After a lengthy introduction of visitors, the WB James “Ironblood” Elam invited the following sitting Worshipful Masters to seats in the East:

• WB Hunter Bronson, Worshipful Master of Beaverton Lodge no. 100
• WB Jimmie Jaimes, Worshipful Master of Friendship Lodge no. 160
• WB Sean Carver, Worshipful Master of Sunnyside Lodge no. 163
• WB Mike Bishop, Worshipful Master of Enlightenment Lodge no. 228

All but WB Carver accepted WB Elam’s invitation.

The visiting brethren were treated to Kenton’s traditional Investigation Forum where Mr. Joseph Easly was invited into the lodge and was ultimately given a petition to join Kenton.

Aside from the usual course of the evening’s business, the lodge also balloted on the petition of Mr. Abraham Haskins-Murphy to join the lodge. His petition was unanimously voted favorably and the lodge is expected to initiate him sometime within the coming months.

There were also a few presentations made during the meeting:

• The brethren of Beaverton Lodge no. 100 was presented with the return of their traveling gavel and a special gavel as a token of thanks.
• The brethren of Sunnyside Lodge no. 163 was presented with the return of the “Sunnyside Slammer” in honor of the late WB Steve Becker, Past Master of Sunnyside, who unexpectedly passed earlier in the year.

The secretary also paid special attention of the attendance of several Kenton Past Masters, particularly WB Andrew Gross and WB Sami Aldrete. He also noted the presence of WB Joseph Piazza and WB Ryan Whittenburg. With the exception of WB Ian Cawley’s absence, the presence of these lodge past masters represented the unbroken lineage of leadership in the lodge culminating in WB James Elam’s current succession.

A few other noteworthy mentions:

• Honored Brother Zack Andrew informed the lodge of his new raffle campaign which will be drawn during the lodge’s June stated meeting
• The formation of an ad-hoc committee to visit Brother Doug Neville chaired by honored Brother Josh Wiedeman.

After the close, the brethren were treated to the closing charge by WB Gary Weiner, Past Master of Beaverton Lodge. The brethren then assembled in the dining area for honored Brother Zack Andrew’s Masonic education piece featuring President Andrew Jackson and the election of 1832.

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