When WB Sami Aldrete promised to “keep things as they are” upon his election to the Oriental Chair last year, he certainly was not kidding. The same fast-paced, unrelenting series of activities are still part of the lodge’s identity, and the first two weeks of this month was indeed a perfect example of his plans for the year.

As a proper start to this week, the usual Tuesdays at Ironblood’s (now a mainstay in most of the brothers’ weekly Masonic event options) was observed, though not as well attended by the usual crowd. This was most likely due to the planned visitation to Friendship no. 160’s stated meeting last Wednesday which saw the participation of 14 Kenton brothers, most of which were officers of the lodge.

This planned visit was to present a cigar ashtray that commemorated the cornerstone laying of the old Friendship Masonic Temple’s additional building structure on September 24th, 1955. This gesture of brotherly love and respect for Friendship 160’s rich history was not lost on WB Walter Lee, current Worshipful Master of the lodge and his fellow members.

The visit also provided an opportunity for Kenton Lodge to “take a gavel”– a fun tradition between lodges that encourages inter-lodge visitation.

The following day saw Kenton observing its monthly stated meeting with a heavy agenda. Highlights of the evening included:

• The approval of the lodge and building budget for FY2018.
• The reading of a resolution to change Article VI of the lodge by-laws.
• Proposals to form a “Monday Night Study Group” from honored Brother Ian Cawley and a “Cave Degree Raffle” from honored Brother Magic Joe Andres.
• A masonic lecture by WB Andrew Gross on the apron and the Craft’s focus on work based on Mackey’s Masonic Encyclopedia.
• An unexpected but welcomed visit by WB Carl Thompson, Past Master of Milwaukie 109 and his son, Brother Hunter Thompson who was raised at last year’s Cave Degree.

For the rest of the month, the lodge is expected to perform several degrees starting with an Entered Apprentice Degree scheduled for next week followed by a Master Mason degree on the last Thursday of the month.