Manatee No. 31 F&AM April 2019

Trestle Board

MY FIRST YEAR AS A MASON ———————————————————————— Brothers, as I reflect upon my first year as a Mason, I feel compelled to begin with our Entered Apprentice Degree on March 26, 2019 for our newest and “Youngest” EA, Brother Benjamin Harrison Sleight. It truly was an honor to be part of the Degree Team, as well as the memory and coincidence that exactly one year ago to the day; March 26, 2018, I was initiated as an Entered Apprentice and began my Ma-sonic journey. As far as my First Year As A Mason, I must say how it is truly an honor to finally be a Master Mason, coupled with how proud I am to be a member of the Brethren of Manatee Lodge No. 31. Junior Deacon

My first year being a Mason has assisted me in making improve-ments in my life through reflection upon the morals, values, Tenets and teachings of our ancient and proud Fraternity; however, this first year has also taught me that I have a very long journey of im-provement ahead of me and a long path to Travel…The path from the West, Traveling East is indeed a life long journey. The gratitude towards all my Brothers simply can not be put into words, for they beat within my heart; I am forever grateful to RW Ron Baber and my Catechism instructors, Br Anthony DiMauro, Br Michael Trerrel and Br Allen Donahue, along with my Cable-Tow Brothers who all facilitated my proficiency’s in all Three Degrees. I look forward to a wonderful 2019 and I consider it to be a privilege to serve as the Junior Deacon for Manatee Lodge No. 31 this year. Brother Brian Miller Junior Deacon

Steak Night Upgrade

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Brothers, our upgraded steak night was again a great success with a wonderful

turn out. A special thanks to JW Anthony DiMauro Jr, SS Chuck Knapp, and JS

Brad Ranney for changing our meals into a great dining experience. The reports

from the craft state that the preparation of the steaks and meal was exceptional.

Watch for future meals and specials at our stated meetings in the very near future.

A special thanks to the DeMolay and OES Chapter No. 87 for their continued sup-

port.

Project Update

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The kitchen painting upgrade is complete and we are now working on our front

room. Thanks to a great turn out on clean up day we are about 70% complete with

the painting. Our objective is to change this unused room into a game/activity

room. Many thanks to all the brothers that work and make these projects possible.

Master Mason Association

———————————————————- The Master Mason Association will meet at 6:45 PM on April 25th at Punta Gorda

Lodge No. 115. Come on out and support the organization that supports us. As

you all know we are still in position of the beautiful broken column statue that is

given to the lodge with the most members present at each meeting. Thanks to all

the brothers who made that happen. The MMA Raffle is still in progress. Tickets

are $20 each for a chance at a Henry 44 Magnum Rifle or a $500 gift card. Pro-

ceeds offset the Grand Masters Dinner. Any brother who would like to hitch a

ride, please contact Worshipful Tom Carter or Worshipful Mike McCullough and

we will get you a ride.

Amazon Shopping to Support Your Lodge

Brethren, Our lodge has been partnered with Amazon for some time now. By shopping on their site via the link below, you generate income to the lodge at no addi-tional cost to you. If you plan on doing your shopping online this year please try and use the link below to help support your lodge!

https://amzn.to/2HFQnjS

To make it even easier we’ve added a “Shop Now” button on the Manatee Lodge Facebook Page, that will direct you straight to Amazon using the Affili-ate Link!

Schedule for Marauders Games ————————————————————————————————— Brothers the Marauders schedule is on the next page. If you are trained and wish to work a game to make money for the lodge please let JW Anthony Di-Mauro Jr know the date so he can inform the Marauders. This is a fun way to make money for our lodge and allow us to do more for you.

Tara Elementary Kids and the York Rite to Visit ————————————————————————————————Before our April 15th Stated Meeting, Jo Johnson, our school teacher of the year, will be bringing her Tara Elementary Kindergarden class to perform for us. They will be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the National An-them and one additional patriotic song during our presentation time before our stated meeting. In addition the York Rite will be performing Circumambula-tion during our tiled meeting. The meal will be Backyard BBQ with a special emphasis on kid food. Come on out...it’s going to be fun at our last stated meeting of the month. 6:00 PM dinner, 7:00 PM Presentations, and lodge at 7:30 PM.

Marauders Game Dates

Saturday April 6 – 4:30pm check in Wednesday April 10 – 9:30am check in Saturday April 13 – 4:30pm check in Saturday April 20 – 4:30pm check in Saturday May 8 – 4:30pm check in Saturday May 11 – 4:30pm check in Saturday May 25 – 4:30pm check in Friday June 7 – 5:00pm check in Saturday June 8 – 4:30pm check in Wednesday June 12 – 9:30am check in Wednesday July 3 – 4:30pm check in Friday July 12 – 5:00pm check in Saturday July 13 – 4:30pm check in Wednesday July 17 – 9:30am check in Saturday July 27 – 4:30pm check in Friday August 9 – 5:00pm check in Saturday August 10 – 4:30pm check in Saturday August 24 – 4:30pm check in The dates in bold are the dates we will need the most help.

At our first stated meeting in April, Brother Phil Kajtaniak was awarded the Mason of the Month. Brother Kajtaniak was selected for this honor due to his exceptional work in the finance committee in establishing a balanced budget and assuring a promising future for the lodge. Congratulations Brother Kajtaniak.

April Mason of the Month

It was a great night at our last stated meeting in March. The Manatee HS JROTC and Female Raider’s Team visit was awesome. It started with a Backyard BBQ meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, sausage and other fun foods that everyone enjoyed and then transitioned into a formal pro-gram. The Honor Guard performed the Flag Ceremony flawlessly... guaranteed to bring a feeling of pride in every American. Command Sergeant Major Thomas Zoch then gave a slide present on the JROTC, the Raider program, and the Raider Challenge. The Raiders are considered the Army JROTC adventure team and compete in the Raider Challenge. The Female JROTC Raiders finished first in four out of the five events in their Raider Challenge category to become state champions at the Florida State finals last year. The lodge presented Command Sergeant Major Zoch a certificate of appreciation for their service and achievement and a check for $150. This check was matched by a worthy brother that brought that amount up to $300. It was wonderful to see the best of our coun-try's youth. A big thanks to CSM Zoch, his Raiders, and the JROTC

Manatee JROTC and Raiders Visit Manatee No. 31

On March 25th at a called communication, Mr. Benjamin Sleight was initiated an Entered Apprentice Mason. The Degree Master was Junior Warden Anthony DiMauro Jr. and the excellent lecture was conducted by Brother David Finkel-stein. This was Brother DiMauro’s first time in the East and he and the degree team did a superb job. Congratulations to both Brother Sleight and the Degree Team and thanks to all the brothers who attended this degree in support of our new brother.

Manatee No. 31 Welcomes a New Brother

Manatee No. 31 March Agenda

April 1

Steak Night 6:00 PM

Stated Meeting 7:30 PM

April 6

Lodge Clean Up

April 11

OES 87 Meeting 7:00 PM

April 13

Liberty No. 412 Stated Meeting 9:00 AM

April 15

Chef's Choice 6:00 PM

Tara Elementary and York Rite Circumambulation

Stated Meeting 7:30 PM

April 20

SE Guide dogs Fund Raiser Cortez Wal-Mart 9 AM—5 PM

Marauders Game Masonic Information Table 5 PM—8 PM

April 22

Officer’s Planning Meeting 6:00 PM

April 25

Master Mason Association 6:45 PM @ Punta Gorda Lodge No. 115

OES 87 Meeting 7:00 PM

April 27

Chili Cook Off Challenge Sahib Shrine Center 11AM—2PM

Grand Lodge Legislation Meeting Phoenix Lodge No. 346 6:30 PM—8:00 PM

May 4

Lodge Clean Up Day - 9:00 AM

May 6

Steak Night 6:00 PM

Stated Meeting 7:30 PM

Kenneth E. Ammons

Wilbert L. Anders, Jr.

Mark A. Atkinson

Ronald E. Baber

Kyle B.Bachman

George V. Benjamin

Brady W. Chapman

John G. Collins

Robert B. Coverdale

Jeff Curry

Earl W. Dennis, Jr.

Douglas W. Dobbs

Michael R. Dobbs

Allen P. Donahue

Joseph K. Fenton

Earl M. Grimes

John E. Hokanson

Edwin T. Holman

Ryan P. Johnson

Hutton G. Lewis

Stanley Preston

Kenneth Reese, Sr.

Joseph S. Rowland

Alessio Ruggiero

Nicolas A. Ruggiero

Thomas A. Simpkins

Theodore R. Simpkins, II

Robert J. Springer

Billy Staffiles

Andrew Gluchov

Butch Thurman

Perpetual Members

April Masonic Birthdays

Randy Hardy

Daniel Raisovich

Joseph Fenton

Jaime Rivera

Gary Clark

Michael Pursell

Edward Vogler ll

John Koch

Charles Chews

Rory MacConnell

John McInnis

Alan Atkinson

John Rule

Francis Shoemaker

Anthony Vignocchi Jr

John Martin

Maurice Healey

John Collins

William Lee

William Sands Jr.

John Webster

Florida Grand Lodge Officers M:.W:. John E. Karroum, Grand Master R:.W:. Doug Dobbs, DDGM R :.W:. J.J. Albritton, District Instructor

Manatee Lodge No.31 Officers Worshipful Master - Michael McCullough 941-812-5540 Senior Warden - Allen Donahue - 727-599-6895 Junior Warden - Anthony DiMauro - 941-448-6919 Treasurer - Bill Dunning- 941-504-5195 Secretary - Andrew Brady - 941-928-3010 Chaplain - W:. George Vomvoris - 941-524-8333 Marshal - W:. Tom Carter - 941-993-7911 Senior Deacon - Tracey Martin - 941-561-4845 Junior Deacon - Brian Miller - 941-304-7650 Senior Steward - Chuck Knapp - 815-693-8364 Junior Steward - Brad Ranney - 941-737-7851 Tyler - R:.W:. Ron Baber - 941-748-7938 Manatee Lodge No.31 Committees Finance - Allen Donahue - 727-599-6895 Vigilance - Anthony DiMauro - 941-448-6919 Masonic Education - W:. Michael McCullough 941-812-5540 Board of Relief - W:. Michael McCullough 941-812-5540 Committee on Charity - W:. Michael McCullough 941-812-5540 Committee on Lodge Property - Allen Donahue - 727-599-6895

Optional Committees Fund Raising: Tracey Martin - 941-561-4845 By Laws: W :. Mike McCullough - 941-812-5540 Technology: Allen Donahue- 727-599-6895

OFFICERS ———————————————————————————-

PETITIONS Affiliation: Jeffery Davis, Bethlehem Lodge No. 283

Ray Rankl, Westcoast Lodge No. 409

Membership:

E.A.’s : Craig Bachler, Jefferson Bachler, Brian Wingate Benjamin Sleight

F.C.’s: None

MM’s PREPARING PROFICIENCY: None

We are always in need of instructors and mentors, please if you have an interest contact W:. Mike McCullough. Don't be afraid we can help you to help others!

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