Waterloo Lodge No. 102 in Elkhorn initiated five candidates on August 25th. M.W.B. Rick Myers served as the Junior Warden and in attendance was Grand Master Ron Stites. The Entered Apprentice Degree was well done and each of the candidates commented on the positive aspects of the degree and were looking forward to their proficiency work to gain a better understanding of the meaning of the degree.
Two Fellow Craft Masons demonstrated outstanding proficiency in their individual performance of the answers in FC Q&A, at Bellevue Lodge No. 325 on August 26. R.W. Jim Carlton presented them with the Grand Master’s Proficiency Coin at the conclusion of the Master Mason degree that followed.
Pictured from left to right are: Br. Bill Pickle, Br. David Pickle, R.W. Jim Carlton, W.M. Kyle Beckner, Br. Damon Opheim, Br. Dan Alati.
Brothers Bill Pickle and Dan Alati were the mentors of the advancing Masons. In his presentation, R.W. Jim Carlton noted that brother Opheim had taken his Fellow Craft Degree just one week prior, and was still able to perform Q&A virtually error-free.
Brother Zane Zentic displays the Grand Master’s Proficiency Coin for the Fellow Craft degree he earned on Tuesday night, August 25, at Victory Lodge No. 310 in Valley, NE. Pictured from left to right are Pete Rix, Worshipful Master of Fremont Lodge No. 15, Jim Carlton, Deputy Grand Master, Brother Zane Zentic, and Dennis Rix, Past Grand Master, who is Brother Zane’s mentor. The two lodges combined their efforts to raise Brother Zane to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. Deputy Grand Master Jim Carlton commended the brethren on their initiative in getting back to advancing candidates, and the spirit of brotherly cooperation they demonstrated throughout the evening.
A beautiful evening awaited members of Olive Branch Lodge No. 274, the Straddlers #47 Masonic Camping Club, and visitors on August 20, 2020 for Olive Branch’s annual Outdoor Lodge held beside the Missouri River in Decatur, Nebraska. There were 19 Masons attending that included the Grand Junior Steward, W.B. Kent Newmann, and the Grand Master, M.W. Ron Stites. Despite a lengthy agenda, the Olive Branch Master, W.B. Grady Wells, dispatched all business in a very efficient manner.
Deputy Grand Master Jim Carlton presented an EA Proficiency Coin to brother Damon Opheim at Bellevue Lodge on August 19. Also pictured are Worshipful Master Kyle Beckner and Junior Warden Bill Pickle, who conferred the FC degree.
On August 9 2020, the Grand Master brought greetings from the 8.500 Nebraska Masons to the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls Grand Assembly. It was the first-ever Grand Assembly Live Cast held at the Lincoln Valley Scottish Rite Masonic Center. The proceedings were live and broadcast via Facebook.
Pictured are Order of Eastern Star Worthy Grand Matron Karan Birdsall, 2020-2021 Grand Worthy Advisor Haley Ann Daudt, and 2020 Grand Master M.W. Ron Stites.
