Volume Springfield, Massachusetts 3, Issue 7 November 2016

INsIdeFeztIVal oF treesIs growINg eVery year

p1, p4

BIg e turNs 100Melha shrINe parades

p1, p15

VINtage auto car showp14

Fall cereMoNIal dec 10p14

poteNtate’s Messagep2

FroM the recorder, shrINe lIFe cycles p3, p4

Melha uNIts & cluBsp5 - p7, p9-p10

Melha ladIesp11

eVeNt caleNdarBack page

Feztival of Trees: A Great Event That Grows Every Year

Photo by Carla Wessels. Jeff Hastings with Melha Highlander Tree

Melha Joins The Big E 100th Anniversary Celebration

By Michael RobinsonIn this contemporary world of smart phones and social networking, people are some-time too busy for those time-honored family traditions that they remembered as children; Sunday church and supper and Thanksgiving and Christmas

dinners at home with the whole family; The high school rivals playing the annual thanksgiv-ing football game for the pride of the town or the annual July 4th Parades and Fireworks.Nowadays, you see the start of some new family traditions. “Bright Nights in Forrest Park”,

the Springfield’s ‘World’s Larg-est Pancake Breakfast’, 4th of July parades and fireworks over the Connecticut River. The Melha Shriners would like to be part of one of your new traditions too by visiting our Feztival of Trees.

Continued on page 4

By Michael RobinsonThis year 2016 is a BIG deal

for the Big E. It is their 100th anniversary. In 1916 while the world was embroiled in its first

world war, the Boys Scouts of America was formed, Coca-Cola brought its current coke formula to the market, voters

Continued on page 15

Photo by Mark M. Murray of the Springfield Republican

2 Melha shriners

POTENTATE’S MESSAGE

the oFFIcIal puBlIcatIoN oF Melha shrINers,

shrINers INterNatIoNalCAMELHA

Available on the Web atwww.melhashriners.com

EDITORMichael Robinson

editor@melhashriners.com860 748-8128 (c) - 413 567-2138 (hm)

CAMELHA DEADLINE 12TH OF THE MONTH

Forward UNIT EVENT information for advance publication and public news releases. ‘NEWSPAPER ENTERTAIN-MENT CALENDARS’ need info submit-ted 2 weeks prior to event.

all coNteNt [Articles, Event No-tices, Event Photos] for the CAMELHA must be submitted by E-MAIL OR HARD COPY on or before the 12th of the month preceding publication.

All Classified and Billboard Ads must be submitted by the 1st of the month.

Note: edItor reserVes the rIght to edIt all copy.

shrINers hospItals For chIldreN516 Carew Street - 413-787-2000Springfield, MA 01104Imp Ralph W. Semb P.P. ....Chair. Bd. of Trustees Emeritus.

Melha Bd. oF goVerNor MeMBersGeorge Sachs, Joseph Surprenant, Edward Geoffrion, Craig Kazin, Gary SurprenantJason Freeman, Associate MemberEmeritus Members: Robert W. Clarke, Raymond Kalita, Edward B. Briggs, Edward Shore Jr. P.P., James Spear Jr.Chairmen Emeritus: Allen Zippin, P.P, Charles Weaver, P.P., Philip E. Thomas P.P., David Burstein

shrINers BurNs hospItal-BostoN51 Blossom StreetBoston, MA 02114-2699617-722-3000

Melha Bd. oF goVerNors MeMBersDean WhalenRuss Mitchell, PPEmeritus Members: Saul Michaelson, Robert Spaulding P.P.

MELHA SHRINE BUILDING133 Longhill Street Springfield, MA 01108Tel.: ............................... (413) 736-3647Fax ............................... (413) 731-9572Philip E. Thomas, P.P. - Recordere-mail: .... recorder@melhashriners.comDebra Collins .......................... Secretary

Office E-mail: recorder1@melhashriners.com

OFFICE HOURS8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Monday through Friday

MELHA WEB SITEwww.melhashriners.com

PAY WITH CREDIT CARDMelha honors Visa, MasterCard and

Discover cards. Minimum amount charged must be $20.00. You may also pay online at our web site.

use it for: Dues, Melha Events, Fezzes, Melha

Trips, etc.

2016 DIVAN

Potentate ............Edward ‘Brian’ Connor413-636-4270Chief Rabban ............. Raymond Turrini413-297-8111Asst. Rabban ............... Robert Wogatske413-575-7788High Prst & Prophet ... Glenn Surprenant413-583-8991Oriental Guide ................... Daniel Smith413-531-3542Treasurer ................Ronald Gagnon P.P.413-568-4402Recorder ..............Philip E. Thomas P.P.413-736-36471st Cerem. Master .............. Leo Plourde413-348-3889Chief Director ....................Alan Stratton413-323-02682nd Cerem. Master ......Jeffrey Hastings413-896-7548Marshal ............................. Garth Parker413-265-9996Capt. of the Guard .........Randy Wessels508-344-4472

Cead mile failte! I am writ-ing this article while traveling on a bus in beautiful Ireland. What a great time we are hav-ing. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend that you come to this beautiful country.

During our second day in Dublin, we had the privilege of a private tour of the Grand Lodge of Ireland and learned about the history of the build-ing and its membership. If you want to see a virtual tour of this building, visit their web site www.irish-freemasons.org.

We also had a tour of the Guinness Factory and, after several pints, I am now hooked on this. (And to the Highland-ers unit, I may be ordering this every once in a while). By the way, Yes, it is very differ-ent having one here in Ireland versus the states. Its hard to ex-plain but trust me you’ll taste the difference.

And then there’s the traf-fic and motor vehicles issues that make visiting here very confusing even coming from Western MA! I can’t get use to this driving on the left; I feel like I should be writing some tickets. This country has so many roundabouts; just in the last 30 minutes, we went through 17 of them. I’m glad I’m not driving!

I want to thank everyone who have participated in the recent parades. We had a busy schedule in September and Oc-tober. The feedback from the

communities was very positive and continued to show how much they support what we do. I understand that we had an announcer for the first time in many years at the Belchertown Parade and then he appeared on their local community ac-cess program to share more of the activities that we do. Great job by our PR team! The event at McCarthy’s Pub was a huge hit and they area so excited to do it again next year. Thank you to all the Nobles and their ladies for continuing the tradi-tion of making Melha Shriners a proud tradition in the com-munity.

Shouts out to Shonn Monday and his team for organizing an-other great Melha Clambake. I know everyone who attended had an amazing time and no one left hungry, that’s for sure. But the fun didn’t stop there. The fall activities kept right on going, between the last few

parades to the DON events, the Hospital Radiothon, the Direc-tors Ballroom Dance and the infamous Oriental Band Hal-loween Party. With so much to do, I wish Shelley and I could have attended the DON event but we were up in Frank-lin County at the Thrills and Chills Fall Feztival (look for pictures from this great show.)

November brings us the Le-gion of Honor trip to Washing-ton D.C., the Rock the House concert at the K of C, a few more parades, the Chief Rab-ban’s night and the Feztival of Trees. Keep your eyes out for more information on all of these events here and in the weekly newsletter.

Again, what an exciting year this has been and I’m so hon-ored to be your Potentate.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

3 Melha shriners

FROM THE RECORDER

Nobles we are at the end of the foliage season and our pa-rades are nearing completion. Now is the time to visit our lodges and develop the friend-ships of our new brothers who have recently join our great fraternity. Take part in the meetings and local breakfasts and dinners.

Our Chief Rabban has scheduled a special evening on Saturday, November 12 to review his 2017 agenda. A Memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, November 13 at 3:00 PM to honor our departed Brothers. Please attend to sup-port the families.

Another special event is our annual Melha Feztival of Trees. Check our new web site www.feztivaloftrees.org for time schedules. REMEMBER membership is our number one topic to grow our shrine center.

PAST POTENTATES OF MELHA SHRINE

Name YearCharles Miller * ................................ 1897-1902William H. Titus * ............................. 1903-1904H. Leroy Woodward * ................................1905Charles L. Young * .......................... 1906-1907Robert P. Cunningham * ................. 1908-1909Fred R. Brown * ........................................1910Frank E. Ladd * ..............................1911 - 1912Albert E. Taylor * .......................................1913Hugh J. Buckley * ......................................1914Fred A. Eldred * .........................................1915Albert E. Lerche * ............................ 1916-1917Franklin A. Latimer * ........................ 1918-1919Walter H. Damon * .......................... 1920-1921Fred C. Smith * .........................................1922Harry H. Caswell * .....................................1923Charles F. Watson * ..................................1924Charles A. Frazer * ....................................1925John A. Webster * ........................... 1926-1927Walter S. Pease * ......................................1928George M. Hendee * .................................1929Harry A. Spaight * .....................................1930Carl P. Reilly * ...........................................1931Edward S. Chase * ....................................1932Arlan M. Spencer * ....................................1933Paul H. Hosmer * ......................................1934Henry K. Fruch * .......................................1935Walter E. Perry * ............................. 1936-1937John G. Rose * ..........................................1938Norman P. Dempsey * ...............................1939Alfred J. Bird * ...........................................1940George W. Streeter * .................................1941William L. McCleary * ................................1942George G. Carr * .......................................1943William E. Grobe * .....................................1944Earl C. Daniels * ........................................1945Dr. George W. Gray * ................................1946Donald H. Mudd * ......................................1947Wesley G. Stephens * ...............................1948Otto C. Kuhrt * ...........................................1949Theodore A. Wiel * ....................................1950Donald A Bartlett * .....................................1951James Matthew * ......................................1952Chester W. Haynes * .................................1953V. Frank Greis * .........................................1954Fred S. Conkey * .......................................1955Ralph F. Beaudry * ....................................1956Wayne H. Latham * ...................................1957Bennett W. Benson * .................................1958Norman R. Vestor * ...................................1959Jule Kaufman * ..........................................1960Robert E. Samble * ...................................1961Richard C. Zoller * .....................................1962Elliot Anderson * ........................................1963

John Baird * ..............................................1964Carl B. Martin Jr. * .....................................1965H. Edward Baker * ....................................1966Harold E. Kjoller * ......................................1967George Aronson * .....................................1968Maurice M. Chaffin * .................................1969Dr. Kenneth E. Nicholson * .......................1970Robert W. Nothacker * ..............................1971Jean R. LaCroix ........................................1972Phillip E. Taylor * .......................................1973John M. Samson * .....................................1974Maurice H. Baitler * ...................................1975William G. Kavaney * ................................1976Edward W. Bock * .....................................1977John R. Lundgren * ...................................1978Robert D. Davis * ......................................1979Kenneth E. Emery * ..................................1980Robert A. Meffen .......................................1981Jack A. Butterfield * ...................................1982Allen G. Zippin ..........................................1983John E. Bethel* .........................................1984Joseph A. Harrison* ..................................1985Donald J. Lohnes * ....................................1986Imp. Ralph W. Semb .................................1987Gordon J. Smith * ......................................1988Clyde O. Hooper Jr. * ................................1989David Skolnick * ........................................1990W. Douglas Spingler * ...............................1991Richard C. Bewsee ...................................1992Norman T. Maagero ..................................1993Arthur E. Hastings .....................................1994Edward W. Shore Jr. .................................1995Sheldon M. Titcomb ..................................1996Charles H. Weaver ....................................1997Philip E. Thomas .......................................1998Robert G. Spaulding Jr. .............................1999David J. Gates ..........................................2000Edgar W. Gelinas ......................................2001Edwin A. Os * ............................................2002Robert H. Marshall ....................................2003Anton E. Koss ...........................................2004James W. Marceau ...................................2005Tom D. Fielding .........................................2006Kirk E. Burkins ..........................................2007James H. Blevins ......................................2008Ronald R. Gagnon ....................................2009Jeffrey S. Goodless ...................................2010Russell D. Mitchell ....................................2012Edward F Griffin ........................................2013William Faust ............................................2014David F. Butterfield ...................................2015E. Brian Connor ........................................2016*deceased

MELHA SHRINEBeverage Manager ...........Dick MarceauBanquet Manager ............. Debra Collins

TRUSTEESAlan Couture(Chr.) .......... 413-537-1657Jack Greaves .................. 413-527-7355Michael Santos ................ 413-246-2804Richard MacGreggor ....... 413-896-5447John Scribner .................. 413-323-7729Anthony Langone ............ 413-205-9953

ADMINISTRATORSNick Creanza (Chr.) ......... 413-596-2577 Cary Miller ....................... 413-567-0514 Jeffrey Gopin ................ 1-774-452-2110Ron Gagnon .................... 413-568-4402Edward W. Shore III ........ 413-746-6442

STATED MEETING NOTICES

wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7:30 pM for the purpose of conducting the business of Melha Shriners, as well as, balloting on individuals for initiation, obligating candidates, and for the dissemina-tion of information to the membership on matters relating to current Shrine events.

All nobles invited to attend, cur-rent dues card is required. Units and Clubs leaders are required to attend.

Proper attire is required and please wear your fez.

Edward B. Connor Potentate

Attest, Philip E. Thomas, P.P. Recorder

LIFE CYCLES

$100 MILLION CLUB

In loving Memory of Marie claire czuchra

From P.P. Ronald Gagnon and Lady Sally Gagnon

BLACk CAMELFreeman Albertson Aug 27

Paul E. Bishopric Oct 9Harvey L. Fournier Oct 18

Roger Green Dec 13

NOV. BIRTHDAYSCharles Perry Sr ................................................ Nov 1Robert Hager ..................................................... Nov 1Lindell Stratton Jr .............................................. Nov 1Robert Shore ..................................................... Nov 1Stephen Gielda .................................................. Nov 1John Burlingame ................................................ Nov 2Douglas Rae ...................................................... Nov 2James Blevins PP .............................................. Nov 2David Rogers ..................................................... Nov 2John Schinabeck ............................................... Nov 2Carl Mazzaferro ................................................. Nov 2James Duffman .................................................. Nov 3Kirby Kirkland .................................................... Nov 3Jeffrey Bower ..................................................... Nov 3Mark Hager ........................................................ Nov 3Neil McElwey ..................................................... Nov 4John Woodard.................................................... Nov 4Paul Hayes ......................................................... Nov 4Charles Sumares ............................................... Nov 4Michael Santos .................................................. Nov 4Andrew Clough Jr .............................................. Nov 4Samuel Norton Jr ............................................... Nov 5Gordon Gulbrandsen ......................................... Nov 5Keith Blair ........................................................... Nov 5Frank LaBroad Jr ............................................... Nov 5Allen Chase........................................................ Nov 5Donald Haskell ................................................... Nov 5James Tokas ...................................................... Nov 5Howard Gopin .................................................... Nov 5Robert Stirton .................................................... Nov 6Robert Martin ..................................................... Nov 6Ralph Nigosian .................................................. Nov 7Vincent Callahan ............................................... Nov 7Theodore Johnson............................................. Nov 8Thomas Vohr ..................................................... Nov 8Alan Goldsmith .................................................. Nov 8Kenneth Hower .................................................. Nov 9David Roche Jr .................................................. Nov 9Bruce Adams Jr ................................................. Nov 9Robert Simpson ............................................... Nov 10Roger Page ...................................................... Nov 10William Boucher ............................................... Nov 10Jeffery St John ................................................. Nov 10Jeremy Block ................................................... Nov 10Philip Zych.........................................................Nov 11Richard Halpern................................................Nov 11William Crosby Jr ............................................. Nov 12Curtis Knowles ................................................. Nov 12Richard Stone .................................................. Nov 12Douglas Merrick............................................... Nov 12William Mackinnon Jr ...................................... Nov 12Wilfred Mangold ................................................Nov 13Willard Boss ......................................................Nov 13Timothy Gibson .................................................Nov 13James Noyes ....................................................Nov 13William Belanger ...............................................Nov 13Eric Bechard .....................................................Nov 13David Trites ...................................................... Nov 14Richard Coulter Jr............................................ Nov 14Elliott Colby ...................................................... Nov 15Robert Isbell .................................................... Nov 15Richard Germana ............................................ Nov 16Robert O’Neill .................................................. Nov 16Edwin Osterhout ...............................................Nov 17Wayne Freeman Sr ...........................................Nov 17Robert Butterworth .......................................... Nov 18John Gilman ..................................................... Nov 18Jeffrey Pokorny ................................................ Nov 18Scott Wurtembarger ........................................ Nov 18Jared Hastings ................................................. Nov 19Carl Hubbard ................................................... Nov 19Herman Grondin .............................................. Nov 19Robert Clarke................................................... Nov 20William Campbell Jr ......................................... Nov 20Daniel Smith .................................................... Nov 21Michael Sands ................................................. Nov 21Marcelino Mendez ........................................... Nov 21Gerald Bailey ................................................... Nov 22J Newcomb ...................................................... Nov 22Michael Cote .................................................... Nov 22Andrew Surprenant.......................................... Nov 22Robert Murdock ............................................... Nov 23Gilbert Thibeault .............................................. Nov 25Alan Couture .................................................... Nov 25John Papianou ................................................. Nov 25Dennis Cote ..................................................... Nov 25Joseph De Grande .......................................... Nov 26Jay Harvey ....................................................... Nov 26John Twohig ..................................................... Nov 27Robert Theroux ................................................ Nov 27Leo Forget ........................................................ Nov 27Richard Remsen .............................................. Nov 27

Continued on page 4

MELHA SHRINE

4 Melha shriners

FeztIVal oF trees

Continued from page 1Just 6 years ago, Ill. Bill

Faust and his wife Debbie saw this type of event while visiting another Shrine Cen-ter and they instantly knew it would be a big hit in Spring-field. Faust also understood the potential of it being a great source of annual revenue for the center. Putting together a team, Bill added some in-novative and creative things. Together with the donated pre-decorated trees festooning every nook and cranny of the building, he added an artisan craft fair, Santa’s Village, and a food court in the Butterfield Auditorium.

This Feztival was at once embraced by every unit and club. They not only sponsor and decorate their own trees but they also do kitchen duty and food service, aid Santa as deputized elves, sell tree raffle tickets as well as 50/50 and si-lent auction chances or bake cakes, cookies, and pies for desserts

The two women’s organiza-tions, ‘Daughters of the Nile’ and ‘Ladies of the Oriental Shine of North America’ pitch in with an awesome bake sale and handmade crafts which they sell in the artisan craft fair. Both groups raise millions of dollars for Shriners Hospi-

NoV BIrthdaysContinued from page 3Harold Beckwith .............................................. Nov 28William Parmeter Jr ......................................... Nov 28Charles Weaver PP ......................................... Nov 28Edward Griffin PP ............................................ Nov 28Jonathan George ............................................. Nov 28Achiles Tsongalis ............................................. Nov 28George Rossmeisl Jr ....................................... Nov 29Mark Soticheck ................................................ Nov 29Vincenzo Falzone ............................................ Nov 29William Leventis ............................................... Nov 30Keith Lemay ..................................................... Nov 30

Noble whalen receives recognition From city of springfield

By Michael RobinsonAt the October Stated Meet-

ing Noble Dean Whalen was presented with a recogni-tion plaque for creating pub-lic awareness in the City of Springfield. The city was very impressed by the highly suc-cessful SDA2016 convention held here this past Spring.

Dean worked for five years to get the national organiza-tion to choose Springfield as a destination for their annual convention. When he finally got the green light, Dean cre-ated a motivated team and set them loose on this project. Shriners came from all over the country to Springfield and were treated to tours, food, fun and fellowship. And Melha did

what they do best, New Eng-land hospitality.

Our guests had an incred-ible time. The bar was raised very high for future conven-tions. Our visitors and their spouses enjoyed the best of Springfield from the Basket-ball Hall of Fame, Smith and Wesson & Savage Arms to the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden, Quadrangle Museums and Six flags amusement park. Dur-ing regular business, spouses enjoyed shopping, luncheons and tours of Shriners Hospitals in Springfield and Boston. The good will that Melha Shriners created for the city of Spring-field will have repercussions for years to come.

Photos by Bert Krasner and Carla Wessels. Feztival of Trees. Michelle Greaves member of DON & LOSNA, decorating on of their trees.

Directors To Host Holiday Trip To Overlook Masonic HomeBy Frank Maxim

The Directors Staff of Mel-ha is planning a holiday visit to Overlook Masonic Home in Charlton, MA on Decem-ber 8th. All units are invited to attend. A bus will depart Melha at 5 PM sharp. A buf-fet dinner of chicken and fish will be served at 6 PM in the Grand Master’s dining room. After dinner a visit with resi-dents is planned to present hand-made gift cards from the children and staff of Shriners Hospital Springfield. We will be departing at 8 PM. The cost is $25.00 which includes the meal and transportation. Dress is Fez and unit uniform or busi-ness attire. Seating is limited to 47 so RESERVATIONS BY DEC. 1 are a MUST. Call the our office at 413 786 3647.

tals for Children throughout the country with their quilting and knitting, aluminum can tab collecting, volunteering, and other fund-raising efforts.

The Melha Feztival of trees is fast becoming a new Melha family tradition. Thanksgiv-ing is around the corner, No-vember 24th. When the whole family comes in for the holi-day weekend and Aunt Emma or cousin Betsy ask if there is anything to do in town while the men glued to the sofa in front of the TV, you can smile and say that we have started a NEW family tradition, I know just where we can go.

MELHA SHRINE UNITS & CLUBS

5 Melha shriners

DIRECTORSBy Frank Watson

My fellow Directors: We are the backbone of the Shriners Hospitals for Children- Spring-field for providing tours. I am sorry to report that we only had 50% coverage for our weekend tour duty for the month of Sep-tember. With the hospital now reaching out to provide new services such as Fracture Care and, in the near future, offer-ing Rehabilitation Services, we must reach our goal of 100% each month as these services come on board and the need for tours increase.

While we had problems with our weekend coverage, at the same time, we should be very proud of the Directors that stepped up to provide special tours when called upon to do so. The need for tour guides for special tours is increasing and was a huge need during the Hospital’s Radiothon on Octo-ber 20th & 21st.

The reservations for our ma-jor event of the year “Harvest Moon Ballroom Dance” came in very slowly! But we pre-pared for a great night. With the help of WMAS, we got the word out. We even had instruc-tors from Fred Astaire giving lessons throughout the breaks. I look forward to telling you how great it was in the next is-sue if you missed it.

This month, our parading events come to a close and I am very thrilled at the involvement this year. We are still looking for an additional vehicle to take turns pulling the float in next year’s parades. Please ask any of the officers for more infor-

mation.On another positive note,

our unit received $462.00 in commissions for the Circus Ads for the total $4,620.00 in sales (Good Job). It’s very easy to sell an ad; just ask me how I do it.

Looking ahead, we have contacted “Overlook Masonic Home in Charlton, MA” to hold our Dec 8th Meeting and to visit the residents after a meal in the Grand Masters Dining Room. Meal and bus transpor-tation for 47 people will cost $25.00 each. The hospital will be making cards from the chil-dren to present to each of the residents. This is a great time to provide holiday cheer dur-ing this time of the year. The event has been opened up to all Shrine Units. Call the office to reserve.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from the Directors Unit!

DRUM CORPSby Jim Marceau,PP

The following is offered as a public service: “cor” - does not exist as a word. “corp” - per-haps an abbreviation for “cor-poration” if followed by a pe-riod. “corps” - a unit or group, especially of a military nature. “corpse” - a dead body.

We members of the Drum Corps would appreciate you using the correct spelling to avoid looking like a borderline illiterate. Thank you.

Just asking: If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen de-frocked, doesn’t it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys

deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

Sorry to hear that Lou Red-fern has suffered some compli-cations. Here’s hoping you (and Muriel, also) get well soon.

So here it is guys, our last parades. November 11 in Springfield and November 13 in Enfield for Veterans Day, November 26 in Florence for their Holiday Parade. We need all hands for a good turnout. We have been a little sparse in October, but at least we have made them all, even North Ad-ams. A bit lonely, that one.

“I am.” is reportedly the shortest sentence in the Eng-lish language. Could it be that “I do.” is the longest sentence?

The ensemble moves apace. More rehearsals are definitely needed. Ceremonial is coming soon! We must have faith. But remember, faith makes things possible, it does not make them easy!

Okay, time to call it a day. You all know what needs to be done, so just do it! And in the meantime, Rock the Fez!

FLYERSBy Lance & Katherine Whitcomb

In my last article I men-tioned that we were expect-ing the newest addition to our family. Well, my grandson de-cided that August 30th was a fine day to have as a birthday, so we now have little Franklin Dante (my daughter changed his middle name). Everyone is happy and healthy, and my wife hasn’t come down out of the clouds yet.

Continued on page 6

MELHA SHRINE UNITS & CLUBS

6 Melha shriners

uNIts aNd cluBsContinued from page 5

Remember that the Blue Lodges are up and running, so now would be a great time to visit – especially if the District Deputy happens to be mak-ing an official visit! Meet this year’s officers, renew friend-ships, and enjoy the Brother-hood that supports and fosters future wearers of the Fez!

If you are looking for some-thing to do on Friday, Novem-ber 25 (that isn’t braving the delights of Black Friday) make your way to Shelburne Falls. There you will find the annual ‘Moonlight Magic’ celebration which includes a parade, carol-ers, street performers, and the Lighting of the Village. Moun-tain Lodge on Main Street will be hosting Santa & Mrs. Claus, and Mrs. Claus always has something special for the kids!

From my family to yours, we wish you a Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving full of fun, fam-ily, friends, and food (and per-haps some football!)

HIGHLANDERSBy P. C. Corey LaCrosse

Hello Brother Nobles and Highlanders. Here it is No-vember already, where did the time go? Each year when we lose the leaves on the trees we also lose our snow birds to the warmer climate. We also have a great tradition of honoring the Ladies that stand behind us and support what we do with a Ladies Night dinner. Assis-tant Chief Tony Langone did a spectacular job this year run-ning the event. The food was great, the camaraderie was awesome and everyone that at-

tended had a wonderful time. Congratulations Tony on a job well done.

Although the parade season is behind us the Highlanders still have a full slate ahead of us. With fall comes the New Year for Blue Lodges which means Installations and de-grees and our own Highlander Degree team is always in high demand. Every time we per-form it’s a chance for the unit to shine and to show our support for our lodges. So get involved, contact P. C. Garth Parker.

MELHA will be holding its Annual Feztival of Trees in November. An event the High-landers have shown great sup-port for in the past and I have no doubt will rise to the occa-sion this year as well. Noble Pat Lupien will be spear heading our tree this year and I’m sure he would welcome any help he could get for set up and deco-rating. Any donations would be much appreciated and could be given in the unit room.

The Ceremonial, one of our most important events of the year, is December 10th. Just like being raised to the degree of Master Mason a Brother can only be initiated as a Noble of the Mystic Shrine once. For the candidates of this year’s class this is their one time. It is the privilege and responsibil-ity of every noble to welcome our new Brothers into our be-loved fraternity with the same fervency and zeal as was af-forded us. The Grand Entry is always a highlight of the day and the Highlanders always well received. Please set the date aside so we can show the

candidates and the temple our support with a strong showing and a great show.

Congratulations to P.P. Da-vid and Lady Pam Gates on their newest grandson. Con-gratulations also go out to No-ble Richard Birk who recently graduated from the police academy.

In closing I want to remind all MELHA Nobles the High-lander unit room is open every Monday night and all are wel-come. So come on down, have a drink, see some old friends or meet some new ones. Support the Shrine center and our units. MELHA is our HOME, let’s keep it vibrant.

LEGION OF HONORBy P.C Richard Skowron Adju-tant Legion of Honor

Well the summer is gone, and hopefully our weather will remain as nice as it has in the past few weeks. I am going to bring up several items that t need to be addressed and taken into consideration for the Future of the LEGION OF HONOR.

The Legion is in dire need of assistance in the various com-mittees, and services. We have the election of officers for the upcoming year, and with no at-tendance at our business meet-ing it might be very difficult to fill those slots.

We Need Help. It’s our unit and we must strengthen and do our part to make it successful as it once was.

We are looking for com-mittee volunteers and help for Commander Matt, and various

Continued on page 7

MELHA SHRINE UNITS & CLUBS

7 Melha shriners

uNIts aNd cluBsContinued from page 6officer’s duties that require help for our unit. We are thankful for the same Legion members that get involved, and do what they can to help. We need to see some new blood. I know it sounds a little gloomy, but it will be if we don’t try a little harder for our unit.

We have several dedicated Legion members who are hav-ing a tough time with health issues. We know who they are. An email, phone call or card would go a long way to cheer them up and aid in recovery. It’s always nice to be remem-bered when you are feeling bad that you are missed. A nice Job Bob Knight, for your concerns and cards you sent out.

Check your calendar books or the Monday notices for up-coming events and activities.

Please pray for the injured people here and abroad who were devastated by the recent hurricanes. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

We always pray for our troops to come home safely. Never forget that Freedom is NOT FREE

MARINERSBy Raymond Huber

Fall has arrived! The scen-ery is full of bright reds, yel-lows, and every other fall color. The weather has turned more seasonably cool and it’s time to haul our boats and prepare them for the winter ahead.

We have resumed our regu-lar monthly 7 p.m. meeting at Melha on the 2nd Thursday of the month; this month it will be November 10. For those who

can make it, the meeting will again be preceded by dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the Buccaneer Lounge & Restaurant (individ-ual checks), at 86 Maple Street in Agawam. Those members who have taken advantage of this time of sociability and nourishment, have enjoyed their varied menu and reason-able prices. There are no res-ervations necessary; just show up and enjoy a good meal and good company.

There will be important business transacted at the No-vember 10 meeting. One item of business will be the election of officers for 2017. Please plan to attend and show support to those Nobles who assume the responsibility of keeping the Melha Mariners Yacht Club strong.

Another topic for discussion will be our plans for our Ladies Night Holiday Party. Bring your ideas and those of your lady to this meeting.

We had successful “Paper Drive” events this year which meant that Commodore Bob was able to present our check in the amount of $3,862.59 at the September Stated Meet-ing of Melha. Again, thanks to those who supported these events by volunteering and/or donating.

It’s almost time to pay dues for 2017; however, there are still a few members who have not paid their 2016 dues. If you are one of the members who still owe for 2016 (if you’re not sure, give me a call (413-525-6142), please send me your check (315 North Main Street, East Longmeadow, MA

01028), or, better yet, bring it to the next meeting.

Wishing a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

ORIENTAL BANDBy Andy L. Parker

Hello fellow bandsmen and whatever! Heard it was a bit wet at yesterday’s Orange Pa-rade (glad I missed the bus!) Thanks guys for the good turn-outs at Belchertown and Big E. I want to say we sounded pretty good but I can’t go quite that far! It’s all good. The highlight of Belchertown was Bobby W. heading straight for the horse land mine! We knew it, the crowd knew it, Bobby didn’t have a clue. Since I was right next to him, I did the right thing and let the crowd watch and heard the ooh’s and ah’s with each step getting closer! That last step, I broke down and shoved him and boy the crowd booed! It was awesome! (you owe me Bob!)

Anyway, heard Dan S. has something coming up at Melha down the road so it seems we may be staying at 133 Longhill for the time being. I think it’s great!

Oh, one last thing about the Belchertown Parade. Thank you to the fellow nobles who stopped after parade and helped Chris, Walter and my-self pick-up this guys barn that fell off his truck. My son called that one. We were right behind this guy and Chris says that barn is going to wind up on my hood! Sure enough, next cor-ner, it landed in the road! Many thanks to Chris for being our

president once again (is that 5 years now?)

I Am looking forward to Dave B. joining the band, for real. Dave, it’s painless, trust me! Thanks to Mike A. for coming back, now can you work on Smitty? We all know what a huge contributor he was to the band and Temple and I know I miss him. Come on Smitty (boss) we could use you now, screw the bar! (you know what I mean.)

Again and again I hear the hospital is really doing well, which is great (financially). I can’t help but wonder why we aren’t putting more re-sources into 133 longhill? I did suggest a ‘Go-fund-me page (friends of 133 longhill) which we had in the past.

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MELHA SHRINE

MELHA SHRINE UNITS & CLUBS

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uNIts aNd cluBsContinued from page 7With social media today we may be able to do quite well. I’m sure there are a lot of peo-ple in the know who are com-ing up with ideas that will keep this Brotherhood together for generations to come. I’m only a tiny little Noble who should be more involved but with my Brothers, we are all part of the mortar that bonds us and en-ables us to do the great work that together. Be well. my friends and let us hope it is not a three dog winter!

PAST MASTERSBy Richard A. Poudrier

Since the inception of quar-terly meetings for our unit, those meetings inevitably fall on, or, conflict with holidays, Masonic and Scottish Rite events. We seem to have to reschedule nearly every time our meeting comes due. For instance, our September meet-ing had to be postponed due to a Lodge of Qualification, since most of our officers and meet-ing attendees, were putting on this event. Fortunately, with the help of “e-mail blasting” we can schedule an alternate meeting when necessary be-tween our quarterly meetings.

At our last rescheduled meeting a partial list of pro-jected slate of officers for 2017 was compiled. Since the cur-rent Secretary will not be con-tinuing in office. Our unit will be looking for a Secretary and a 2nd Vice President. There-fore, it was decided to have a special meeting on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 7:30pm to vote on the slate of officers

presented by the nomination committee. It is imperative that as many members as possible attend this meeting.

It was also noted that at the meeting that two of our mem-bers Mark Mueller and me will be Installing officers in lodges in our area.

Also, our unit will soon be-gin selling raffle tickets for the box seats for circus shows we have had trouble selling in the past. These are a block of seven prime location center arena seats. More information to come.

Our Super Circus Ad Sales-man, George Sachs has once again sold $ 11,900+ ads. A great big “Tip of the Fez” goes out to George for his continued contribution to our Circus, our Shrine Center and our unit.

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. A day to enjoy the warmth of family and friends. A time to reflect on the many blessings we have received. The president, officers and members of the Past Masters unit wish each noble and their families a healthy and happy Thanksgiving day.

RIDERS

The Riders present their ride check at Hos-pital Board Day! An outstanding $22,692!!!! Some Riders present: Dan Swiecanski, Chris Fontaine, Andrew Clough, Jack Davison and Rick Lamotte.

VINTAGE AUTO

by Ken TThe show is over! What a

day. The day started around 9:00 with a little sprinkle, in-creasing to a deluge so heavy, we could not see the trees at the far end of the field. By 10:00, we had a cloudy sky and a doz-en cars. We had a good show-ing for the day in spite of the rain discouraging more drivers and cars from participating. We did have a great group of beautiful cars and not enough trophies for all of them. An old timer Vintage Auto member, Peter Sudyka stopped by and as usual had good time. Many thanks to all that participated. A good time was had by all.

The second paper drive is now history. The combined pa-per drives netted over $2200. Bill Boucher thanked all who participated.

The nomination commit-tee is looking for officers for the coming season. See Alan Johnson if you are interested is serving any of the positions.

Alan found a buyer for one of the two Model A’s. He kept the pickup. Good choice Alan.

The next big Vintage Auto event will be the Christmas Party on the first Sunday in December, the 4th. Mark your calendar. Until next time, speed safely

BERkSHIRE SHRINE CLUB

by John H FiskeThe Club held it’s annual

meeting tonight at the Berk-shire County House of Correc-tion. We voted for 2017 Offi-cers: Pres. David Rhinemiller,

1st VP Robert Aubin, 2nd VP Robert Ciempa, Sec. Kevin Lehrer, Tres. Mark Feder

A check for $2090.96 was presented to Ron Gagon, PP. This was the money raised at the Paper Drives held Saturday.

We will be participating in Melha’s Feztival of Trees again this year.

Our November meeting will be held November 9, 2016 at the Boston Seafood Restaurant in North Adams, Ma. The so-cial will be at 6pm with dinner at 7pm. We will be ordering off the menu.

Hoping to see a lot of fezzes at the meeting. If you are a reg-ular bring a Noble who hasn’t been in awhile.

FRANkLIN COUNTY SHRINE CLUB

by By John H. Doughty IVFranklin Shrine Club meets

at Harmony Lodge in Mon-tague on the second Monday of the odd numbered months with a social event on the evened numbered months.

The fall season has been very busy for all of us with Lodge Installations, Official Visits in the Lodges and Parades. The Thrills and Chills Feztival was in our back yard at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.

Our President Malcolm Corse once again received a very generous check from the Travelers Woods Campground. They gave Malcolm two checks of $2,600, one for the Spring-field Hospital and the other for the Boston Hospital. We thank the campers at Travelers Wood for their contributions each

Continued on page 10Photo by Bert Krasner. Feztival of Trees

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MELHA SHRINEuNIts aNd cluBsContinued from page 9year to the Hospitals. The Fez-tival of Trees will be coming up very soon. Malcolm again has a tree for the Franklin Shrine Club to put up. We will need donations from our mem-bers to help stock the tree with presents and gift certificates. Please contact Malcolm or John Doughty with your dona-tions.

Our next meeting will be on November 14 at Harmony Lodge.

If anyone is interested in more information about the Franklin Shrine Club please contact Malcolm Corse or John Doughty.

PIONEER VALLEY SHRINE CLUB

by Michelle GreavesSawasdeeka (hello), (we

are back), the PVSC is finally back after several months in the closet. The E-Board got to-gether and had a very produc-tive meeting. We are planning on several really fun events for next year. We are getting back on track, so hang on to your hats and hop on for the ride.

Some of the events that are tentatively on the schedule; our first get together in February will be a lasagna meeting, Exit 7 in May “the Producer”, a family picnic (children, grand-children included), a Salem Bus Trip, a Bus Trip to Mohe-gan Sun, a Tokyo House Diner, New Years Eve Party for 2018, and of course we are always open to any suggestions.

As always the PVSC is a family social club. We get to-gether to share fun and fellow-

ship within the Shrine and of course friends are always wel-come.

It is a time for Thanksgiv-ing, a time to thank our maker for all that we have and also a time to remember those that have little to nothing and share our love and a little helping hand.

If you are interested and want to be part of the fun or have any question don’t hesitate to call Matt Her-man 1-413-250-4146 or Jack Greaves 1-413-627-2679

La kxn (goodbye)

Fall Foliage Parade North Adams, MA

Photos below by Carla Wessels. Fall Foliage Parade North Adams, MA

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MELHA SHRINE WOMENAHLEM TEMPLE 84

By Audrey MillgateAhlem’s Wish List commit-

tee is looking for cash dona-tions with which to buy gift cards for those oh so difficult to shop for, teenage boys, at Shriners Hospital. Contact Pr. Maureen or Pr. Heather McLain to make a donation.

Princess Tirzah Judy Davis is planning a bus trip to the Wrentham Outlets on Decem-ber 10, 2016. We will leave Melha at 8:30 am and leave the outlets at 3:30 pm. Reserva-tions can be made by calling Judy at 413-786-7769. The cost will be $25.00 ea.

This is a one stop shopping for Christmas, everything is there at discount pricing. The bus company is Lizak out of Warren. All are invited; friends, family, spouses! It should be fun, a bus full of friendship!

We expect that many of our members and groups, for ex-ample the Knit and Crochet group, will be active at the Feztival of Trees at Melha. See you all then, if not before!

FORGET-ME-NOTSBy Edith Sweeney

The Forget-me-nots met on Friday, Oct. 21st at Parthenon Restaurant in Agawam, with 15 enjoying lunch and friend-ships. our next meeting will be at noon, Nov. 18th, at Olive Garden, Boston Rd at Parker

Ahlem 84 D.O.N. Visits Shriners Hospitals for Children - Montreal

Ahlem 84 DON Pumpkin Craft Fair

Helma 64 Got The Thrills And Chills at the Franklin County Fair

by Michelle Greaves Twelve ladies from Ahlem

Temple #84 DON traveled to Montreal for Northeast Days. While in Montreal we also had the great opportunity to visit and tour the beautiful new Montreal Shrine Hospital.

What a huge honor when we realized that the 2nd floor is dedicated to Daughters of the Nile.

This hospital is state of the art. Our Shriners should be deeply proud.

St, Springfield. Please contact: Corinne

Pierson 413-789-8148, Claire Patruno 413-596-3251, or Edith Sweeney esweeney12@cox.net to confirm your reser-vations. HAPPY THANKS-GIVING AND JOYFUL HOLIDAYS TO ALL.

HELMA CT 64By Anita Tetreault

Lady Pat Semb has an-nounced that Helma Court will hold a Luncheon on December 10, 2016, at the Shriners Hospi-tal, for all the wives and ladies of new Candidates, on this day of Melha’s Ceremonial.

This Luncheon is intended to introduce these new Ladies to ourselves and to our Court. Lady Pat requests that we write the date of this luncheon on our calendars so that we won’t forget to attend. She says that more info will be available soon.

Our November meeting will be on Thursday, November 10, 2016 at Mt. Moriah, West-field at 7:30pm. Lady Estelle requests that all Officers wear Court uniforms.

Lady Collette Parsons re-minds us that there are some members who have not yet paid their 2016/2017 dues, and she points out that dues notices for the new year will be com-ing up fairly soon.

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MELHA SHRINE

13 Melha shriners

MELHA SHRINEMELHA SHRINE

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Melha Vintage Auto Annual Car Show

MELHA SHRINE

Potentate’s Trip to Ireland

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MELHA SHRINE

through it all the Melha Shri-ners have always been an in-tegral part the Easter States Exposition or Big E. We are one of the biggest attractions in their parades every year. What is a parade without Mel-ha Shrine?

Our Melha Shrine Circus is now going into its 63rd year at the Coliseum and has become an annual Spring tradition in the region. One of our favorite sons and Past Potentate Ted Shore, entertained us for years with the Ice Capades and AHL Hockey in the Coliseum. He recalled the times as a Hall of Fame ‘Ring Rat’ that he used a scraper and swept the ice before and after every event. “That was real hard work all by hand, but anyone who skat-ed on our rink said it was the best ice in the country!” said Ted. So, it is fitting that Melha Shrine and The Eastern States Exposition celebrate and grow old together as historic icons in the Greater Springfield area.

the Big e 100th anniversary: shriners and springfield day parade

BIg e 100 yearsContinued from page 1in East Cleveland approved women’s suffrage, Mexican troops beat the US expedition-ary force under Gen. Pershing, the US Department of Interior formed the National Park Ser-vice and in west side (as one refers to West Springfield) a man named Joshua L. Brooks conceived the first Eastern States Exposition as a way to help promote agriculture and educate young people with the skills and knowledge needed in agricultural vocations.

Working with twelve com-munity leaders, Brooks spear-headed the purchase of 175 acres of former swampland in West Springfield. It took less than eight months to construct the Coliseum and cattle barns. The site was ready. A group of determined New England businessmen went to Chicago and convinced the executive body of the National Dairy Show to hold their annual ex-travaganza in West Springfield instead of its traditional home, the Midwest. In 1916, this Na-tional Dairy Show was the first event held on the Exposition Grounds. It also marked the first time the show was held east of Chicago.

At the time of the opening Melha Shrine was about 20 years old and we were think-ing about a doing a little build-ing of our own. We purchased some land up on Carew Street and built the second Shriners Hospital for Children in the United States just 10 years later the cornerstone was laid.

A lot has happened in the past one hundred years but

Photos by Bert Krasner and Carla Wessels

Melha Calendar of EventsNovemberThu Nov 3 - Nov 6 ...Legion Washington DC TripThu Nov 3 7 pm ......................... DON Session [BA]

Sun Nov 6 Daylight Savings Time Ends

Tue Nov 8 Election DayThu Nov 10 7 pm .............. Two Unit Dinner [BA]

Fri Nov 11 Veterans Day. Office is closedFri Nov 11 10 am ...............Veterans Day Parade

- Springfield, MASat Nov 12 6 pm ......... Chief Rabban Night [BA]Sun Nov 13 3:00 pm ..... Memorial Service [BA]Wed Nov 16 7:30 pm .......... Stated Meeting [BA]

Thu Nov 24 Thanksgiving - Office is ClosedMon Nov 20 to Wed Nov 23 .... Feztival of Trees

setup [BA]Fri Nov 25 - Sun Dec 4 .... Feztival of Trees [BA]Fri Nov 25 9:30am . Balloon Parade SpringfieldSat Nov 26 8:30am ....Florence Holiday ParadeThu Nov 17 7 pm .... DON Patrol Rehearsal [BA]

MELHA SHRINERS133 Longhill StreetSpringfield, MA 01108-1499

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSpringfield, MA 01152

Permit No. 211

DecemberSat Dec 10 10:30 am .........Fall Ceremonial [BA]Sun Dec 11 12pm .... kid’s Christmas Party [BA]Wed Dec 21 7:30 pm ......... Stated Meeting [BA]

Sat Dec 24 Christmas Eve

Sat Dec 24 Chanukah 1st Night

Sun Dec 25 Christmas Day - Merry ChristmasSat Dec 31 TBD ....Melha New Years Party [BA]

BA = Butterfield Auditorium SHC = Shriners Hospitals for Children - Springfield

Photo by Bert Krasner. Jim and Dianne Marceau at the Feztival of Trees Craft Fair