Our ancient brethren met on high hills or in low dales…
Last weekend I attended eight outdoor Fellowcraft Degrees, Passing men from five different Lodges.
A couple weeks before that, I attended an outdoor Master Mason Degree, put on by a sister Jurisdiction.
This upcoming weekend, I’ll be attending an outdoor Entered Apprentice Degree.
Every time I attend one of these uniquely located Degrees, I find that both the candidates, and the sideliners consider it to be a truly spectacular experience. If we hope to improve the Degree experience, moving it outside seems to be one of the easiest and most impactful ways to do that.
So, I must ask, does your Lodge ever confer Degrees in the great outdoors?
If outdoors isn’t your Lodge’s thing, does it ever confer Degrees in other interesting locations?
If not, can you share what is holding your Lodge back from doing so?
The 2 events at the Granite Falls Masonic Park are among my favorite events of the year.
It was great to have the opportunity to be there at the 3rd Degrees when another Jurisdiction hosts the degree. I've been able to watch Brothers from British Columbia and Washington's Prince Hall GLs.
I wouldn't think an individual Lodge needs to make a scheduled event, but once in a while do this. We weren't always in closed Lodge rooms or in the back room of a tavern.
Just saw recently a Lodge held a special communication in a field near Sturgis. So maybe you don't even need a Degree to get you outside. Just a though.
Your point is well taken. A degree doesn't have to be a part of it. Now that you have my mind thinking about all of this, I'm thinking about a Table Lodge in a field, or even a festive board. A Special meeting would open up tons of possibilities. Festive board in a vineyard perhaps?
I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to have torchlight installations of the Grand Line. Here in eastern WA the weather would almost always accommodate it. i know its likely not ever going to happen, but the stonehenge replica in Goldendale would be spectacular!
I hadn't even thought about an outdoor installation, but certainly that could be quite great too! Thanks for the idea. Centralia Lodge held its installation a few years ago in a large barn at the County Fairgrounds, so certainly it could be done!
Awfully quiet on this discussion board. I certainly hope it’s because it’s a slow day in general, because, like WB Mike, I’ve found the outdoor degrees to be memorable, and I also know what kind of an impact they make on the candidates. And I also hope other Lodges take this idea into consideration.
I’ve given the 2nd degree lecture at two different outdoor 2nd degree events. I’ve done the Torchlight degree at the Masonic Park, and I’ve also done the outdoor 2nd degree at Roche Harbor, at the John S. McMillin Memorial Mausoleum. I’m honored to have been able to participate in these degrees.
I’ve heard that a lodge or two have given degrees in a historical home in the Vancouver area, and it was well received.
Now, I’ve never heard any Lodges performing outdoor degrees in Eastern Washington. There are many beautiful places in Central and Eastern Washington that would be a wonderful setting for an outdoor degree. I suppose they might be trickier to tyle, as it’s more open in most areas in that region, but many of those areas are much more remote from civilization, so people might be less likely to stumble upon us while we’re doing our ritual.
One strong recommendation: Make sure that the ritual is top notch. Since this event will be very memorable for all in attendance, the mistakes might also be as memorable, particularly if one of the officers is inexperienced in his position and makes several errors. It will be embarrassing for that Brother who makes those mistakes. You might want to make your outdoor degree a district event, so you have a larger pool of Brothers to choose from. But also encourage the younger Brothers to attend, as the excellent ritual, and the special nature of the degree, will inspire these new Brothers to study their ritual in hopes to someday soon be selected to participate in a future outdoor degree.
As you point out, being outside makes tyling the Lodge a bit more difficult, but certainly not impossible.
And as you also point out, we have spectacular places in which Degrees could be held. Certainly despite the density of our population centers, most of Washington is largely empty, and members of the Fraternity own land in all sorts of interesting places.
There was an outdoor ritual i wanted to do as Master, but could not get it done. I am hopeful someday it will be possible. When the Hanford townsite was taken over by the Manhattan project there was an operating Masonic Lodge present. Today only the old high school still stands on the townsite. What i wanted to do was hold Lodge one night on the actual site of the Hanford Masonic Lodge. Perhaps a composite of officers from the Tricities Lodges. the issue of course is Hanford security and access to the site. Imagine openning Lodge, in the open air, after 80 years of silence. Remembering the sacrifice those brethren and their families made to make us all safe.
The 2 events at the Granite Falls Masonic Park are among my favorite events of the year.
It was great to have the opportunity to be there at the 3rd Degrees when another Jurisdiction hosts the degree. I've been able to watch Brothers from British Columbia and Washington's Prince Hall GLs.
I wouldn't think an individual Lodge needs to make a scheduled event, but once in a while do this. We weren't always in closed Lodge rooms or in the back room of a tavern.
Just saw recently a Lodge held a special communication in a field near Sturgis. So maybe you don't even need a Degree to get you outside. Just a though.
You might need an extra Tyler or 2 though.
Your point is well taken. A degree doesn't have to be a part of it. Now that you have my mind thinking about all of this, I'm thinking about a Table Lodge in a field, or even a festive board. A Special meeting would open up tons of possibilities. Festive board in a vineyard perhaps?
I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to have torchlight installations of the Grand Line. Here in eastern WA the weather would almost always accommodate it. i know its likely not ever going to happen, but the stonehenge replica in Goldendale would be spectacular!
I hadn't even thought about an outdoor installation, but certainly that could be quite great too! Thanks for the idea. Centralia Lodge held its installation a few years ago in a large barn at the County Fairgrounds, so certainly it could be done!
Awfully quiet on this discussion board. I certainly hope it’s because it’s a slow day in general, because, like WB Mike, I’ve found the outdoor degrees to be memorable, and I also know what kind of an impact they make on the candidates. And I also hope other Lodges take this idea into consideration.
I’ve given the 2nd degree lecture at two different outdoor 2nd degree events. I’ve done the Torchlight degree at the Masonic Park, and I’ve also done the outdoor 2nd degree at Roche Harbor, at the John S. McMillin Memorial Mausoleum. I’m honored to have been able to participate in these degrees.
I’ve heard that a lodge or two have given degrees in a historical home in the Vancouver area, and it was well received.
Now, I’ve never heard any Lodges performing outdoor degrees in Eastern Washington. There are many beautiful places in Central and Eastern Washington that would be a wonderful setting for an outdoor degree. I suppose they might be trickier to tyle, as it’s more open in most areas in that region, but many of those areas are much more remote from civilization, so people might be less likely to stumble upon us while we’re doing our ritual.
One strong recommendation: Make sure that the ritual is top notch. Since this event will be very memorable for all in attendance, the mistakes might also be as memorable, particularly if one of the officers is inexperienced in his position and makes several errors. It will be embarrassing for that Brother who makes those mistakes. You might want to make your outdoor degree a district event, so you have a larger pool of Brothers to choose from. But also encourage the younger Brothers to attend, as the excellent ritual, and the special nature of the degree, will inspire these new Brothers to study their ritual in hopes to someday soon be selected to participate in a future outdoor degree.
As you point out, being outside makes tyling the Lodge a bit more difficult, but certainly not impossible.
And as you also point out, we have spectacular places in which Degrees could be held. Certainly despite the density of our population centers, most of Washington is largely empty, and members of the Fraternity own land in all sorts of interesting places.
There was an outdoor ritual i wanted to do as Master, but could not get it done. I am hopeful someday it will be possible. When the Hanford townsite was taken over by the Manhattan project there was an operating Masonic Lodge present. Today only the old high school still stands on the townsite. What i wanted to do was hold Lodge one night on the actual site of the Hanford Masonic Lodge. Perhaps a composite of officers from the Tricities Lodges. the issue of course is Hanford security and access to the site. Imagine openning Lodge, in the open air, after 80 years of silence. Remembering the sacrifice those brethren and their families made to make us all safe.