Reminder: District Deputy Grand Master Official Visit at Frostproof

Brethren, as an important reminder R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master of the 21st Masonic District will be making an official visit on August 6th at Frostproof Lodge No. 229, 46 W. Wall Street in Frostproof. Dinner will be at 6:30pm and Stated Communication is at 7:30pm.

The general protocol for a DDGM official visit is that officers and lodge members wear Business Casual attire in the lodge room.

Today I learned... The Man of a Thousand Voices was a Freemason

When the name Mel Blanc is mentioned what's the first thing that comes to mind? The voices of Bugs Bunny Daffy Duck, Fred Flintstone's neighbor and pal Barney Rubble and George Jetson's  boss Mr. Spacely who in almost every episode declares "Jetson! You're Fired!" Mr. Blanc's repertoire of voices in both radio and television spans from the mid 1930 until his death in 1989 and as a result of his versatility he was dubbed "The Man of the Thousand Voices" working for some of the biggest animation studios in Hollywood including Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Walt Disney and Ruby-Spears, he also inspired many of today's voice-over actors into the business, these include Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Rob Paulsen and Tress MacNeille (Animaniacs), Billy West (Ren and Stimpy) and Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo) all of who would become voice-over legends in their own right.

But did you know that Mel Blanc was a travelling man? yup it's true and he was involved in many other Masonic organizations too... Born Melvin Jerome Blank in San Francisco (He would later changed his name to Blanc at the advisement of a high school teacher), he later moved to Portland, Oregon where he worked various jobs in radio and television before moving to Los Angeles to seek his fame and fortune. In 1925 while still in Portland he joined the Sunnyside chapter of DeMolay International for which he was later inducted into their Hall of Fame. After saving enough money Blanc petitioned for membership at Mid Day Lodge No. 188 where he received his Fellowcraft degree on November 20, 1930, passed to the Fellowcraft degree on January 5, 1931 and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on March 12, 1931.

He became a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles taking his degrees from January 14th to the 16th in 1951 and joining the Al Malaikah Shrine Temple on June 29, 1951. He remained very active in the Masonic Lodge in Portland and in Los Angeles, DeMolay, Shrine and Scottish Rite organizations until his death in 1989.
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Information Source
Brother Mel Blanc: "The Man of a Thousand Voices" by Sir Knight Ivan Tribe, attributed to the KnightTemplar.org website.
Mel Blanc article - attributed to the English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel Blanc)

Child ID at Heart of Florida Medical Center

Today's Child ID event at the Heart of Florida Medical Center in Davenport was a rousing success, we had a record number of participants and the volunteers who manned the various stations did an outstanding job. Thanks to those brothers and a special thank you to the staff at the Heart of Florida for their assistance in providing an incredible space for us to work in.

Important Message about Lakeland/Paul Revere DeMolay Beach Trip

Please be advised that due to inclement weather the W:.M:. William M. Hollis DeMolay in Lakeland and Paul Revere DeMolay in Tampa beach trip which was scheduled for this Saturday July 27th has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled at a future date.

Fraternally,
Bert Leach, Jr., William M. Hollis DeMolay Chapter No. 10174

Entered Apprentice and Master Mason Degrees

Brethren, there will be two degrees taking place in our district on Saturday August 3rd, the first will be an Master Masons at Lake Wales Lodge No. 242, breakfast will be at 8:00 AM and degree to follow. The second will be a Entered Apprentice at Travelers Lodge No. 390, coffee and donuts at 7:30 AM and degree at 9:00 AM.

If you would please come out to one of these degrees and give your support to these brothers as the brothers who did when you were going through the degrees.

Accessing this site... There is nothing wrong with your internet

Brethren,

I want to thank you all for contacting me via email or Facebook PM to let me know that the district website is down, but it actually is not, Our website provider Blogger which allows the use of custom domains addresses in addition to the standard *.blogspot.com address has one flaw... they do not currently support the use of naked domains i.e. 21stmasonicdistrict.com so if you try to access our website using the naked domain you will receive a error messages "Site Does Not Exist" or "DNS could not be found".

In order to access this site you must use https://www.21stmasonicdistrict.com so please bookmark this address so that you won't have problems access our site in the future.

I'll be contacting Blogger support and also speaking to our domain registrar later today to see if there is some sort of a work-around to this problem.

Fraternally,
Bro. Rick Schwarz, Website Administrator

Information about the upcoming Tri-State Degree

The Grand Lodges of Alabama, Florida and Georgia will hold their annual Tri-State Degree ceremony on Saturday July 27th. Information is available on the attached flyer.

Last Night I Knelt Where Hiram Knelt

 

My Apron

 

Child ID Event at Heart of Florida Hospital in Davenport

Sisters/Brothers of the 21st Masonic District;

The Heart of Florida Hospital in Davenport (north on U.S. 27) is hosting their annual Back To School Fair on Saturday July 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  They have invited the Child ID program to again be part of their festivities. I will be at the hospital on or about 8:00 a.m. on Saturday to start setting up all of the equipment. I would appreciate all the help/volunteers that can come and help out. We will be located in the hospital board room. If you are not already signed up with a Child ID waiver, please download the Grand Lodge of Florida Child ID Background Waiver Form here and return to me ASAP. If you have any questions please reach out to me by telephone at 863-419-0085 and/or 863-899-4171 or by email at childid@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

Fraternally,
Cloyd Conley, Chairman 21st Masonic District Child ID program.

Lakeland/Paul Revere DeMolay Beach Trip

The Lakeland DeMolay will be meeting the Tampa Paul Revere DeMolay at Ft. Desota Beach on July 27th. This event is not exclusive for current DeMolay. We welcome any young man who may be intrested in joining DeMolay and would like to meet the brothers in a casual setting. Their parents are also welcome to join.

If you have questions please contact Bert Leach at demolay@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

Thank you Kathleen Lodge No. 338

R:.W:. John R. Miller wishes to extend his thanks to the Worshipful Master and Brethren of Kathleen Lodge No. 338 for their hospitality and a wonderful dinner of Lasagna and Banana pudding for dessert during his official visit to Kathleen on Tuesday June 16th.

Please be prepared

Brethren, once again its that time of year, hurricane season is upon us and our District Deputy Grand Master R:.W:. John R. Miller would like to remind you to make sure that you have all the necessary provisions so that in the event of a catastrophic hurricane you, your family, home, business and especially your Masonic lodge will be ready.

Stay sheltered in place inside your home, business or even a lodge. do not for any reason go outdoors or attempt to travel anywhere unless you are specifically ordered to evacuate by government order. The police, fire and EMS are busy responding to other emergency situations and they cannot immediately respond if something happens.

DO NOT CALL 911 unless you have an actual emergency, the Sheriff's office, EMS and Fire Departments as well as state, county and local officials are dealing with many situations and cannot waste time talking to someone who does not have an emergency.

The following is a list of items you should have for your hurricane preparedness kit:

• A permanently installed or portable generator with at least two weeks worth of gasoline or diesel fuel because in the event that your power company i.e. Duke Energy, Lakeland or Tampa Electric advises you that restoration of power will not be immediate you can depend on having some power to light your home and keep your food or other perishables cool. You should not run your air conditioning system because it uses an exorbitant amount of fuel and you could end up in the dark quicker than you think.

• An All-Hazards radio that can receive NOAA Weather Radio on the frequencies of 162.400 thru 162.550 MHz (Based on NOAA weather radio transmitter location) and/or using a desktop or portable analog or digital radio scanner which is capable of receiving these frequencies and NOAA broadcasts by automatically or by manual input.

• Make sure you have plenty of batteries in stock, especially AA, AAA and 9V.

• Fresh water obtained from a filtered faucet or in bottled water from the store.

• Stock up on food for both you, your family and your pets. Once the hurricane hits very likely all of the supermarkets, Walmart, Costco etc... will be closed for the duration.

• At least two cell phone and if possible each with a different carrier such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and/or Verizon. At least one of those phone should be have a data plan so that you can access the Internet either from the phone and/or from your desktop, iPad, laptop or tablet using the phone's Wi-Fi Hotspot function.

• Wood and heavy tape to cover all of your windows and doors in your home, business or lodge to prevent the glass from shattering. In the event that happens you would very likely get an influx of flood water and wind causing extensive damage to your property.

• At least two to three dozen towels to put under the doors and windows in case you have seepage of water and in case flood waters enter your home, business or lodge.

• Make sure that your vehicles are fully fueled in the event that the Governor declares a State of Emergency and you are required to make a mandatory evacuation from your home. If a State of Emergency is declared gas stations will very likely be closed.

Finally, after the hurricane event if you find yourself in distress please contact Bro. Rick Schwarz in the 21st Masonic District office who will make the appropriate notifications. Our contact information can be found here. We will do everything we can to assist you.

District Deputy Grand Master Visit at Corinthian

Brethren, the District Deputy Grand Master's visit to Corinthian Lodge No. 191 in Mulberry which scheduled for Thursday July 18th has been cancelled due to an air conditioning system issue. It will be rescheduled at a future date. Thank you.

R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master

Reminder: Master Masons Association Meeting

Brethren, as a reminder there will a Master Masons Association meeting tonight at Lake Wales Lodge No. 242 hosted by Lakeland Lodge No. 91. Dinner is at 6:30pm and the meeting starts at 7:30pm. All Master Masons in good standing are welcome to attend.

Reminder: District Deputy Grand Master Official Visit at Corinthian Lodge No. 191

Brethren, as an important reminder R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master of the 21st Masonic District will be making an official visit on July 18th at Corinthian Lodge No. 191, 805 NW 5th Street in Mulberry. Dinner will be at 6:30pm and Stated Communication is at 7:30pm.

The general protocol for a DDGM official visit is that officers and lodge members wear Business Casual attire in the lodge room.

Reminder: District Deputy Grand Master Official Visit at Kathleen

Brethren, as an important reminder R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master of the 21st Masonic District will be making an official visit on July 16th at Kathleen Lodge No. 338, 3933 1st Street NW in Kathleen. Dinner will be at 6:30pm and Stated Communication is at 7:30pm.

The general protocol for a DDGM official visit is that officers and lodge members wear Business Casual attire in the lodge room.

Past Masters Night

Lake Wales Lodge No. 242 will be holding a Past Masters night on July 22nd, Dinner will be served at 6:30pm and the Ceremony/Stated Communication at 7:30pm.

Direct all questions to R:.W:. Greg Fisher at secretary242@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

Notice from the Scottish Rite Valley of Tampa

The semi-annual Scottish Rite Reunion for the Valley of Tampa, AASR, SJ, has been rescheduled for Saturday and Sunday November 2nd and 3rd, the Reunion is the opportunity for Master Masons to join the Rite and become a 32nd Degree Mason. Petitioners must have returned the Master's catechism or have been a Master Mason for six months. Petitions are available at tampascottishrite.org. The Reunion also affords an opportunity for existing Scottish Rite Brothers to continue the search for Further Light. For further info contact Casey Fletcher, 32°, KCCH Director of Work.

R:.W:. James Bockover viewing and celebration of life services

The following is a repost of a message on the 21st Master Masons Association Facebook page for R:.W:. James Bockover's viewing and Celebration of Life services.

The viewing will be on Saturday July 13th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Oak Ridge Funeral Home, 2425 Havendale Blvd in Winter Haven.

The Celebration of Life along with Masonic and Eastern Star services will be on Thursday July 25th at 2:00pm also at the Oak Ridge Funeral Home in Winter Haven.

If you have any further questions please contact R:.W:. John R. Miller, DDGM at ddgm@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

An important announcement from Lakeland Lodge No. 91

The Spaghetti dinners for the months of June, July and August are CANCELLED.
                                                     Have a nice summer.

July Master Masons Association Meeting

The next meeting of the 21st Master Masons Association will be held on Wednesday July 17th at Lake Wales No. 242. The host lodge is Sebring Lodge No. 249.

Dinner will start at 6:30pm and meeting will start at 7:30pm.

Direct all question to MMA President John Bush at mma@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

District Deputy Grand Master Visit to Lakeland Lodge No. 91

            Pictured in the East at Lakeland Lodge No. 91, W:. Matthew Vaughn, R:.W:. John R. Miller,
       R:.W:. Roger Smith (Grand Junior Stewart), W:. Pearce Dreadin and Worshipful William Doolin.

Many thanks to the Worshipful Master and the brethren of Lakeland 91 for their extremely warm welcome to the District Deputy Grand Master John R. Miller and his committeemen at last night's official visit.

Widows Luncheon

Lake Wales Lodge No. 242 will be holding a Widows luncheon on July 17th at 12:00pm. For further information please contact us at office@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

Alas, My Brother

The following is from R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master of the 21st Masonic District posted on the 21st Master Masons Association Facebook page.

"Brethren - I just received this from Sister Farrow...

R:.W:. James Bockover.

Stephanie Bockover just called me from their cabin in NC. Jim died in his sleep last night. The family has not made any arrangements, Stephanie said the body will be transported back to Florida. Please pass the word on to anyone else not listed above. Please keep the family in your prayers and wait till contacted by the family. They are all in a state of shock this morning in their cabin in North Carolina.

Alas, My Brother"

I will posted further information such as funeral arrangements when I receive them from R:.W:. Miller or from the Bockover family.

Reminder: District Deputy Grand Master Official Visit at Lakeland Lodge No. 91

Brethren, as an important reminder R:.W:. John R. Miller, District Deputy Grand Master of the 21st Masonic District will be making an official visit on July 8th at Lakeland Lodge No. 91, 505 North Massachusetts Avenue in Lakeland. Dinner will be at 6:30pm and Stated Communication is at 7:30pm.

The general protocol for a DDGM official visit is that officers and lodge members wear Business Casual attire in the lodge room.

Lake Wales Lodge No. 242 Open House

Lake Wales Lodge No. 242 will be holding an open house on July 13th from 10:00am to 12:00pm.

If you have any questions please email us at office@21stmasonicdistrict.com.

R:.W:. John Miller surgery update

R:.W:. John Miller's surgery at Tampa General Hospital was successful, R:.W.:. John's wife Kimberly wrote on his Facebook page "The new battery is in, they are stitching his up and sending him to recovery." Speedy recovery sir.

Prayer request

Brethren, you are hereby asked to please keep R:.W:. John R. Miller our District Deputy Grand Master and his family in your prayers as he will be going in for surgery today.

A message from our District Deputy Grand Master R:.W:. John R. Miller

An important message from Lake Wales Lodge No. 242

Due to the Independence Day holiday there will be no degree practice on Thursday.

Fraternally,
Christopher Clifton, Worshipful Master Lakes Wales Lodge No. 242

Corinthian Lodge No. 191 Fellowcraft Degree

On July 11th Corinthian Lodge No. 191 will be hosting a Fellowcraft Degree to be held at Tuscan Lodge No. 6 in Bartow. Any lodges who have a Fellowcraft ready please contact W:. Anthony Pickren at anthonypickren@gmail.com or Henry Lamb, Secretary at rockyhl@aol.com. Fellowcrafts and Master Masons are welcome to attend.