By the Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin, Brother Jeff Schoenfeldt
Remember back in elementary school, that first day back in class after the long summer break, our teachers would have us write an essay on what we did during the past three months?
We would recollect our summer vacations – time spent at the beach or maybe a trip down to Great America. Or the more regular meetings with friends on our bikes and riding around aimlessly until the streetlights came on and we had to get home. Or camping in the backyard, making s’mores, telling ghost stories, and gazing up at the endless stars.
As I look back on the first two and a half months of serving as Grand Master, I’d have a really hard time picking out just one or two highlights of the over 30 events that I participated in. But there’s one common thread that binds them all together: Brotherly Love.
The Waukesha Festival of Meats was also a festival of Brotherhood. The menu was unbelievable (bear, venison, beef, pork, escargot, baked salmon, and this magical creation they called “bacon dip”) but even more amazing was the genuine closeness of the Brethren in this Lodge – you can tell they meet up every week!
Shriner Imperial Session in Atlanta, Georgia was an awesome opportunity to learn more about all of the great things that Shriners Children’s Hospitals do! The 34 Grand Masters present also met for nearly 6 hours to discuss the issues facing Freemasonry in all of our states. Moreover, it was a BLAST to ride on Brother Steve Livernash’s steam punk time machine float through the streets of Atlanta in the Imperial Shrine Parade!
The Fifth Annual Widows Sons Grand Master’s Charity Ride was so much fun! We started with a ride through Three Pillars in Dousman and then rode up to Holy Hill, down through Lake Country, nearly to Burlington and back – over 150 miles! We had so much fun along the way that my face literally hurt from laughing!
My wife, Janelle, and I walked in the Crivitz Fourth of July Parade representing Crivitz and Marinette Masonic Lodges. Those two team up on a lot of Lodge activities and public events – and they have an incredible parade float that mirrors a Lodge room.
A couple of months before I became Grand Master, Brother Tim Elliott invited me to the Beloit Summer Pig Roast, an annual tradition in their Lodge, with proceeds going towards cancer research. I attended to support the Lodge and their endeavors – but also ended up getting a fascinating tour of their huge Lodge building and hearing some of the stories of the ghosts who inhabit their facility.
The All-Masonic Picnic at Bay Beach in Green Bay was such a great event to see Brothers and their families from all around Northeast Wisconsin in a casual, fun atmosphere!
I also made a stop at the Oshkosh Lodge Brat Stand at Festival Foods in Oshkosh for their Oktoberfest bratwurst – they were incredible! It was also great to catch up with the Brothers and hear all of the great things they have planned!
The Wisconsin State Fair has been a tradition in my family my entire life – and I love how the event showcases all of the things that make Wisconsin great! So it just makes sense to include Wisconsin Freemasonry to help celebrate what we do and raise public awareness of our fraternity. We saw a spike in traffic to our website and in the number of interest forms filled out online just because we had a small booth and a handful of Brothers reminding people of our relevance in their communities!
I would also like to congratulate Damascus Lodge on their 120th Anniversary, Waterloo Lodge on their 170th, Dousman Freemasons on the 100th anniversary of their Lodge building, and Fort Winnebago Lodge in Portage on their 175th – and thank you all for having me be a part of your special celebrations!
No matter what corner of the state I have been in recently, I’m proud to see Wisconsin Freemasons engaged in activities of friendship and Brotherly Love – keep being the good in the world!
