Greetings to all from the Office of the Recorder!!
As I write this, it is the beginning of day 6 of the Fez-Tival of Trees. It has been fantastic!! Lots of smiling faces on the visitors and the volunteers, both of which make this event possible. We should be so thankful for the work everyone has done to make this 25th event such a success for Bektash. If trends continue, we are hopeful that this will be another good year for the Fez-Tival!!
An addition this year is the decoration of our front lawn area. Lights, Santa, music, it really puts you in the Fez-tive mood!! Thanks to OG Jim Geas and his son for a job well done!!
And once inside, well, it never ceases to amaze me the creativity of the folks that donate these magnificent trees. And their generosity!! The gifts this year are also amazing!! I am quite sure that if you visited you too were impressed.
On to the update!!
What a great time in North Conway for the Tri Vis!! 11 Shrine Temples were represented!! The weather cooperated too!! Ladies got to shop. The guys got to play golf. And time to relax!! How could you go wrong!! Can’t wait for next years event!!
This past month we have accomplished a lot here at Bektash.
Our glitches with the migration to the cloud based system have been, for the most part, rectified. We continue to find issues that need to be addressed however. I am pleased to report that with the help of many, to include Noble Dan Salo, we are getting there. Thanks so much to everyone involved in this project. All of these actions will make our IT systems here at Bektash more efficient, secure, and user friendly for us.
Another project that has been upgraded and will be fully functional shortly is our access control and video systems. In consultation with our provider, we ascertained that some of the hardware in this area could potentially have been compromised and the possibility of unauthorized access to systems appears to have occurred.
Back when initially installed, the video system was good, however, there were some areas of concern with video coverage. Couple that with the hardware itself no longer being viable in that some components were manufactured in China, and this is no longer acceptable practice per the U S government. Information potentially here too could be or has already been accessed but with the changes we are making, this will not be the case any longer.
The actual building repair of the façade has not begun as of yet. We are awaiting the delivery of the materials and once this occurs, the project will commence. This could be as early as the Monday post Fez-Tival.
We continue to receive dues payments. Thank you all for your diligence in getting these to us. There are still a few outstanding and, as we have reported in the past, if you are having issues, PLEASE, reach out to us. There are avenues where we can help.
New dues cards have begun to trickle out from Tampa for those that have paid. Please keep an eye out for yours!!
Nobles and Shrine Ladies! December 15th is the Annual Stated Meeting. For the Nobles, the most important business of the evening will be the election of your slate of officers for 2026. Please make every effort to attend as along with the aforementioned voting, the presentation of next year’s budget and the ongoing business of your Shrine will be presented and discussed. There will also be several presentations highlighting our members and significant milestones. Light fare will be available prior to the meeting for all to enjoy!!
On December 13th our Holiday Gala will occur!! Information on this event is contained in this issue!! Please plan on attending and having a great evening of food, fellowship, and fun!!
And on Sunday morning December 14th the Bektash Chef’s will be at it again for another “Sunday Morning Breakfast” at Bektash Shrine!!
A truly busy weekend culminating with the Annual Stated Meeting!!
As I conclude these remarks, I am hoping that you all have had a very Happy Thanksgiving! Time with family and friends must be cherished. And I wish to also thank you all for your continued support as your Recorder. It has been my honor to serve you all and I look forward to, if called upon again, serving YOU.
Wishing you all the best!!
Fraternally,
Lloyd Doughty, PP