It’s been a busy month for Bektash. We’ve had a couple of our Divan leaders attend seminars in Tampa, Florida. These seminars are an important addition to learning the responsibilities encompassed with the elected positions. Later this month, there will be another joint seminar for the Treasurer and Recorder. Yes, Lloyd Doughty and I will be sitting together for three days learning the ins and outs of our respective offices. Should be a fun learning experience for us both.
Progress continues submitting information to our CPA for the yearly financial audit in 2024. It seems just when we see the light at the end of the tunnel, something else comes up that needs to be dealt with. Your Divan team has been vigilantly addressing each requirement aggressively. Hopefully, by the end of this month, we can say we’re finished and get on with the more “funner” things in the Shrine.
Assistant Rabban Ken Thoroughgood and I attempted to replace the rope on one of the flag poles in the front of the building. We have a new style rope with a metal wire in the middle of it to prevent breakage and stretching. After successfully restringing the pole with the Shrine flag on it, we had 50 MPH winds the next day. The rope held up perfectly, but my knot tying unfortunately did not. The half-untied flag was flapping madly in the wind. Went home, got a 20 ft. extension pole, duct taped a metal coat hanger to the end and managed to get the flag down from its precarious position. I then properly retied the rope with a good bowline knot. Hasn’t come off the pole since. Happy days! Now we’ve got to replace the rope on the other three poles as the old flags wear out.
Four of the Divan members will be attending the Midwinter Northeast Shrine Association meeting in Ottawa this month. This is a planning session for the Fall Field Days, like we had last year in August. We’ll be laying out the plans for a parade, competitions, and meetings with hotels for those nobles and families attending in the fall. It’s always fun to get together with the 15 other Shrine Temples to renew old friendships and catch up on new ideas presented during the weekend. Hopefully, we can get a group of Nobles and their families to join us in Ottawa on September 19-22. Check your passports to make sure they’re up to date!
The repairs to the entrance at the back of the hall have been completed after the snowplow incident. The contractor did a good job and the doors now open and close without any extra effort. We are waiting for the new awning to arrive and be installed. Then we can close the books on this issue!
If you and your unit would contribute an article to the Bektash News, it would be wonderful. A picture and a quick write up will go a long way. If you have any questions about submitting information, just give me a call in the office. We’re always glad to assist you.
That’s all for now…It’s great to be a Shriner!
Tom Brison, PP, Recorder