Master's Letter December 2024

Dakota Legge

9:29 PM (2 hours ago)

to aaf

My Brothers,

I cannot believe we have made it to December and the lodge is still standing under my reign of terror. We have had such an amazing year and now we only have a few more important items to attend to. I want to thank each and every one of you for such an unforgettable year. I could not have done it without your help and support. I know my successor will receive the same support that you all have given to me. I am saddened that this is my last month (Weeks) as your worshipful master, but I know that Zevi will grow this lodge even better and more elegant.

December is a month of gathering whether with acquaintances, friends or family it is a time to celebrate. Celebrate the year we had, Celebrate the present. Celebrate the future. Yes, December is the start of winter but winter also brings so many things to celebrate. I want to leave this lodge with one message and one message only. Be kind to one another, help each other, and stay 262 strong.

I want to thank you all for everything, I cannot fathom a way to repay you for this amazing year. Have a wonderful holiday season and I hope to see you at one of our events.

Calendar:

11/20/2024 - Stocking Stuffer Event

12/04/2024 - Lodge of Sorrows

12/14/2024 - Installation of officers

12/19/2024 - Grotto Holiday Party

01/01/2025 - Tom & Jerry Party at Zal Gaz Grotto

Yours Truly,

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor- Fraternity #262

Master's Letter Nov 2024

Brothers,

I cannot believe we have already made it to November. This year has flown by and has had its fair share of ups and downs. I am very proud of this lodge and all the wonderful things we do. November is a month that I use as a recharge, whether it's getting out in Nature or surrounding myself with family. Whether you surround yourself with family by blood or the family you made along the way, it is always good to be with those you love. On the day before Thanksgiving we will be having our Master's Table at the Zal Gaz Grotto and that is a great time to reconnect with your brothers!

As we near the end of the year we have a few more important dates to wrap up the year.

11/6 - Regular and our Elections for 2025

11/20 - Special Charity Event: Putting stockings together for the Masonic Home. We need your help!

11/27 - Master's Table - Zal Gaz Grotto

12/4 - Regular and Lodge of Sorrows

12/14 - Installation of Officers

I hope to see you all there. Let's finish this year strong!

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Master's Letter October 2024

Brothers,

Another Month has come and gone. We welcomed a new Entered Apprentice into our folds as well as a few plural members! I am proud of all of you for that.

October means it is officially spooky season and the beginning of the holidays! I know these are very busy times these next few months but please do your best to make it to lodge because we still have work to get done and fellowship to have. 

This is probably a good area to talk about scary movies and how the villains are just misunderstood but sadly, I don't care for scary movies all that much so I would be making it up. If you feel like you are just misunderstood, a great way to work through that is not by creating a scary movie, it is by coming to lodge and relearning the principles of Masonry.

We have a very important month coming up. At our Regular we will be discussing the budget for next year so make sure you are there to vote on it. At the special, we will be raising a new Master Mason. Finally, we have a 5th wednesday this month that happens to be right next to Halloween so we will be doing our lodge certification.

For the Lodge Certification, I cannot stress this enough but it is going to be a costume dress code and yes jokes will be made if you decide to not show up in a costume. The only rules for the costumes are no hats and you must be able to wear your apron.

This is going to be a great month and I look forward to seeing all of you.

Calendar:

10/2: Regular Business Meeting

10/16: MM Degree

10/23: Master's Table

10/30: Lodge Certification and Costume Contest

Boo!

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor Fraternity #262

Master's Letter September 2024

Brothers,

Can you believe that Summer has come and gone so fast?!?!?! I hope you all had a wonderful time and enjoyed your break.

It is time to get back to work and back to lodge. September is known for a few things like back to school, National Sign up for a Library Card Month, and of course the beginning of my favorite season…Football.

Let’s try to take away a few things from what this month is known for. First is back to school, The students returning to their classes whether it’s their first day of Pre-K or they are starting a new semester of their PhD they are starting or renewing a routine and ritual. Likewise we are renewing our routine and ritual of coming to lodge and performing degrees to start new brothers on their Masonic Journey. This is a time to reflect on what we have learned in the past and check our goals for the year. This is also the time to start planning our goals for the future and settings the Lodge and ourselves up to do great things. It’s a chance to educate ourselves and learn from each other. It doesn’t matter if you are a new Mason or if you have been a Mason for 50 years, we always can learn something new or see something different in the ritual when we come to meetings and talk to each other.

National Sign Up for a Library Card Month is a great reminder to not only read about Masonic history but also read Anti-Masonic history because we should learn both sides or aspects in order to become our best self. The library is also a quiet place and we should take that as a place of introspection and meditation. Look within to guide your future and reflect on decisions and actions from the past. I highly recommend that you take the time to sign up or renew your library card from your local library because they have so much to offer other than books.

Last but certainly not least, we have the start of football season, We as a lodge are a team and we should practice our virtues and work together to overcome obstacles. More importantly we should work together to improve each other and the community around us. I feel so lucky to be apart of this lodge because it is comprised of the greatest Masons that I have ever known and we work together better than any fantasy football team I have ever drafted. Thank you all for your support not only of the lodge but of all the brothers and widows, it is truly inspiring.

I am so excited to be back at lodge with all of you and cannot wait to see you all for our first regular back on Wednesday, September 4th. Remember, these next few meeting are some of the most important of the year as they determine our plan for the future between NPDs, Budget, and Elections.

Calendar:

August 28th – Master’s Table at

September 4th – Business Meeting (Dinner at 6, Gavel at 7)

September 12th-15th – Walls of Honor in Hamburg

September 18th – Special (EA) (Dinner at 6, Gavel at 7)

September 25th – Master’s Table TBD

October 2nd – Business Meeting (Dinner at 6, Gavel at 7)

Fraternally,

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor-Fraternity #262

Master's Letter June 2024

Brothers,

Can you believe it is already June! It is crazy how time flies and the year is almost half over.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday the 5th - Regular Communication (Guest Speaker Joanna from the Moving Wall at dinner)

Friday the 14th - Flag Day

Wednesday the 19th - Juneteenth and Special

Saturday the 22nd - St. Johns Table Lodge (get your tickets now)

Wednesday the 26th - Master's Table

First, I would like to thank all of you for all the support I have received so far this year. It takes all of us to make this lodge run and I sure think it is a well oiled machine. 

When I think of June, I always think of June Bugs. One day they are here and then shortly after they have gone. I find this phenomenon happens in Masonry as well. What can we do to retain members? What can we do to help welcome them back? What would those members like to see done before they come back? It takes all of us to reach out and to those of you who made some of the brother to brother calls recently, I thank you. Think about the things that make you happy or excited to be at lodge and how we can expand on them and continue to improve.

I hope you all have a lot of wonderful plans for this summer and I hope to see you all real soon.

Fraternally,

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor Fraternity #262

Master's Letter May 2024

Brothers,

I want to start by saying I am sorry for not getting this to you earlier. Between family life and work trips, I haven't felt like I have had enough time for reflections and the ability to write this properly.

That being said, May is the Month of Better Sleep and Mental Health Awareness. I want to remind you all to not only look out for each other but I also want to make sure we all take time to help ourselves and just check in with ourselves. In the wise words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it."

This is also a reminder of MWB Dick Sand's Memorial on Saturday May 4th.

Also, If you have any thoughts on the amendments for the Grand Lodge Session feel free to reach out to me via email to voice your opinion.

Calendar Highlights:

May 1st Regular

May 13th-14th Grand Lodge Session
May 15th Practice or Lodge of Instruction
May 22nd Master’s Table

May 23rd Your Worshipful Master's Birthday...The BIG 3-0!
May 29th Extra Meeting (TBD final agenda at May Regular) Please send suggestions to Donald Wilson. Only suggestion so far is a smoker cook-off brotherhood event.
June 5th Regular

See you all in a few days,

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor-Fraternity #262

Lodge Charity in Action

On Wednesday April 3rd our Worshipful Master and Past Masters presented Peace Neighborhood Center in Ann Arbor with a check for $1,200.00 also pictured is Executive Director Bonnie Billup

Peace Neighborhood Center has piloted and maintained programs for children, families, and individuals to promote self-sufficiency and positive community involvement. We are proud to report that since 1971, we have provided critical services and opportunities to more than 18,000 people in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. Through a wide range of comprehensive programs, Peace helps people discover options, enhance skills, and make choices that promote education, health, well-being, and fiscal independence.

Our services include: advocacy, emergency assistance, after-school programs, summer day camps, college and career preparation, individual and family counseling, and family enrichment.

They are an important part of the Ann Arbor Community and it was our joy to offer assistance

Master's Letter April 2024

Wednesday Mar 27th Master's Table at Metzger's 7pm

Wednesday Apr 3rd Regular Communication

Monday Apr 8th Solar Eclipse
Wednesday Apr 17th FC Practice
Saturday Apr 20th FC Degree at Detroit Masonic Temple
Sunday Apr 21st - Tuesday Apr 23rd MWPHGL in Kalamazoo
Wednesday Apr 24th Master’s Table at Grizzly Peak 7pm

Happy Almost April Brothers!

This Year is flying by and we have much to do!

I hope you all take time this month to go outside and make the world a better place. You can meet new people, help someone out, or simply plant a seed. There is always something we can do to try and improve and with Earth Day and Arbor Day both being in April, we should seize the opportunity to improve the world around us. We have our yearly trip down to the Detroit Masonic Temple for a Fellowcraft degree on April 20th. I am always excited to switch things up so that we don't get stuck in the same old routine. This master's Letter is shorter than usual but I want to make sure to remind you all to be nice to people and help out the planet because you could be the reason someone has a good day today. I appreciate all of you and hope to see you this month.

Fraternally,

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Arbor-Fraternity #262

Master's Letter March 2024

March is upon us! It is crazy how fast this year has flown by.

Calendar Highlights:

2/28 – Master’s Table at Blue Tractor

3/1 – Check Presentation at Hope Clinic 4pm. (518 Harriet St Ypsilanti, MI 48197)

3/6 – Regular Communication

3/16 – Past Master’s Roast (Buy your tickets here)

3/20 – Special Communication

3/27 – Master’s Table (TBD)

March is a very interesting month. March is war. March is a new beginning. March is luck. March is named after the Roman god of war, Mars, but I like to think of March as a fresh start. March is the month we associate with the beginning of spring. As this is a new beginning in nature, we should also look inside to see if we need a fresh start. Whether that’s a new routine, a new hobby, or a new book, we should use this opportunity to improve ourselves and shake off any of those New Year’s resolutions that we already forgot about.

March is also associated with luck. We will definitely need luck to make it through Daylight Savings time (March 10) or maybe your favorite team needs that luck for their run during March Madness. I feel the need to make some profound statement or quote about luck here… “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Panda Express Fortune Cookie.

I hope to see you all at our events this month!

Dakota Legge

Worshipful Master

Ann Abor Masons Raise over $700 for charity.

On Saturday February 10th Ann Arbor Fraternity Lodge had a booth at the Shrine Sportsman Raffle in Novi.  Worshipful Master Dakota Legge, Senior Warden Zevi Bareket, and Past Master Eric Bettner used the booth to run a raffle for the lodge’s charity efforts.  With raffle tickets and a brand-new chainsaw in hand we raised just over $700 for Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti.  Hope Clinic not only functions as a food bank, but also provides dental, physical, and mental services for people in Washtenaw County and beyond.