Weed Lodge #1269

2024 opened with the commemoration of our actual 100th anniversary on January 6. We are proud to be the third oldest lodge in CA – 1924-2024. More information is included in this article.

Like most lodges, our Crab Dinner was in February when we served the freshest all-you-can-eat crab to a very lively and hungry crowd! It was a fun night with our community.

The Weed Lumber Museum schedules a fundraising event for the second Saturday of March each year. They sell tickets but contract with us to cater the dinner – ravioli and roasted chicken. It’s been a few years since we were filled to our maximum capacity, and it was awesome to see! It’s a special evening when two of the oldest organizations, the Weed Lodge and the Weed Museum, collaborate to bring back “a night like the good ole’ days” to our town.

April will not only bring Spring but our 100th Anniversary Celebration on April 13. The committee has been planning since September of 2023 and we are excited to highlight our Lodge. “Save the Date” postcards were sent in December 2023 and invitations the first week of March. All Grand Lodge officers, filial lodges, our membership, local businesses, and officials of the City of Weed were included in our guest list. If we missed you and you are interested in attending, let us know ASAP. Please return the RSVP card even if you are not coming. We can then plan more accurately.

At our celebration, we will recognize all members with Anniversary Certificates, while others are due for membership pins. Five members will receive 25+ year pins, eleven will accept 35+ year pins, and five members will be honored with 50+ year pins – Bertilla and Melvin Dawson, 64 years; Larry Dalin, 64 years; John Soletti, 52 years; and Adele Delgado, 50 years. That’s awesome!

We’re happy to have new members join us over the past months. Nancy and David Irvine, Frank and Lynn DeBortoli, and most recently, Brendan and Sariya “Yammy” Butler. Their son, Mossie, a student at Weed High School, is the first junior member we’ve had for a very long time. The Butler family includes a foreign exchange student from Spain for the school year, Alvaro Barrajo. He attends meetings and events with them, so we chose to recognize him as an honorary junior member for his time in Weed. We may even learn some Spanish!

We also welcome three new trustees as officers for the remainder of this year – Alan Shoemaker, Nancy Irvine, and Tom Mulvihill.

At our February meeting, the charter was draped, and a moment of silence offered in memory of our Brother Robert Glenn Rizzo. Glenn grew up in Weed and was a 26 year member. His wife, Sharon, and sister Margaret are both Weed Lodge members.

We have added a new feature to our regular meetings which we call “Italian Culture – 15 Minutes of Fame.” A member presents an area of interest after all business has been discussed. We’ve had stories about growing up Italian in Weed, genealogy charts and pictures, and wine tasting. We learn a little more about one another and are entertained.

We’ll be sharing more about our Anniversary Celebration in the next article. We know it will be a special evening for Weed Lodge #1269.

Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day. “Everyone is a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, except Italians. We’re still Italian!”

Happy Easter!

Ciao from Weed Lodge #1269.