Odd Fellowship has a long, proud history in the state of Texas, dating back to Lone Star Lodge No. 1 in Houston, the first lodge chartered outside the United States by the IOOF, in 1845, before Texas joined the union. A big part of that history was San Antonio Lodge No. 11, only a few steps away from the Alamo, the cradle of Texan independence. On April 11th, San Antonio Lodge No. 11 was rechartered by the Grand Lodge of Texas with eleven members. Brother Daniel McGittrick joined us to preview the reinstitution of the lodge and give us the story of how it came to be as well as how the process worked for it to happen. The Shoutout goes to *ANOTHER* new Encampment, this time Peoria No. 3 of Illinois. Unlike many of the recent new Encampments, this one was spearheaded by older members who wanted to have their own Encampment to help support the Patriarchs Militant. In the Shoutout, Toby gives an update on how the progressive Degrees are going in his associate lodge; Ainslie shares the cycle of Odd Fellowship he experienced participating as Noble Grand in the Funeral Ceremony and then, later in the day, attending a Degree Rally; Meredith gives props to the new Grand Master of Texas, Jason Ottwell, for performing the Installation of Officers for Dallas No. 44 the same day he was installed as Grand Master; and Daniel thanks three important Odd Fellows in Texas for their assistance and support of the recent growth: Charles Stephenson, John Woolsey, and Bruce Wayne Smith. Special music for this episode was recorded by Toby Hanson.

Pine Island, Minnesota is the kind of idyllic Midwestern farm town that most people picture when they think of anywhere in the middle of the country: friendly people, a strong sense of community, and civic pride. The town also had one other fixture that used to be common in every little town in the Midwest: an Odd Fellows lodge. Unfortunately, the lodge had fallen on hard times. Membership was low and the building was falling apart. Evan Goranson and David Friese stepped in about a year and a half ago and started turning things around. Sometimes that job was fun and easy, like getting people interested in sorting through old treasures in the building. Sometimes it was more of a challenge than they wanted, like dealing with a leaking toilet. Through it all, the lodge is prospering and starting to grow, having reconnected with its community. The progress is significant and shows that with the right combination of new members, guidance from the Grand Lodge, and a can-do attitude, a lodge can be revived and start to thrive. The Shoutout goes to a new lodge in Tennessee, Crockett Hall Lodge #59. In this episode's Odd Podge, Meredith previews a special parade inclusion for the upcoming Pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Ainslie shares another somber memorial service in Illinois, Evan expresses excitement for the first day over 70 degrees Farenheit for Minnesota and Wisconsin, David expresses gratitude both for the nine candidates poised to join his lodge and for being able to talk about it on the podcast, and Toby recounts his conversation with a Chief Patriarch about how to make his Encampment more interesting for its members.

Coulterville, California is a relic of the Gold Rush; a small mountain community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. There are 110 residents of the town, which is situated at the crossroads of two state highways that take tourists to and from mountain tourist attractions like Yosemite National Park. Like so many other towns of the Old West, Coulterville has an Odd Fellows Lodge, but one that was on the verge of closing. Just when it seemed like the lodge was about to join so many other Gold Rush-era lodges in the history books, along came Erica Wolfsen, a multi-generational resident of Coulterville, and Willow Polson, her friend and partner in reviving the lodge. When they joined, rumors were swirling around the town that the lodge couldn't afford to stay open. They both stepped up and found ways to make the lodge an essential part of the community again and membership has rebounded as a result. They tell us the story of what they did and how they did it. Spoiler alert: it involves getting active and holding events in the community. The Shoutout goes to another re-chartered lodge, this time San Antonio No. 11 in Texas. In the Odd Podge, Erica raves about the inspiring speech Grand Master of California Rita Cooper gave at her recent visitation, Willow shares her happiness with the recent membership gains, Toby talks about the new plan his associate lodge has adopted to bring members in more gradually, and Ainslie previews the sad but rewarding duty of tending to a member at the end of his life.