Another Minnesota Revival

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.