From the East,
Welcome to 2026. I’m hoping this message finds you well and ready for the new year. The new
officer corps has been installed and is ready to get started. We have a few new officers in the
line this year and we are grateful to have them onboard. This month our schedual is full. We
begin with the stated meeting on the 8 th , then we will be rehearsing the first degree to get
ready to welcome an entered apprentice mason into the lodge on the 29 th . We will begin with
dinner at 5:30 and confer the degree at 7pm. I hope you can join us in welcoming our newest
member.
At the installation of officers I began the year with a poem id like to share with you. It was
written by Robert Lee Sharpe and its title is “A bag of tools”.
“Isn’t it strange
That Princes and Kings
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings
And regular folks
Like you and me
Are builders of eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools
A shapeless mass
And a book of rules
And each must build
Before life has flown
A stumbling block
Or a stepping stone.”
We are well on our way to building a pathway of stepping stones. See you at Lodge
Bill McBroome
Master Humboldt 79

In “Building Bridges to the Masonic Family” let’s see from our Masonic Tool kit what we have to work with.  As with all plans, ours are flexible and right now I personally have some catching up to do.  December started well and attended the Job’s Installation on the 14^th and multiple first meeting practices. We went to the Masonic Christmas party which had lots of kids and adults.  Talked to a few new Masons ladies which was fun.  Many don’t realize that Eastern Star exists for the ladies.    The Worthy Patron, Michael Biesen, attended the Humboldt Lodge Installation, being installed as Tyler. Camellia Star  is going to be expanding and planning out new and existing activities as the year progresses.  I personally wasn’t able to attend the Installation for Humboldt 79, but will catch up.   Several of our members serve on the Rainbow Advisory Board and there is a big Sleep Over for the Rainbow Girls Dec. 31. Movies, games and food are inorder. Our bridges exist throughout the Eastern Star Chapters, and I do try to attend their meetings and help-out.  In January I will assist Rhonerville-.Redwoods #76 with an installation and servicing as a Star-Point.

Our January Camellia Star Meeting is January 7^th with refreshments before the meeting, so 7ish.  The Meeting starts at 7:30pm.  The Theme is Legoman Day to celebrate on of the Worthy Patrons Emblems with a Construction theme.  Bring your Glam work vest and hard hat or what is project attire or Business Casual. Mostly, we appreciate people starting out their new year with Camellia Star and letting us know what you are doing.  Feel free to call Laird or Michael B. 

Hello everyone! Our bethel would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year!

December was filled with many spirited and festive activities. Many big Jobie thank YOUs to all who purchased fresh lasagnas and personalized coasters and helped make these two fundraisers successful. The funds raised help us Daughters go to Grand Bethel and Leadership camp as well as many other fun service activities throughout the year. So, thank you for supporting our growth! You will want to mark your calendars and be on the lookout for our Ulster Fry breakfast fundraiser already on the books for March 14th!

It was such fun for our members to wrap gifts and then help Santa hand them out at Humboldt Lodge’s Christmas party this month. We had a great time as elves helping Santa find the perfect gift for all the children that came!  We are glad we could help.

Bethel 86 teamed up with Sequoia Park’s Ivy League and brought members of Humboldt lodge 79 and Six Rivers lodge 106 to spend the morning pulling ivy away from the trees of Sequoia Park & Zoo! We love our tall Sequoia redwood trees and want to help keep the ivy away! More big Jobie thank YOUs to those that joined to support our efforts and pull ivy! Many of us felt so good we are thinking about doing it again soon!

The following day our Bethel had its 192nd installation of bethel officers. It was a sweet Alice in Wonderland themed tea party! It was such a fun afternoon surrounded by Masonic friends and family! Huge Jobie thank yous to everyone who came to witness the installation!  This terms officers include: Logan P. Honored Queen, Lilith G. Treasurer, & Carla R. 2nd Messenger!

This new term, we are looking forward to having fun, learning new skills, and making new friends! We are looking forward to getting out and giving back to our community this term. Bethel No. 86 meets in Eureka at the Humboldt Masonic Hall on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month.  Our first meeting of the new year will be Jan 5th at 7PM.  If you have a daughter, a niece, or a neighbor that might be interested, email the bethel at Bethel86@cajdi.org and bring her to a meeting.  Hope to see you at our meetings and out in the community with us!

Logan P., Aubrey A., Lilith G., and Mrs. Glass wrap presents for Santa at Humboldt Lodge’s Christmas party.

Members and friends from Bethel 86, Humboldt lodge 79, and Six Rivers lodge 106 get ready to pull the invasive ivy away from the trees of Sequoia Park!

Lilith G., Carla R., Mrs. Pollard, Mrs. Hansen, along with a friend pull out and bag Ivy at Sequoia Park. 

Bethel No. 86’s 192nd installation of bethel officers!

Jobie Love,
Logan Pollard
Honored Queen
Bethel No. 86

Brethren,

Happy New Year to you all.

As your newly debunked Junior Past Master (turns out the gavel doesn’t come with a cape), I want to thank you for a year filled with fellowship, ritual, charity, and brotherhood. It’s been an honor serving alongside each of you—even if I still can’t remember when to stand or sit in the East.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t shine a spotlight on Brother William Lambo, despite his best efforts to avoid it. Brother Lambo continues his many years of dedicated service as our Secretary, keeping our charter in good standing while remaining nearly invisible. Your stealth skills are impressive, Brother Lambo, but we see you, and we deeply appreciate your ongoing commitment to our lodge.

On a less exciting note: if you are a signer on the lodge account, anticipate a call from the bank. Please make arrangements to sign your authorization cards as soon as possible. I promise it’s less painful than a proficiency exam.

Fraternally yours,

Davin Bowerman, Junior Past Master (Emeritus of Confusion)

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and a happy new year. We are going to have a dual installation with Ferndale lodge in Ferndale, on January 11th at 2:00. This is an open installation, so the public is invited.  Ted Lichti will be installed as master of Eel River, and Larry Nicholson will be installed as master of Ferndale.    

Ted Lichti w.m.

End of Summer already, and the “BER” months are upon us!

Our August meeting was a short ante-room meeting and then a very special Game Show Night!  Brother Michael set up for our own version of the game show “Match Game” that was so popular in the 70s and apparently is back on TV now!  He came up with questions and prizes, and we all had a great time!  Thank you, Brother Michael, for that fun and unique event!

For those of you who missed it, the District had a Summer Paint and Sip event in Fortuna on August 10.  We all painted a picture of hot air balloons floating above a setting sun.  While most of us made pine or redwood trees, Brother Chris went his own way with palm trees!  Thank you, Sister Janessa, for putting that together.  It was a lot of fun, and several members are hoping we do it again soon!

August 13 was Youth Night in Ferndale.  The Job’s Daughters explained the meaning behind the design of their Bethel robes.  The Rainbow girls shared their favorite things about Rainbow – even the girl who had only been a member for 9 days!  And then Ferndale Chapter put on a special ceremony with the Star Points explaining their positions and lessons in Star, a ceremony that got the youth to participate as well.  It was a lovely evening, and a lot of thought went into the special ceremony Star did for the youth.  Thank you, Sister Liz, for organizing that event.

The following evening was a special honor night for Sister Karen, Grand Representative to West Virginia.  She had said she did not want a reception or a fuss made, so the honor night was a special surprise event that she knew nothing about in advance.  It was also Friendship Night for Rohnerville-Redwood Chapter with a pulled pork/pulled chicken dinner for all to enjoy.  Thank you, Sister Christie, for planning that event and inviting us to join in!

Camellia Star’s next meeting is on September 3 with the theme of “Number Please” for Telephone Tuesday (the day after Labor Day).  It is also our school supply drive.  Please bring whatever school supplies you can and place them in the East prior to the meeting.  They will be donated to Alice Birney School, which was the consensus at our last meeting when asked what school we wanted to support this year.  The attire for September’s meeting is Business — ladies wear a “suit (skirt or pants), nice dress, nice pants and top, jacket optional,” and gentlemen wear a “suit with tie.”   We will do short form.  Refreshments will be at 7:00; meeting at 7:30.

Our October 1 meeting was scheduled to be a “Let’s Do a Project” meeting for National Do Something Nice Day and World Card Making Day, both on October 5.  Sister Joni discovered she will not be able to attend that meeting, however, so asked how people felt about doing the card-making project she had planned, and people seemed to want to do it anyway.  So Sister Joni will provide the project packet to someone so the cards can be made.  You can use these cards however you please – keep it, send it to a friend or family member, send it to a Sister or Brother who is house-bound or who lives far away and cannot participate in our meetings… your choice.  The main thing is to have fun making the cards and then sharing them however you wish.  The refreshments and attire for the evening will be left up to Brother Michael and Sister Laird.  Please be at the Lodge by 6:45 to have time to make the cards before the 7:30 meeting.

Our October meeting is also elections.  Sister Laird will be presiding that evening, and she and Brother Michael will run the elections.  If you plan to run for an elected office, please remember to have your paper on the dais before the meeting stating what office you intend to run for and having two members of our Chapter sign the paper as well.  Sorry I will miss this meeting, but I will be in Washington with my sisters laying our father to rest.

Finally, our last meeting of this term is November 5 and will be themed “Thanks for the Memories.”  We will (voluntarily) share especially special memories made with our Eastern Star Sisters and Brothers.  The attire will be semi-formal.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our September meeting.  Remember, officers, if you cannot make it, please let me know.  We need a quorum, so do your best to be there!  Thank you!   

Star Love –

Joni L. Hewston, WM

Michael Biesen, WP

PHOTOS of the Paint and Sip, Ferndale Youth Night, and Sister Karen’s Honor Night

Brethren,

July has been a month of quiet diligence and meaningful connection. On July 10th, we conferred the Third Degree on Brother Stillinger. His steady progress through the degrees is a reminder of the journey we all share in the Craft. Thank you to all who made the degree a success, especially our newest officer team.

Fellowship this month took on a relaxed form with informal Thursday night dinners. From stuffed pork loin to taco night, the dining hall has been filled with laughter, stories, and brotherhood. If you haven’t joined us lately, you’re missed.

Our charitable work continues through preparation—our school outreach team is organizing fall support for local teachers, and we encourage Brothers to suggest worthy causes that reflect our shared values.

Together, we are building something greater than ourselves—one evening, one handshake, and one good work at a time.

Fraternally,

Davin Bowerman, WM

Humboldt Lodge No. 79

Summer greetings to you all,

It has been an active summer after returning from Grand Bethel at the end of June.  Our bethel joined the Shriners in Ferndale for their 4th of July parade, which is always a fun time to connect with more groups! The Bethel went to see How to Train Your Dragon in Eureka, as a fun activity.  It was such a cute live-action movie, and a great way to stay connected while we go dark for the summer!  Later in July, we headed down to California Job’s Daughters Day at the state fair.  For summertime in Sacramento, the heat was mostly bearable and only got up to 95F or so, which was a blessing as it can get BAD there! Thank goodness for A/C and pools!  As we write this, some are also at Job’s Daughters Supreme session in Glendale, AZ, braving the heat to represent us.  It will be exciting to hear of their travels when they arrive back the beautiful Humboldt fog!!

Looking further ahead, we are heading down to Ukiah for a picnic with our Grand Guardian and Bethel No. 106 on Aug 3rd.  The following week we will be presenting to Ferndale’s Order of the Eastern Star during their open meeting on the 13th.  And, we head down to the Miss Cal Pageant for a fancy dinner and get to listen to some empowering and motivating Job’s Daughters speakers, which is always such a great event to be at! We will find out who will be our new Miss California Job’s Daughter there. The following day some will be celebrating our Grand Director of Music with Bethel No. 15 Richmond.

If you have a daughter, granddaughter, niece, or neighbor who is between the ages of 9 and 20, we invite you and them to our next business meeting on September 15th at 7PM at the Humboldt Masonic Center in Eureka.  She will meet new friends, have new experiences, and gain unmeasurable knowledge. California Jobs Daughters is a safe place for girls to bloom into confident women.  Girls learn valuable leadership skills in our meetings, service activities, and charitable events.  If you know someone who might be interested, please have them contact the Bethel Guardian, Leia Pollard at Bethel No. 86 Eureka’s email bethel86@cajdi.org.

Jobie love,
Logan P. HQ
Bethel No. 86

Sisters and Brothers as we get ready to close out another month let us reflect on our July activities. July 9th meeting was Brothers night, and our WP Larry Nicholson presided over the meeting, except for ritual which was done by PM Patti Cady as our worthy matron Liz was attending to some family matters. We also had our annual aebleskiver breakfast, which was well attended despite the new location. I believe we made around $1500.00 in profit. It was delicious as always! The district also had its annual King of Hearts Lee Astorino Tea on July 20th also well attended by even a few nonmembers. They raised about $1000.00 for the Eastern Star Outreach Program that was near and dear to Brother Lee. Some of the members of District one traveled to San Francisco to attend the DGD Heather Currys honor and Triva Night. Such a fun time! This money was raised for the WGM &WGP Project Bradys K-9 and also there were lots of donations for the pet shelter in her area. ( See picture below.)

Our next meeting is August 13th and will be a short form meeting allowing time for the youth groups to give presentations.

Remember to reach out to your sisters and brothers who might need a kind word, a hug or just a phone call.

Elizabeth Carter Lorig WM
Larry Nicholson WP

We hope your summer is going well, everyone!  

At our June meeting we got everything done for our Deputy’s Official Visit.  Thank you, Sister Helene, for all your assistance and wisdom!  Associate Conductress Salena did great with all the parts she had to do in one night! It was lovely to have Sister Karen play piano for us.  And a great big thank you to everyone who came to the meeting.  We made our quorum (just barely) and had several visitors on the sidelines to make our Friendship Night special!  Thank you, everyone!

On July 20 was the 1st Annual Lee Astorino Memorial Tea and silent auction to benefit the OES Outreach.  Sister Deborah “Deb” Winn, PM, Director of Marketing at the SLC came up from Southern California to speak about the Outreach.  There were approximately 28 present to enjoy the scrumptious treats and bid on the several baskets.  Thank you to everyone who participated!   

Next meeting is August 6 and is Game Show Night!  Brother Michael has come up with the theme and plan for this meeting.  We will have an anteroom meeting and then we will participate in our own game show(s)!  Attire is casual.  Refreshments are at 7:00.  Brief anteroom meeting is at 7:30.  Game show to happen immediately thereafter!  I hope you will all be there to join in the fun!  (I believe I heard there might be prizes involved!)

August 10 is a District 1 Summer Paint and Sip event at Fortuna Lodge at 1:00 p.m.  The cost is $25 per person.  Snacks will be provided.  Bring your favorite drink to share (alcoholic or not).  All friends and family of Eastern Star Members are invited to enjoy this event with us!  You need to R.S.V.P. to Sister Janessa so she knows how many are coming and can plan accordingly.  Thank you to Janessa for putting this together!  It should be a lot of fun!

Our September 3 meeting will be themed “Number Please” for Telephone Tuesday.  It will also be our school supply drive.  Please bring whatever school supplies you can manage to the September meeting, and we will donate them to one of the schools here in Eureka.  Meeting will be short form.  Attire will be Business, which means ladies wear a “suit (skirt or pants), nice dress, nice pants and top, jacket optional,” and gentlemen wear a “suit with tie.”

On October 1, Let’s Do a Project!  National Do Something Nice Day and World Card Making Day are both on October 5, so let’s celebrate both and do a project together before the meeting!  Please be at the Lodge by 6:45 so we can get a project done prior to the meeting at 7:30.

Grand Chapter this year is October 15-18 in Visalia.  It is not too soon to start thinking about attending this year’s state convention.  If you have not been before, it is definitely quite the experience!

November 5 will be “Thanks for the Memories” and sharing of especially special memories made with our Eastern Star Sisters and Brothers.

Star love,

Joni L. Hewston, WM
Michael Biesen, WP

PHOTOS:  Lee’s “Professor Tea” hat and flowers from his garden
and  Deborah Winn talking about the OES Outreach