Hello, again, everyone!
    This has certainly been a busy summer!
     We had a very nice gathering on June 15 to present Sister Peggy Mecham-Carlotti with her 50-year certificate and a pin that is special to her – her mother/Sister Flora’s 50-year pin!  Worthy Matron Joni and Worthy Patron Lee started things off, and then Sister Karen Parlato read a special poem Sister Peggy had found before she presented Sister Peggy the pin and certificate.  A lunch and fellowship followed.  Thank you to all who came to help celebrate this special day.  As Sister Peggy says, “Friends are the flowers in the garden of life!”

    Sister Joni and Brother Lee were in process of putting together prizes for the Humboldt County Library’s Summer Reading Program to present to the Library, along with a monetary donation toward more books and supplies for the Library.  They did have a date to go shopping for prizes; however, that got derailed when Brother Lee ended up in the hospital with a nasty infection.  And then went back into the hospital later, and is still there as of the writing of this article (July 21).  He is in the ICU.  Lee’s advice is never to do your gardening without your gloves.  This whole mess started with a spider bite while he was gardening bare-handed.  

    Our Friendship Night was on July 3 with a theme of “Hats Off to American Heroes!”  Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a special night.  Thank you to Sisters Alice and Peggy for the refreshments before the meeting – they were delicious!  For those who did not make it to the meeting due to back issues, ill, health, etc., we missed you and hope you are feeling better by now!

    July 14, 2024, was the District-wide fundraiser Afternoon Tea to benefit Paws for Purple Hearts at the Humboldt Masonic Lodge in Eureka.  Sister Terri Ewing, Past Grand Matron, was our special guest and speaker.  There was also a silent auction, and Sister Christie Smith made adorable purple paws available for a donation of $10+.  The afternoon went very well, and we raised over $1,300 plus we received a generous donation of an additional $1,000!  Thank you to all who attended and all who helped!  Also thank you to the Job’s Daughters for assisting, keeping hot water on the tables, etc.

    It was sad and unfortunate that Brother Lee could not attend the tea as he had gone into the hospital for the second time the Thursday before.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and perhaps send him a card letting him know you are thinking about him.  This hospital stay has not been fun for all the usual reasons, but in Lee’s case, he is a “social animal” cut off from so many of his friends.

    Coming up on the calendar:    
    The plan for our August meeting is a potluck at 6:30 p.m.  Sister Liz will provide hot dogs and buns, and the rest of us should bring condiments and side dishes to complement the hot dogs.  After supper will be an ante room meeting and a board game night.  Please bring simple easy-to-learn board games so we can all have a lovely time together!   While the August evening is mostly about the fun, we do still need a quorum to be able to conduct business, so it is important for all members who can to be at that meeting!

    Please keep in mind we will have a school supplies drive at our September meeting.  Please collect school supplies to bring in September.  Everything collected will be donated to one of the local schools.  Thank you!

    Our October meeting will have the theme of a Teddy Bear Picnic.  Please bring your favorite stuffed animal(s) – they do not have to be bears – to share at our Teddy Bear Picnic!  Picnic before the meeting at 7:00; meeting starts at 7:30.  This meeting is also elections, so if you aspire to any of the elected offices, be sure your written and endorsed aspiration is on the dais prior to the start of the meeting. Thank you.

    As you probably know, we are trying to update our list of addresses and emails for all of our Camellia Star members.  If you have not (or know of a member who has not) recently received a letter in the mail from Sister Joni or have not received an email from her in the past six months, please let her know so she can update the list.  You can contact Sister Joni at joni@reninet.com, (707) 499-9478, or P.O. Box 370, Eureka, CA 95502, to update her with current contact information.

    Thank you to all of our members and friends just for being you.  We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Warm summer wishes to one and all –
Joni Hewston, Worthy Matron

PHOTOS:

1-Karen Parlato making the presentation of 50-Year Pin and Certificate to Sister Peggy Mecham-Carlotti
2-Peggy Mecham-Carlotti listening to Sister Karen making the presentation of her 50-Year Certificate
3-More than 250 years of membership in District 1 represented on June 15, 2024
4-Terri Ewing, PGM, speaking at the Afternoon Tea benefiting Paws for Purple Hearts on July 14
5-Some of those in attendance at the Afternoon Tea
6-Some of the delicious food donated by the members of our District for the Afternoon Tea

PAWS FOR PURPLE HEARTS helps Veterans and Active Duty Service Members by providing trained service dogs. Community support allows this organization to continue fulfilling their mission. We invite members of our entire Masonic Family to attend this July 14th Afternoon Tea to learn more and help us spread the word. Feel free to invite friends and family as well. We do ask that you please let us know you’ll be attending (see flyer for contact information). Thank you.

Warm Summer Wishes to One and All –

            Our Worthy Matron Joni had a wonderful trip to Scotland in early May, and our Worthy Patron Lee had a fun adventure in Prague, Provence, etc., about the same time.  Both enjoyed their trips immensely; however, they did miss the May 1 meeting.  It was an ante-room meeting, and members and guests also enjoyed a scavenger hunt following clues through the Lodge and adjoining rooms crafted by Sister Peggy. 

            The next meeting, on June 5, was our Memorial Service and Tribute to Star Point Officers.  Refreshments of fruit salad, meat, cheese, crackers, and cupcakes were served at 7:00, and the meeting started at 7:30.  We had so many visitors that nearly all our stations were filled.  Karen Parlato volunteered to be our Organist and played wonderful live music, which was a real treat.  The special Tribute to the Star Point Officers was really lovely with Sisters Leslie N, Helene N, Jean T, and Margaret R filling in the chairs with our own Sister Alice as they read short paragraphs about their heroines.

            The Memorial Service was also beautiful with all the ladies in their white dresses around the Altar.  Thanks to Sister Lynnie H and Brother Lee A substituting for the Memorial with Sister Laird to drape the Altar. 

            Other visitors who also helped fill in offices for the evening were Sister Tricia C, and Brothers Larry N and Kirby B.  We had so many visitors, some were able just to sit on the sidelines and enjoy, including Sister Nancy B and Grand Electa Deanna B. 

            It was also good to see our own Sister Mary back after being gone from our meetings for several months.  I believe I heard she might be able to make it to more meetings in future!  And, of course, a big thank you for our own officers who came to the meeting and did a lovely job.

         The “We are so glad you came” gifts were won by Brother Kirby  and Sister Leslie!  Congratulations, and Thanks for coming to the meeting!  We’re so glad you came! 

            Again, thank you to everyone who came and filled in or just came to enjoy.  Thank you to all who helped make the evening extra special.  Your presence and your assistance are very much appreciated!

            Next on the calendar is Saturday, June 15, at 12:00 Noon at Humboldt Masonic Lodge for a 50-Year Presentation to Sister Peggy Mecham-Carlotti.  The presentation will come first, followed by lunch (sandwiches, salads, and beverages to be provided).  Please come and celebrate with our newest 50-year member!  RSVP to Sister Peggy at (707) 499-1037 or peggy@bramblemanor.com.  Remember: “Friends are the flowers in the garden of life!”

            Hopefully sometime during June, we will be putting together prizes for the Humboldt County Library’s Summer Reading Program. When we deliver the prizes, we will also deliver a check for the donation portion of our contribution to the Library and its Summer Reading Program.  The delivery will happen in July.

            Our July 3 meeting is Friendship Night and “Hats Off to American Heroes!”  Refreshments will be at 7:00 and meeting at 7:30.  Please come have fun with us, and maybe have in mind an American Hero (from history or from the present) who is meaningful to you.  We hope to see you there!

            July 14, 2024, at 2:00 is the District-wide fundraiser Afternoon Tea to benefit Paws for Purple Hearts at the Humboldt Masonic Lodge in Eureka.  Sister Terri Ewing, Past Grand Matron, will be present as a speaker.  There will also be a silent auction.  All members, prospective members, and friends are invited.  RSVP to Sister Joni at (707) 499-9478 or joni@reninet.com.  Tickets are $20 per person.

         Our August meeting is anticipated to be an ante room meeting and board game night.  Join us for fun and fellowship.  Bring your favorite game to share, and let’s have some fun!

         At our September meeting we will gather school supplies to donate to a school (yet to be determined).  Start now to collect pencils, pencil sharpeners, notebooks, pens, folders, construction paper, staplers, staples, and other school supplies to be donated to a local school.

            In October, bring your teddy bears and other stuffed companions for our “Teddy Bear Picnic” themed evening!

         Thanks again to everyone who supports our Chapter.  We could not manage without all our friends!  We look forward to seeing you all at future events!

Star Love,

Joni Hewston, Worthy Matron

Lee Astorino, Worthy Patron

Please join is for Peggy Mecham-Carlotti’s 50 year presentation on June 15. See the attached flyer for more information.

Hello, Everyone!

Our Deputy’s Official Visit in March went well, with help from several visiting Sisters and Brothers!  Many thanks to those who filled in and assisted our Chapter!

At our March meeting, Brother Lee challenged all members to pay into the Coin March for three meetings (March, April, and May) on behalf of Star Care, and he will match whatever is donated into those three Coin Marches! So let’s take him up on that very generous offer and donate as much as we can for him to match!

Brother Lee has been making some treats for us each of the last two meetings, trying out new recipes in anticipation of having a District-wide tea fundraiser for Paws for Purple Hearts.  The Worthy Matrons and Lee will be making plans for this event soon, and I will let you know when we have more information. 

At each of our meetings, Lee and I have “We are So Glad You Came” gifts to give away to two attendees.  These gifts are because we truly are so glad you come to the meetings (those of you who can).  Whether a member of Camellia Star or a visitor from another Chapter, we are very glad to see you at our meetings, and we want you to know that! Those who received our “We are So Glad You Came” gifts in March were Sister Jean Thomson and Sister Laird Crandall!

Our next meeting is April 3, and will be a “Titanic Remembrance” night.  No special ceremonies or exemplifications are planned, but we will do long form.  Please come in semi-formal dress.  Pretend you are going to board the Titanic and set sail on a wonderful adventure!  (We won’t emphasize how that voyage ended; we’ll just enjoy the initial part of the journey.)  Refreshments will be at 7:00, and the meeting at 7:30. 

Looking ahead, in May, both our Worthy Matron and our Worthy Patron will be MIA (enjoying Scotland and Prague/Provance respectively), so planning the May 1 meeting will be in Sister Peggy’s hands. She can do what she likes, from long-form formal to casual ante room meeting/game night or anything in between!  I’m sure she will come up with something fun and interesting!

Either right before we leave or as soon as we get back from our respective adventures, we will contact the Humboldt County Library to see how our Chapter can participate in the Summer Reading Program again.  We have had a fun time in years past creating prizes buckets for the children who participate, and we look forward to doing it again!

The June 5 meeting will be a tribute to Star Points, and the theme will be “Shining Bright as a Star!” It will also be Memorial, so ladies please to dress in white for the evening, and men in black suits. 

The Worthy Matrons and Patrons of District 1 are planning a tea fundraiser which will include a silent auction.  (We already have a donation for that silent auction, thanks to Barbara Kennedy of Ferndale Chapter — thank you, Barbara!)  The date is not yet set because we are hoping to have Terri Ewing of General Grand come speak on Paws for Purple Hearts! We need to get her availability before we nail down a date.  More to come!

Then July 3 will be “Hats Off to American Heroes!” and Friendship Night. Those who wish to say who they see as an American Hero may share.  The heroes may be alive or dead, contemporary or historical.  It would be a great night for wearing red, white, and blue!

Our August 7 meeting will be an ante room meeting and board game night.  Bring a board game you enjoy (that doesn’t take too long to play and would be easy to learn).  Dress casual, and be ready to have a great time socializing with your Sisters and Brothers.

September 4 we will pay tribute to teachers and gather school supplies to donate to local schools.

An event we definitely need to plan soon is presenting a 50-year certificate to our newest 50-year member.  More information to come about that too!

Best Spring Wishes to one and all!

Joni L. Hewston, WM
Lee Astorino, WP
Camellia Star Chapter No. 63