1. society
2. welfare
3. healthcare
4. hospital

Volume2, Issue 3
Springfield, Massachusetts
Inside
Melha unit head
installation
P1, P8
Melha Sportsman
Club Chili Cook-off
p1, p11
March 2015
Melha Shrine Unit Head
Installation
Golf League Startup
P7
Brigham Visitation
p14
POTENTATE’S MESSage
P2,p3,p8,p10
FROM THE RECORDER,
Black Camel &
$100 Million Club
Donations
P3
MELHA UNITS & Clubs
P4, p5, p6
MELHA SHRINE Ladies
P14
Rainbow girls
P14
Shriners Hospital
For Children
P15
photo by Bert Krasner. 2015 Melha Shrine Unit Heads and Club Presidents with Melha Shrine Divan.
Melha Shrine hosted its
2015 Unit Head installation
at the Butterfield auditorium
heads, fresh off module
training and raring to go to
continued on page 8
Sportsman’s Club Warms Up The
Butterfield on a ‘Chili’ Day
EVENT CALENDAR
back page
BELLO NOCK
Photos by Bert Krasner
The Melha
Shrine Circus
this February with a catered
dinner and entertainment by
a local comedian. The Unit
Our Sportsman club hosted
its 4th annual Chili Cook-off
on Sunday February 15th. It
was a particularly cold wintery day but that didn’t deter
the
contestants
who dragged their
crock pots, burners and boxes of
secret ingredients
into Melha’s Butterfield
Auditorium. Participants
included local residents, restaurants and even
our own Potentate. The Chili
champion, Debra Monday,
wife of Shriner Shonn Monday decided not to compete
this year much to the relief
of quite a few cooks who
were elated to finally have a
chance at best of show. Debra
however did crown the winner with her favorite tiara.
continued on page 11
Photos by Bert Krasner
POTENTATE’S MESSAGE
Greetings Nobles and Ladies,
What a great start Melha has
had this year! You can just
feel the excitement in the air.
There were a few delays with
the snow storms; however,
every event finally took place
without a hitch.
First there was the unit head
installation. It was great to
have so many Nobles and
their ladies attend this event
to be officially installed so
the officers may commence
with their elected positions.
The food was great and the
comedian left everyone in
stitches. Everyone was laughing so hard and enjoying the
program, as a matter of fact,
Assistant Rabban Ray Turrini
couldn’t stop the tears from
flowing.
Next, we had the Chili
Cook-Off sponsored by the
Sportsman Club. As the true
outdoors men they are, they
refused to postpone the event
due to the snow storm, they
were counting on the Chili
being hot enough to melt the
snow and believe me, many
were. There were 23 competitors in attendance, some
veterans, pros and first timers
as well. I thoroughly enjoyed
being one of the entries this
year and enjoyed the camaraderie amongst the chefs. All
of us were sharing recipes
and ideas. There were quite a
few Shriner entries this year;
Shonn Monday, Mike Greenberg, Glenn Surprenant and
myself. I’m glad Debra Monday decided not to enter this
year as it gave the rest of us
a chance. The best part of
the day; one of our past patients entered for the first time
and took second place in the
Judges choice category. When
she heard about the event
she said “She wouldn’t miss
it for the world”. There was
plenty of media coverage and
good times were had by all.
Thank you to Shonn Monday
and Bob Wool along with the
rest of the Sportsman Club
for spearheading this annual
event.
Then there was the Potentate’s weekend. What a fantastic time! Friday night’s
Murder Mystery Theater was
a blast. There were many angles to the plot that went undetected because no one could
hear the clues over the laughter. The cast and the auxiliary
actors (some who were going
for Oscars) were outstand-
ing. There was also a beauty
pageant with our own “Dixie
Cup” and “Amber” as contestants with “a whole lot of attitude” in the air. The winner of
the contest (Not by the Pote’s
vote) was murdered; however,
there was almost a shooting if
she hadn’t been poisoned. The
costumes “revealed” many
sides of the cast that evening.
Saturday kicked off with
breakfast at the Shrine
Continued on page 3
2015 DIVAN
Potentate...................... David Butterfield
413-519-5498
Chief Rabban......Edward ‘Brian’ Connor
413-636-4270
Ass’t Rabban............ Raymond A. Turrini
413-297-8111
High Priest & Prophet..............Robert W.
Wogatske
413-575-7788
Oriental Guide............ Glenn Surprenant
413-583-8991
Treasurer.................Ronald Gagnon P.P.
413-568-4402
Recorder...............Philip E. Thomas P.P.
413-736-3647
1st Cerem. Master.............. Daniel Smith
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF
MELHA SHRINERS, SHRINERS
INTERNATIONAL
CAMELHA
Available on the Web at
www.melhashriners.com
EDITOR
Michael Robinson
Email:...........editor@melhashriners.com
860 748-8128(C) ..... 413 567-2138(Hm)
SPECIAL NOTICE
Forward all unit EVENT information to the editor for advance publication and public news releases.
‘NEWSPAPER
ENTERTAINMENT
CALENDARS’ need info submitted 2
weeks prior to event.
All copy submitted for Camelha
publication must be submitted by email and received before the 12th of
the month preceding publication. All
Ads must be submitted by the 1st of
the month.
The Editors reserve the right to
edit all copy.
2
MELHA SHRINER CENTER
SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
133 Longhill Street Springfield, MA 01108
516 Carew Street - 413-787-2000
Tel.: ............................... (413) 736-3647
Fax ................................ (413) 731-9572
Springfield, MA 01104
e-mail:..... recorder@melhashriners.com
Phil E. Thomas, P.P.Recorder
e-mail:... recorder1@melhashriners.com
Debra Collins........................... Secretary
OFFICE HOURS
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
MELHA WEB SITE
www.melhashriners.com
PAY WITH CREDIT CARD
Melha honors Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. Minimum
amount charged must be $20.00. You
may also pay online at our web site.
Use it for:
Dues, Melha Events, Fezzes, Melha Trips, etc.
MELHA BOARD OF GOVERNOR
MEMBERS
David Burstein, Chairman, George
Sachs, James Spear Jr., Joseph
Surprenant, Edward Geoffrion
413-531-3542
2nd Cerem. Master............. Leo Plourde
413-348-3889
Chief Director.....................Alan Stratton
413-323-0268
Marshal.........................Jeffrey Hastings
413-896-7548
Capt. of the Guard.............. Garth Parker
Gary Surprenant, Associate Member
413-265-9996
Emeritus Members: Jack Bethel,
P.P.,Robert W. Clarke, Raymond Kalita,
Edward B. Briggs, Edward Shore Jr. P.P.
Beverage Manager............Dick Marceau
Banquet Manager.............. Debra Collins
TRUSTEES
Chairmen Emeritus: Allen Zippin, P.P,
Charles Weaver, P.P., Philip E. Thomas
P.P.
Alan Couture(Chr.)........... 413-537-1657
SHRINERS BURNS HOSPITAL-BOSTON
Michael Santos................. 413-246-2804
Jack Greaves................... 413-527-7355
51 Blossom Street
Kevin LaPlante................. 413-599-0188
Boston, MA 02114-2699
Richard MacGreggor........ 413-896-5447
617-722-3000
MELHA BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MEMBERS
Dean Whalen
Russell Mitchell, Associate Member
Emeritus Members: Saul Michaelson,
Robert Spaulding P.P.
ADMINISTRATORS
Saul Michaelson: Chair.... 413-537-5759
Nick Creanza.................... 413-596-2577
Cary Miller........................ 413-567-0514
Jeffrey Gopin................. 1-774-452-2110
Ron Gagnon..................... 413-568-4402
Melha Shrine Center
From the recorder
ing) and business/insurance.
Any questions contact the Recorder’s office.
Shrine Life Cycles
Congratulations are in order. Ill. Jean R. LaCroix was
recently married to Dianne
Hall. Ill Jean was Potentate in
1972. Address: 3613 Osceola
Drive Melbourne, FL 32901
Black Camel
We still have a few members
who have not paid their dues
for 2015. The second notices
will be sent our this month.
Membership is a key to our
success, we can not let our
Masonic fathers down who
established Melha’s foundation in 1898. Together we can
make it happen.
A few Shrine
Statistics
Q. State with the largest Shrine
population?
A. Pennsylvania
Q. Three Largest Temples.
A. Charlotte NC, Oasis 5,915
- Pittsburgh PA, Syria, 5,531 Columbus Ohio, Aladdin 5,523.
Q. Number of Permanent
Contributing Memberships: A.
23,266 (members exempt from
hospital assessment)
Hospital
Opportunities
The Boston Shriners Hospital Board of Governors is currently anticipating two vacancies on their Board for 2016.
The skill requirements for the
Board of Governors takes precedence in the selection criteria and no Shrine Center is
guaranteed a fixed number of
positions. The board in Boston is looking for Nobles with
the following backgrounds:
legal (attorneys), medical
(physicians), finance (bankFebruary 2015
Frederick E. Fiske
$Million
Dollar Club
In Memory of Ralph
Drinkwater
From the Gagnon’s Ron,
Sally, Tracey and Michael
In Memory of
Illustrious Joseph
A. Harrison P.P.
From the Melha Cabiri
In Honor of our
2015 Potentate Ill.
David F. Butterfield
From Ill James Blevins
& Lady Patricia
Stated Meeting
Notice
Wednesday March 25,
2015 7:30 pm, for the purpose
of conducting the business
of Melha Shriners, as well as
balloting on individuals for initiation, obligating candidates,
and for the dissemination of
information to the membership
on matters relating to current
Shrine events. All Nobles are
invited to attend. Unit and Club
leaders are required to attend.
Proper attire is required and
please wear your Fez.
Ill. David F. Butterfield, Potentate
Attest Philip E. Thomas, P.P
Potentate’s Message
Continued from page 2
Center followed by the traditional honorary memberships
and the jokes of the day. You
would figure that after all this
time the jokes would improve
over the years, well, there is
always next year. Then there
was the reception at the Sheraton hotel. What a night! First
Lady Carla and I were truly
humbled and honored with
the attendance of all that were
there. This event, without a
doubt, was one of the most
enjoyable parties that Carla
and I have ever attended. The
night was so very special to us
that we will never be able to
express how truly appreciative we are to all those that
attended or were involved
with the evening. Carla and
I would like to thank Chief
Rabban Brian Connor and his
lady Shelley for chairing the
weekend and Assistant Rabban Ray Turrini and his lady
Denise for chairing Friday
night. What a great job you
all did together with the entire
Divan. A very special thank
you goes to Melha’s secretary
Debra Collins for all of your
hard work. We would also like
to thank Chief Steward Randy
Wessels and Lady Carla together with all the Stewards
for an outstanding weekend.
Melha has always had a reputation for our hospitality and
to quote one of my counterparts “Melha has set the bar
in the Northeast again”. Each
and every one of the visiting dignitaries could not stop
commenting on the attention
they received from their Aides
for the weekend. Thank you to
Chief Aide Vince Bradley and
Assistant Les Rhinemiller
and all of the Melha Aides for
continuing on Melha’s reputation of excellence and courtesies to our guests. Thank you
also to my personal Aides for
taking care of our families.
A big thank you goes to the
Military Band and the Highlanders for the music that
evening and what a powerful performance of Amazing
Grace. A special Pote’s thank
you goes to Bella and Sophie
Hasting for their singing of
the Anthems. I would also
like to thank all the Units &
Clubs, the L.O.S.N.A and Nile
ladies that made presentations
to both of us and of course the
personal presentations as well,
especially the white boots. I
am very pleased to announce
that Carla received for the
First Lady’s Project just over
$7000.00 that evening. Carla
is so pleased with the support
and generous donations that
all of you have shown or given
to her and the Child Life project. This is just the beginning
and she can’t imagine where
all this support will take the
First Lady’s project this year.
Again, from the bottom of our
hearts, thank you all so much
for a very memorable weekend.
We then rolled in to the
L.O.S.N.A’s Sock-Hop. What
a great time had by all! If you
haven’t had the opportunity
to attend one of these ladies’
events, you really have been
missing out. The Ladies of
Helma Ct. #64 know how to
put on a party.
Continued on page 10
3
MELHA SHRINE UNITS
Cabiri
By Edgar W. Gelinas, P.P.
We pause to remember our
recently departed Cabiri
member, Ill. Joseph A. Harrison, P.P., Melha’s Potentate
in 1985, who passed away
on January 24th. The Cabiri
mourns his loss and members
extend their sympathies to his
loved ones.
Our next Cabiri meeting will
take place on March 10th at
Noon at the Backyard Bar &
Grille (formerly Piccadilly
Pub) at 1506 Riverdale in
West Springfield. We hope to
see you there.
Our recent Cabiri Banquet and Rites took place in
February at Melha. We welcomed our newest member,
the Junior Past Potentate, Ill.
William Faust. As usual, the
evening began with a splendid banquet catered by one of
our own and the ceremonies
following were, in a word,
memorable.
Circus Usher
By Bob & Nancy Waltermire,
Chairpersons
4
WANTED:
VOLUNTEERS TO
USHER AT THE 2015
MELHA SHRINE CIRCUS,
Volunteers can be nobles,
wives, sons, daughters, or
friends. Young people 10 to 14
years old are welcome as volunteers however, they must be
supervised by an adult (parent
or member of the organization
they represent) at all times
while are ushering. Service
organizations are also welcome as a group. Ushers must
provide their own flashlights
and must be able to climb
stairs.
Shows this year are:
Thu. Apr 23 7p Fri. Apr 24,
4p, private performance (no
public ticket sales), Fri. Apr
24 7:30p, Sat. Apr 25, 10a.,
2:30p, 7:30p., Sun. Apr 26,
12:30p, 4p.
For more information e-mail
Bob & Nancy Waltermire at
rndw@roadrunner.com
or
call 413-663-5472 Thanks for
volunteering
Clowns
By Jerry “Fix-It” Ducharme
March is here and so is parade season. We will be out at
the 2 St. Patrick’s day parades
and not to mention we also
have the Leprechaun Plunge
with a parade that day also.
WOW this March is really
kicking off the parade season
isn’t it? Will we see you out
on the route? Why not come
out and enjoy the brisk air
and join in on the laughs we
provide. Next month is Circus month and preparations
are underway for yet another
great showing by the clowns.
Dave “So-Lo” Merrick is
serving as our producing
clown this year and working
in conjunction with the Chief
Joel ‘Jewls” Miller they promise lots of laughs and funny
stuff.
I don’t have a ton to write
about this month because we
are still in the planing stages
BUT going forward I am sure
I will have lots for you to read.
So untill next time ‘Bump-ANose”.
Directors
By Kevin O’Connor
The Directors, Nobles and
Hospital staff gave Anna
Herrington a warm welcome
on her arrival after walking 3,700 miles from Oregon
to Springfield. Noble Frank
Watson met with her and discussed her schedule as she
walked through Western MA
.Ofcr Bob Duffy of the West
Springfield Police [a hospital
driver] helped coordinate an
escort for Anna from the Agawam Bridge to Springfield
behind our Directors Float to
the hospital.. Anna stayed in a
hospital sponsored local hotel.
Noble Wilfred Mangold of the
Directors Staff and his daughter Nancy coordinated Sturbridge to host Anna before
she stepped out on her last leg
of her trip. NOTE: Shriner’s
either made arrangements or
provided Anna with sleeping arrangements for all but 4
nights from Mar 1, 2014 until
her arrival in Boston on Jan
22nd.
Save the Date
March 28th & 29th we will
be at the Eastfield Mall selling Easter Bunnies and
Bears. The Directors float
will be on display.
May 23rd Directors will once
again be holding a Ballroom
Dance with the return of the
sounds of the “Blue Skies Big
Band”. More info to follow.
Flyers
By Lance Whitcomb
I’m back in Florida. Heard
about all the snow, so I went
out to measure how much we
had here. Got one of those
free tapes at my favorite toy
store (Harbor Freight), but
couldn’t find the snow in the
grass. Today, the outside
temp is headed towards 70 –
oh well; some people have to
suffer with the good weather.
A couple nights ago, Malcolm and I went to Hernando
#97 Lodge meeting. Met
brothers we hadn’t seen since
last year. Yesterday noon
went Brotherhood #375 for
the monthly luncheon. There
were about 40 brothers from
around the states – a good visit. Tonight we will attend the
Hernando Shrine Club meeting. We’ll renew old friendships and make new.
On Saturday we will be putting on the Melha winter picnic .We are expecting a good
turn out. Remember to visit a
Blue Lodge. I have signed up
to help the outdoor Third Degree in Floral City #133. They
put on the Degree every year.
This year it will be on March
14th at 9 AM.
In March we’ll be going
down to Egypt Shriners for
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE UNITS
a luncheon with the Grand
Master.
The Drum Corps
By Jim Marceau, PP
I have just finished making
my calls about yet another
Monday night practice being
cancelled due to snow. This
is the third week in a row that
this has happened to us, and
puts our new ensemble piece
in jeopardy. We wanted to
have it ready for Dorchester
and polished by the April 18
show at Melha. Will that still
happen? Only time will tell.
To make matters worse,
President Ron is going in for
double surgery tomorrow
with two more on the horizon
for later this month (February). Not wanting to kick a
guy while he’s down, I won’t
conjecture about what type of
surgery he is in for, but he did
tell me that on his paperwork
from the Vet’s hospital (I
think he meant Veterans and
not Veterinarians) they had
him listed as “female.” Are
the two connected? Again,
only time will tell.
Because we haven’t met in
so long, I don’t have a lot of
news. Dan Benoit told me
that Butch is walking a bit out
of the therapy pool, which is
an improvement. Keep plugging, Butch! Digger’s wife
Suzanne is still recouping at
home and will be there for
some time. As of right now,
no visitors allowed and no
flowers. etc., can be brought
in from outside. She knows
we are pulling for her as well.
A wise man once said, “To
February 2015
be noticed, stand up and
speak out; to be appreciated,
sit down and shut up!”
We all want to be appreciated, so until next month--Rock
the Fez!
Hadji
By Brad DiMiero
Greetings Nobles, for you
who do not know me my name
is Brad Dimiero, I am the new
president of Hadji,I am very
excited about our upcoming
year, I feel together we’re going to have a fun and very
successful year in Hadji, Melha and doing something good
for the kids at the hospital. to
tell you a little about me I am
married with three children,
one of which is a member of
Melha. My wife Anne is a
member of Helma court #64,
l am an active member of two
masonic lodges , being an officer in one, Secretary of the
Model T’s, and am involved
in other communities within
Melha. Also I am two time
past president of a local lions
club, the Nemanesant gun
club and a local small business
owner. This year a real focus I
would like to have is of course
new membership, and greater
attendance at our monthly
meetings and dinners. Over
the next few months you will
see we are going to be kicking
it up a notch as far as meals go.
I really would like to see more
faces and especially some of
you guys who haven’t. been
joining us for dinners in a
while ! I do so much, that for
the March and April meetings, and hadji member having dinner, there’s a round of
drinks(soft or hard) from the
Hadji bar on me ! Coming
to the dinners and meetings,
hanging around with the guys,
doing something productive
can actually be a lot of fun.
Remember you need reservations for dinners, so you
should contact our tillerman,
Nobel Ed Lyons. At the March
meeting we will discuss any
potential
fundraisers and
events we would like to have
during the course of the year.
Ok March is the kick off of
our parade season, with some
of probably the most fun parades of the year “ St.Patrick
day ! #1 March 8th, Worchester Parade, #2 March 8th, The
Leprechaun plunge in south
Hadley and the best for last
the Holyoke St. Patrick day
parade on March 22nd, my
personal favorite. I would like
to thank you all in advance
for all that you do and see you
soon, Brad Dimiero.
Highlanders
By Garth Parker P.C.
Here it is… March. A month
full of great events. By now
we should have had our Formal Highlander Installation
if the weather has cooperated. So Worthy Chief Corey
has the reins. We wish him
luck with a busy year ahead
of him. Worcester Parade
starts the month off on the
8th. The Leprechaun Plunge
at Brunelles Marina is next
15 Mar. There is still time
to get in on the plunge itself
or you can just come and do
the Parade. Pick up a pledge
sheet for Ill. Dave & Carla
and start getting pledges in
either case. It is a lot of fun
just to watch (The Bar is
available). Once the thawing
process is completed, the Degree Team has a Third Degree
for “Scots Night” in Holyoke
on the 20th. Contact me if
you want to do some work.
That Sunday, 22 Mar, is “The
Holyoke”, I’m certain by then
we will be wearing “Summer – No Sweater”, but have
Full Dress ready, just in case.
Stated Meeting will be on the
25th, if your available, try to
stop in, we all go to the Unit
Room after, so stop by – Find
out what is going on and have
a beverage with the guys. It is
probably still difficult to think
about it, but the Golf League
should be forming up soon.
Also the program for Houston isn’t out yet, but should be
soon. Start thinking about 4th
of July week in Texas.
To give you the report on my
visit to PP Bewsee and the
Trites. We had a great time.
Dick ran out of “Jack” so I
was forced to drink “Crown”.
We spent an extra day due to
storm conditions at Bradley.
So maybe his inventory was
only for a designated period.
Anyway, they all seem to be
doing great and the Trites
have a very nice condo on a
golf course. (Just say’n)
Stay warm. Keep practicing
and we will see you all in the
Unit Room and on the Parade
Routes.
Past Masters
By Richard A. Poudrier
I trust the you, like me, are
relieved that the holidays are
over. I personally find them a
5
MELHA SHRINE clubs
Berkshire Shrine
Club
By John H. Fiske
The March meeting of the
Berkshire Shrine Club will be
on March 11 at the Wisdom
Lodge in West Stockbridge.
The Social will be at 6pm
with Dinner at 7pm.
An FYI the April meeting
will be on April 4th. This is
the Appreciation Dinner and
is On Saturday. It will be before the Camelha comes out
so make your calenders.
We have 3 Parades for March.
The Worcester St. Patrick’s
Day parade on March 8th. The
Leprechaun Plunge on March
15th is having a small parade
before the Plunge and Potentate Dave Butterfield asked
the Berkshire Nobles to come
and join in the Parade. The
last parade is the Holyoke St.
Patrick Day on March 22nd.
Hoping Mother Nature will
be kinder to the Berkshires
this month and we will see
many Fezes at these events.
Sportsman’s Club
By Bob Wool
Cookoff Committee
BIG E Sportsmens Show
Franklin Shrine
Club
By John H. Doughty IV
Hope everyone is surviving
the snow.
Franklin Shrine Club has
been inactive for the past
three months as some of our
members are in Florida and
the snow storms locally have
caused us to cancel meetings.
6
Now it is time to get back to
work.
Franklin Shrine Club will
meet at Harmony Lodge in
Montague on March 9, 2015 at
6:30 PM. We will plan a social event for the club in April
and discuss plans for the upcoming year.
If anyone is interested in
more information about the
Franklin Shrine Club please
contact Malcolm Corse (413369-4608), Don Scott (413256-6980) or John Doughty
(508-843-3238).
Melha Italian
American Club
By Eric D’Agostino
to join, you do NOT have to be
Italian to be a member. It’s a
friendly social club open to all
members for fun and friendship.
Meetings are the second Friday of every month. The next
meeting will be Friday, March
13th, at 6:30 PM in the Card
Room.
Contact Roy Martin (Caddie) at 413-214-9694 or Eric
D’Agostino at 413-575-4182
with RSVP’s or any questions.
CITRUS SHRINE
CLUB PICNIC
Let’s celebrate Spring! Join
us for the Melha Italian American Club’s first
Ziti Dinner.
Sat., Mar 28
Butterfield AUD.
Cocktails 6 PM
(cash bar)
dinner 7 PM.
Door Prizes
• *1st prize - $300
• *2nd prize - $200
• *3rd prize - $100
(winner need not be
present)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tickets are $15.00,
dinner
door prize entry.
Cash bar.
Tickets
purchased at
door
There will also
be a Chinese
Raffle.
RSVP’s must be in
by Fri. Mar 13.
Membership is open to everyone! All Nobles are invited
by Malcolm Corse
About 60 Melha and Citrus
Shrine Club Nobles and Ladies gathered recently at the
Citrus Shrine Club picnic
grove in Inverness, Florida
to enjoy a wonderful picnic.
This year’s annual picnic was
coordinated by Melha’s own,
Noble Malcolm Corse. During the event, Noble Kenneth
Curry was presented with
his long overdue 25 year pin
for being a Shriner. Melha’s
Annual Florida Winter Picnic
has been going on for more
the 30 years. The 2016 Melha
Winter Picnic will be held in
Venice, Florida. More information on that event will be
released in a future Camelha.
Unit Articles
Continued from page 5
bit overwhelming New Years
Party at Melha this year
I heard that a good time was
had by all. Please send in your
2015 dues ASAP lest you forget all together. I have been
asked quite often why the dues
checks aren’t cashed quickly. I
follow usual procedures with
checks and cash and forward
all to the Treasurer. Because
of all units doing the same
thing sometimes there will be
a lag in time between when
they are mailed and deposited and when dues cards are
mailed from the recorder.
Try to mail your dues in with
the enclosed envelope and invoice if possible. If you must
give it to me in person, especially cash be sure it’s in the
envelope along with the invoice to avoid confusion. ‘
On behalf of the officers and
members of the Past Masters
Unit, our president, Tony Langone, Sr. wishes all our Ladies
a very Happy Valentines Day.
THANK YOU
To all that helped
with the Uncle
Milty’s Game
Supper. Bob W.
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINERS
2015 Golf League Starts Open To All Nobles
Looking out the window as
I write this notice about our
golf league I wonder when all
the snow and cold will be gone
so we can get the clubs out and
enjoy some good times at East
Mountain Country Club?
quet will be in late October at
Melha.It might seem like a lot
of the information you already
know from other seasons, but
I am trying to write this for
Nobles that might want to join
us and do not know anything
about us.
Well let us think positive
about spring and say that
weather permitting we will
begin practice play on March
20th, 2015 at 3:00 pm. The
regular league play will start
April 3rd, 2015. We will play
every friday except April 24th
which is Melha Shrine Circus weekend. We will finish
up the league in mid October
with the playoffs. Our ban-
The league is open to any
Noble who enjoys a good
time. We play the points system, 3 points for a par,2 points
for a bogie, and 1 point for a
double bogie. Each week you
have to make a certain number of points based on your
ability. The top point earners
at the end of the season are
in the playoffs. The cost is
$12.50 for 9 holes of golf and
By Mark Dunn
February 2015
$4.50 for the league. If you
want a cart the cost is $8.25
per person. Those were last
years cost and I think they
will be the same. If there is an
increase we will let the league
know. So to sum it up, whereEast Mountain Country Club
Westfield, MA. when- every
friday at 3:00 pm. any questions call me, Mark DunnPresident, 413-446-0861.
7
MELHA SHRINERS
2015 Melha Shrine Unit and Shrine Club Presidents
Unit Head Installation
Continued from page 1
promote that esprit de corps
so prevalent in the NEW Melha
8
Shrine. Let’s congratulate the class of
2015 and pledge to support them and
their endeavors through out this year.
Meet your team.
Photos by Bert Krasner
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINERS
February 2015
9
MELHA SHRINE center
Potentate’s Message
Continued from page 3
Who would have thought
an “Ice Cream Party” in the
winter would have been such
a hit. The best part of the evening was the Rainbow Girls
in mass attendance enjoying
themselves as guests rather
than volunteering at the event
– they had a blast. Remember
ladies, these girls are your
future and what a future it
will be with the support and
growth of Rainbow Assembly
#79. To Lady High Priestess
Jody Babilonia, your dance
committee and all the ladies
of the court – Outstanding!
I am quite proud of our
Membership,
Communications, Public Relations and
Ambassadors Teams for this
year. They are dedicated to
the Shrine Center and to all
of you with the commitment
from each and every one of
them to turn membership and
our public awareness around
as we “Go for Gold” this year
and for many years yet to
come. When you have the opportunity, please thank them
for their efforts as this task
is so very important to our
future. The MAP meetings
are held immediately following the Stated Meeting each
month and the attendance has
been overwhelming. Everyone is invited to attend and
your comments and suggestions regarding Melha’s future
are welcomed. Map does not
want to focus on the past just
what is needed to bring Melha
into the future.
We have a very busy schedule this month. The One Day
10
Class on March 7th, I hope to
see many of you on the sidelines. March also kicks of the
Parade Season with Worcester St. Patrick’s Day on the
8th, the Leprechaun Plunge
on the 15th and Holyoke St.
Patrick’s Day on the 22nd.
Please don’t forget to support
the Rainbow Girls Pancake
breakfast at Melha before the
Holyoke Parade. I hope to see
all of you on the streets this
year as our parade exposure
is what brings our awareness
and our mission statement to
the public. The Shriners and
Shriners Hospitals for Children are still one of the best
kept secrets and it’s up to all
of us to get our brand and
message out there. Please be
safe on the Parade routes and
most important; enjoy yourself. We also have the Oriental Band’s Pasta Night, the
Italian American Club’s Dinner and the Daughters of the
Nile and L.O.S.N.A. Installations. Please get out and support the other Units and Clubs
this year, they need your
support as much as you need
theirs. There are many exciting events planned this year –
don’t be the one that missed it
and had to hear about it.
a fine but rather a donation to
assist distressed Nobles retain
their membership in our fraternity. If you want to come
relaxed, then come and lending a helping hand to a brother
in need. I hope that you all see
this for the project and intent
that it is and participate with
the program freely to assist
those in need.
Before we all know it, Circus will be here! The Steering
Committee is and has been
very hard at work putting it all
together for you. Remember
Nobles, it’s our Circus! Let’s
support and promote it with
every resource we can. When
you see Illustrious Allen Zippin, please give him a big
thank you for his efforts - The
Circus truly is his passion.
I, together with the entire Divan, thank each and every one
of you for ALL you do. We
look forward to being with
you on the parade routes and
all the events, just remember,
“If everyone carried a toothpick, than no ONE would
have to carry the log”.
Yours in the Faith,
David F. Butterfield
Potentate
Malcom Takes
A Crash ‘Corse’
Many have heard that I have
relaxed the Stated Meeting
dress code with a twist on a
test basis. The dress code for
the year (except the July and
August) is BSF or Unit uniform. I have relaxed the dress
code to business casual with
Fez, if you so desire, with a
$10.00 donation to the fraternal fund. I want to stress to
the Nobility that this is NOT
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE center
MELHA SPORTSMAN CLUB 4th ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF
Chili Cook Off
Continued from page 1
Photos by Bert Krasner
Brigham Lodge Visitation
Photos
by
William G MacKinnon Jr
Pictures of Ill. Dave Butterfield’s recognition night at
Brigham Lodge.
Presentation of the plaque that will hang
in the lodge listing the names of all the
Potentates who belong to the Lodge.
Wor. John Fitchet, Ill. David Butterfield,
presented with a plaque for him to keep as a
reminder of the evening
February 2015
Ill David Butterfield presenting Wor. St Peter
with his Pro Merito Award for all of his years
of Service to Melha.
Ill David Butterfield, Wor. Albert St.Peter,
RW Michael Jarzabeck. Wor. St.Peter
presented with a Certificate for his years of
service to the District and recognition as a
Past District Marshal.
RENTALS ·
RENTALS ·
RENTALS
BUTTERFIELD
AUDITORIUM
and GOLDEN
FEZ ROOM
Contact the Recorder’s Office.
PARTIES ·
MEETINGS
· EVENTS
(413) 736-3647
- Deb Collins
11
MELHA SHRINE center
The Potentate’s Weekend
Happy Birthday Edgar
12
Melha Shrine Center
February 2015
13
MELHA SHRINE Ladies
Forget Me Nots
Helma CT. #64
by Edith Sweeney
from Anita Tetreault
Hopefully the snow will be
disappearing and the temperatures will rise to have our
next meeting on March 20th
at Noon at Olive Garden, 1380
Boston Rd. Springfield. Look
forward to seeing our members and greeting some new
friends! Please make reservations with Corinne Pierson at
413-789-8148, Claire Patruno
at 413-596-3251, or Edith
Sweeney at esweeney12@
cox.net by March 17th.
Our Helma Court meeting
for March will be Thursday,
the 12th at Mt. Moriah, Westfield, at 7:30 pm. Since March
can be such an unpredictable
month, be on the safe side and
wear warm clothing. We are
going to have some interesting fundraisers soon: in April
we’ll have a Tax Calendar,
and the sheet will be included
with the March newsletter. It’s
described as a Tax Game, and
we should get enjoyment out
of playing it. Then there will
be the sale of Pecans, either
Toffee Coated, Cinnamon
Glazed or Chocolate Covered,
and possibly Salted.
Ahlem Temple
by Betsy Beauleau
Well here we are stuck in a
snow globe and waiting for
spring. The Temple sends
along get well wishes to all of
our ladies, but most especially
Our Camelha correspondent
Pr. Olive Larson, we are sending loads for love and get well
wishes for a speedy recovery.
Just to brighten the month of
March here are a few photos
from the past to enjoy and
bring back great memories.
Anyone know who the Nobles
are? Save the date: Installation of Temple Officers, Saturday, March 21 at 2:00 PM.
International
Order of Rainbow
for Girls #79
by Mother Advisor, Linda Jacobs
Here’s what’s been happening with since January 1st: We
served to all of our fantastic
Shriners at Melha Shriners’
annual meeting on January 9th.
The girls held their installation
of officers on January 18th and
we installed Kathrine Paltz as
our new Worthy Advisor. In
addition to a new Worthy Advisor, we had four new girls
taking positions for the first
time since they joined last year.
Kathrine’s charity is the ‘Special Olympics’ and we will be
selling raffle tickets for a handmade ‘afghan’ blanket with all
proceeds to benefit the Special
Olympics.
Please keep saving tabs and
aluminum for the Court because the funds we receive
from recycling these items
help at all twenty-two of our
hospitals.
We are so excited to again be
serving our annual ‘St Patrick’s
Day Breakfast’ at the Melha
Shriners building on Sunday,
March 22 . The price is $6.00
for adults, $5.00 children ages
10 to 5 yrs. 4 and under are free.
Join us for pancakes, sausage,
eggs, bacon, juice and coffee
from 8:00 am until 11:00 am.
We look forward to attending
LOSNA sock hop on February
28th which will allow us to attend an event for strictly FUN
!!!
And, let’s remember Lady
Carla’s project for Child Life
Services. She hopes to provide the children with things
that can be used in their rehabilitation as they make their
way to recovery. Items such as
toys and games, and of course
funds, will greatly assist Child
Life in this endeavor.
Photos by Edgar and Anne Gelinas
Photos Adrienne Lacey. (right photo) Cupcake tower - L-R PR Person , Edith Sweeney,
Eileen Watson
(above) Table photo. front row all Daughters of the Nile l-R back row, Maureen McClain,
Edith Sweeney, Heather McClain-Queen Carolyn Dion, Betsy Beaulieu
front row Cliff Johnson (middle) Judy Davis
14
“I.O.R.G. is a character
building organization for
girls between the ages
of 11 through 20 years of
age, that promotes selfesteem, leadership and
community service. For more
information please visit our
web sites: www.massiorg.net
or gorainbow.org
Melha Shrine Center
shriners hospital for children
Monson Bank Awards SHC For Community Work
For the second year in a row,
Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Mass
has made the list of top ten
organizations in the Monson
Savings Bank annual voting
promotion. Members of the
community were asked to
February 2015
vote for the
organization
they would
like to support, and the
top ten who
collected the
most
votes
would
receive a donation from the
bank. Steve
Lowell, President of Monson Savings Bank said, “Every year, we donate more than
$100,000 to organizations
doing important work in the
communities we serve. For
several years now, we’ve been
asking the community for input on which groups they’d
like us to support, and we’ve
been so pleased by how many
people participate.”
This voting promotion is an
innovative way to get community members involved
by giving them the power to
vote for their favorite organizations to receive a donation.
This year, more than 4,300
votes were cast for two hundred non-profits. Because
of the dedicated voters who
chose Shriners Hospital as
their organization of choice,
the hospital was ranked second on the list and received a
generous $1,500 donation.
15
Melha Calendar of Events
MARCH 2015
Wed 4��� 6:15 Pm Wilbraham Lodge Fraternal Visit Ddgm
And Pote. Dinner With Ladies
Sat 7����� One Day Class at Meadows Lodge
Sat 7����� Last Day for Circus Ads
Sun 8���� Worcester St. Patrick’s Parade
Mon 9��� 6:30 PM Board of Director’s Meeting
Tue 10�� 12:00 PM Cabiri Mtg Backyard Bar & Grille
Wed 11� 6:00 PM Berkshire Shrine Club
Sun 15�� 10:00 AM Leprechaun Plunge-Parade
Fri 20���� 12:00 PM forget-me-nots olive garden sprfld
Fri 20���� 3:00 PM Golf league Practice East Mountain
Country Club
Fri 20���� Circus box office open for Nobility
Sat 21��� 6:00 PM Oriental Band Pasta Night
Sun 22�� 8:00 AM Rainbow Girl’s Pancake Breakfast
Sun 22 12:00 PM Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Mon 23� 6:30 PM Circus Steering Committee Mtg
Mon 23� 7:30 PM Circus Committee Meeting
Wed 25� 7:30 PM Stated Meeting - All units and clubs.
2015 Dues Card Required - MAPs Mtg. to Follow
Sat 28��� 6:00 PM Italian American Club Dinner
Sat 28��� Mt. Vernon Lodge Game Dinner
Sun 29�� 3:00 PM L.O.S.N.A. Installation - Mt. Moriah
Lodge, Westfield