Focus March 2012
New Mark Twain Award Winning Lodges
For 2011 Announced by MIC
Eighteen Lodges have been selected by the Masonic Information Center (MIC) as Mark Twain Award winners for 2011.
The primary purpose of the Twain Award is to recognize outstanding performance and Masonic Awareness both within the lodge and through the greater community.
The entry submissions from these 18 lodges displayed in detail the commitment of their members
to bettering both themselves through self-improvement and Masonic Awareness in their communities through creativity and action.
The winners, listed on this page, were announced in February at the Conference of Grand Masters in
Atlanta.
Since the award program began six years ago, 107 lodges across North America have won the designation of a Mark Twain Award Lodge.
2012 Entry Forms Available Online
The MIC anticipates another strong year of
Lodge participation in the Twain Award program in 2012.
We encourage all outstanding Lodges and those seeking for excellence in Masonic Awareness to apply for the 2012 Twain Award program. The entry form is found on our website, www.msana.com
Also, on the website are found numerous
items and descriptions to assist any applicant lodge in enrolling in the program.
2011 Mark Twain Lodges
Alabama
Rising Sun Lodge #29 Decatur, Alabama
Alaska
Matanuska Lodge #7 Palmer, Alaska
Arkansas
Key Lodge #7 Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Arizona
Oasis Lodge #52 Tucson, Arizona
Illinois
St. Joseph Lodge #970 St. Joseph, Illinois
Michigan
Byron Lodge #80 Byron, Michigan
Minnesota
Red Wing Lodge #8 Red Wing, Minnesota
Nevada
St. John Lodge #18 Pioche, Nevada
New Hampshire
Benevolent Lodge #7 Milford, New Hampshire
New Mexico
Chapman Lodge #2 Las Vegas, New Mexico
Ohio
North Bend Lodge #346 Cleves, Ohio
Oxford Lodge #67 Oxford, Ohio
Pennsylvania
Manoquesy Lodge #413 Bath, Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Mariner Lodge #2 Charleston, South Carolina
Utah
Damascus Lodge #10 Provo, Utah
Virginia
Herndon Lodge #264 Herndon, Virginia
Fredericksburg Lodge #4 Fredericksburg, Virginia
Washington
Daylight Lodge #232 Seattle, Washington
Freemasonry On Display Across America
Public awareness of Freemasonry has been one of the goals of the Masonic Information Center since its creation in 1993. Beginning this issue, we hope to feature pictorial examples of Freemasonry on display in communities across North America.
If you have a pictorial example of a public display of our Fraternity, please send a picture and information to the Masonic Service Association office for consideration for a future issue.
This first example of "Masonry on Display Across America" comes from Grapevine, Texas.
Grapevine is a small town near Dallas, and attracts thousands of tourists all year with its vintage railroad, annual ChocolateFest, winery tasting rooms, special Christmas festivities, hotels, restaurants, and golf courses. Right in the center of historic downtown Grapevine is the Masonic Temple, home of Grapevine Lodge #288.
On the exterior side wall of the building is a large, billboard size work of art, featuring a huge square and compasses, and highlighting images of 16 well-known Masons -- some of whom are Texans.
The featured Masons on the building include: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Jose Navarro, William B. Travis, Sam Houston, Lorenzo De Zavala, Stephen F. Austin, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Lindberg, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Will Rogers, Harry S. Truman, Douglas S. MacArthur, Norman Vincent Peale, John Wayne, and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin.
