Anything is Possible if we work together

Brethren,

I received an email from Br. Gerry Drake that told a story of one man's determination to get a big job done.  I thought you would enjoy it as well.   Thanks Gerry!!

  News report from Bruno , NE In 1981, Herman Ostry and his wife,   Donna, bought a farm a half mile outside of Bruno , Nebraska , a small community sixty miles west of Omaha .. The property had a creek and came with a barn built in the 1920's. The barn floor was always wet   and muddy. When the creek flooded in   1988, the barn ended up with 29 inches of water covering the floor. That   was the last straw.. Ostry needed to move it to higher ground.

He   contacted a building moving company and was discouraged by the bid. One   night around the table, Ostry commented that if they had enough people   they could pick the barn up and move it to higher ground.. Everyone   laughed.

A few days later, Ostry’s son Mike showed his father some calculations. He   had counted the individual boards and timbers in the barn and estimated   that the barn weighed approximately 16,640 pounds. He also estimated that a steel grid needed to move the barn would add another 3,150   pounds, bringing the total weight to just under 10 tons. He figured it would take around 350 people with each person lifting 56 lbs. to move   the barn.

The   town of Bruno , Nebraska was planning its centennial celebration > in late   July of 1988. Herman and Mike presented their barn moving idea to the   committee. The
committee decided to make it part of their   celebration.

So, on July 30, 1988, shortly before 11 a.m., a quick test lift was successfully made. Then, as local television cameras and   4,000 people from eleven states watched, 350 people
moved the barn 115 feet south  and 6 feet higher up a gentle slope and set it on its  new foundation.

The reason most people think that something cannot be done is because they know that they can’t do it by themselves. But impossible things can be done if we join together in the task. Working together, we can not only move barns, but change the world.

A Famouse Mason on this date

November 18, 1928 

On this date Brother Walt Disney Creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of Disneyland and Walt Disney World had his character Mickey Mouses screen debut in "Steamboat Willie," It was the world's first fully-synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York.

THE GRAND LODGE OF MAINE

As you may be aware, the Grand Lodge of Maine has been working to relocate their administrative offices out of its current location in Portland.  A great resource has been posted online at www.mainemason.org   Please feel free to review the entire six page outline for more details.

However, here is a synopsis of some of the points made.

"There are several important reasons why a move away from the current building is being
discussed for the Grand Lodge Administrative Offices:"

•  Membership in Maine Masonry has been dwindling for many years.
•  RENT - The building at 415 Congress Street is NOT OWNED by Grand Lodge.
•  Sadly, this hundred-year old building has seen few major renovations during the past century.
• The plumbing or heating will eventually need to be brought ‘up to code’ standards of today.
• The Portland Temple Associates are in a weak cash position because of;
• 2006 - 2007 embezzlement
• the down economy
• Freemasonry’s numbers decrease resulting in fewer sources of new revenue.

The Grand Master – in his role as Chairman of the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation – appointed a Site Selection Committee consisting of both MMCF Trustees and other Masons from around the state to examine all of the various proposals and ideas relative to moving the Grand Lodge Administrative Offices and to make a recommendation as to how to proceed.

Merrill Bank Building in Holdon, ME

This committee weened the potential locations to five and included the Masonic Temple in Bath, a former credit union building in Pittsfield and a former Merrill Bank building in Holden and current building in Portland for comparison.  The committee ultimately proposed to the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation that a building in Holden at the corner of Route 1A and Route 46 – be purchased for the purpose of housing the Library and Museum and to allow the rental of space by Grand Lodge for their Administrative Offices.

The assessed value of the building was $649,000. The asking price was $379,000 and the ultimate sales price was negotiated at $300,000.  There were many reasons for selecting this particular building in this particular location.

• It is a reasonably new building, 19 years old. 
• It has just under 3,000 sq. ft. at ground level
• another 3,000 sq. ft. dry and accessible basement for records storage, meeting rooms, etc. 
• the 800 sq.ft. drive-thru area is part of the footprint and could be used for future expansion.
• It is propane heated and has built-in air conditioning. 
• A fire department hydrant is on the property. 
• It is in a VERY visible location, right along the route to Bar Harbor.
• It will result in a savings to Grand Lodge in the first year of $12,500.
• NO increase in per-capita tax as a result of this action is anticipated.  
• Within a 30 minute drive there are about 15% more Maine Masons than the Portland location.

 The full update, again on www.mainemason.org, provides more details and some great Q&A for your consideration.

One of Aroostook's Heroes!!

I don't know if Mr. Dahlgren was a Mason or not but when you read his story you will understand why his story is here.  This story should be taught in our schools and we should all be proud that this man walked amongst us.

Edward C. Dahlgren

WWII Medal of Honor Winner

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant (then Sergeant), U.S. Army, Company E, 142d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division.

Place and date: Oberhoffen, France, 11 February 1945.

Entered service at: [Caribou], Maine.

Born: Perham, Maine. G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945.

Citation: He led the 3d Platoon to the rescue of a similar unit which had been surrounded in an enemy counterattack at Oberhoffen, France. As he advanced along a street, he observed several Germans crossing a field about 100 yards away. Running into a barn, he took up a position in a window and swept the hostile troops with submachine gun fire, killing 6, wounding others, and completely disorganizing the group. His platoon then moved forward through intermittent sniper fire and made contact with the besieged Americans. When the 2 platoons had been reorganized, Sgt. Dahlgren continued to advance along the street until he drew fire from an enemy-held house. In the face of machine pistol and rifle fire, he ran toward the building, hurled a grenade through the door, and blasted his way inside with his gun. This aggressive attack so rattled the Germans that all 8 men who held the strongpoint immediately surrendered. As Sgt. Dahlgren started toward the next house, hostile machinegun fire drove him to cover. He secured rifle grenades, stepped to an exposed position, and calmly launched his missiles from a difficult angle until he had destroyed the machinegun and killed its 2 operators. He moved to the rear of the house and suddenly came under the fire of a machinegun emplaced in a barn. Throwing a grenade into the structure, he rushed the position, firing his weapon as he ran; within, he overwhelmed 5 Germans. After reorganizing his unit he advanced to clear hostile riflemen from the building where he had destroyed the machinegun. He entered the house by a window and trapped the Germans in the cellar, where he tossed grenades into their midst, wounding several and forcing 10 more to surrender. While reconnoitering another street with a comrade, he heard German voices in a house. An attack with rifle grenades drove the hostile troops to the cellar. Sgt. Dahlgren entered the building, kicked open the cellar door, and, firing several bursts down the stairway, called for the trapped enemy to surrender. Sixteen soldiers filed out with their hands in the air. The bold leadership and magnificent courage displayed by Sgt. Dahlgren in his heroic attacks were in a large measure responsible for repulsing an enemy counterattack and saving an American platoon from great danger.

THANK YOU - Veterans Day

 Brethren,
It goes without saying that we owe a debt of gratitude to all of our Veterans who served to maintain our freedoms.  On this Veterans Day please remember them in your thoughts and prayers and thank them if you can.  Here is a video tribute to our brave men and women in Uniform.


I know many of you served and it was one of our veteran brethren who inspired me with an email to put up this post.  I thank you for your service on behalf of your lodge and Masonic Brothers.


There will be a Veterans Day Ceremony held at the Caribou Veterans Cemetery starting at 11:00 am and lasting for about an hour.  All are welcome and I encourage you to bring your kids and grand kids and try to instill in them the important sacrifices that these fallen heroes have made.  I will close with a link to the Caribou Masonic Lodge Facebook page where you can view a video that Ivan Shaw sent me.  This is video shot on Hawaii on VJ day and is absolutely wonderful, I hope you enjoy.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caribou-Masonic-Lodge-170-AF-AM/154897857928542