VALTHORNET DISTRICT LODGE LAKE MICHIGAN NO. 8
April 2013
GLAD PÅSK! HAPPY EASTER! District Master’s Message: Låt oss bygga en spännande Vasa Orden tillsammans. To all District Lodge Lake Michigan No. 8 Members, We are looking forward to the 105th District Convention, to be held in Rockford, Illinois, May 3 - 5, 2013. Brahe Lodge # 245 and Linde Lodge # 492 will co – host this year. The Convention hotel, the Holiday Inn on State Street, will be an excellent facility for our hospitality, meeting, dining, and cultural rooms. Brahe # 245 is hosting the Sunday lunch at their spacious Vasa Park. This is a special year for Brahe Lodge # 245 and also for Svea Lodge # 253 of Indianapolis, Indiana. Brahe achieved its 100th anniversary earlier this year in January, and Svea will reach its 100th anniversary this May, 2013. The other District lodges that have met this milestone are Siljan – Mora - Tuna # 134, Thor # 147, Linné # 153, Kronan # 179, and Bessemer # 203. Brahe Lodge # 245 will observe their birthday during the Convention. Svea Lodge # 253 will celebrate on June 2, 2013. Look for further news about these events later in this issue. Also, CONGRATULATIONS to Bishop Hill # 683 who attained their 45th Anniversary on March 25, 2013. To the right is a picture of a treasure that is archived in the Vasa Archives in Bishop Hill, Illinois. It is a delegate’s ribbon from a previous District Convention held in Rockford, Illinois, when the District name was District Lodge Illinois No. 8. It is a reminder also that Swedish was used at that time. The Convention Saturday lunch break will feature two presentations: a preview of the new District web site, TheVasaOrder.com, and a preview of the Sami exhibit to be on display in the Vasa Archives, Bishop Hill, throughout June, 2013. Attendees of the Convention, please help spread the word about the web site and the exhibit to your local lodges. The District Executive Board will recommend that money be budgeted for the acquisition of Nordic materials, especially DVDs. We hope that local lodges will borrow these and show them in places such as libraries so that the public can be invited and learn about the lodges and the Vasa Order Of America. If you drive to the Convention, make sure you have a District decal on your car. Other hotel visitors will certainly spot some of the decals, and maybe we will recruit some new members. And, it might be worth your while to have a decal noticed. I sanning och enighet; enighet ger styrka, Ed Hultgren District Master District Lodge Lake Michigan No. 8