(Spirit Lake)—Lakes area masons are moving forward with plans to build a new lodge in Spirit Lake.
Brett Thacker of the Iowa Great Lakes Masonic Center Incorporated tells KUOO news they’ve purchased a lot at the corner of 38th Street and Aurora Avenue in Spirit Lake, east of Highway 71 behind Matuska Taxidermy studio. Thacker says a timeframe for the project will be dependent upon fundraising…(click here for comment.) “We obviously have to raise money and in today’s time that takes awhile but we hope to have it done within the next few years. We’re not only going to raise money for a building but we’re also going to raise money for an endowment to help ensure that building lives on. There’s been a lodge in the Spirit Lake area for 140 years and a few years back it got, the building got old and it got sold and the rent became too high and so the different groups ended up meeting at different places. The Twilight Lodge, the Blue Lodge meets in Estherville and the Eastern Star meets at the Spirit Lake Senior Center and the Iowa Great Lakes Shrine Club meets in different locations around town. It’s just time to get a home back in Spirit Lake and bring everyone back together in one building so we can expand our program.”
Thacker says the goal is to raise $650,000…(click here for comment.) “$400,000 will be used for the building and $250,000 for the endowment. We will continue afterwards to raise money for the endowment but if we can get to our goal of 650 we’ll start construction right away.”
Thacker says Masonry has enjoyed a lengthy history in the Iowa Great Lakes and he says the goal is to continue that for atleast another century…(click here for comment.) “We know it’s kind of an ambitious project but there’s quite a history in this organization in the lakes area and we just want to continue that. And part of it is I indicated in the press release is there’s been a desire to get the youth organizations going. There’s just a lot of things that we can do and with us all meeting in different locations at different times it’s just not as convenient for us.”
Thacker says they’ll be holding a dedication ceremony for the lot at 10:00 a.m. June 22nd at the lot site. The event is open to all area masons and residents.
Lakes area Masons are raising funds to construct a new lodge on this lot at the corner of 38th Street and Aurora Avenue in Spirit Lake.
