Masons to commemorate shelter anniversary
BUTLER TWP — About 20 years ago, a group of Masons raised money and supplies and built a shelter in Alameda Park, and now its members use it just one day a year.
The Masons donated the shelter to Butler County for public use, which Ed Fair, a Master Mason of the Butler/Victory Lodge, said always was part of the plan for the new building.
“The guys just came and did it,” said Fair, who was secretary of the shelter construction committee. “They liked doing it, but they also liked doing something for the community. They knew that in the end, we were going to donate this shelter to the county.”
The Masons are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the shelter with a picnic scheduled for Aug. 19 — the one day of the year the shelter is used by the organization. Fair said Butler County Masons have a picnic every summer, but this year’s will be special because the organization’s members will recognize the collaboration that led to the creation of the community shelter.
“I think the building is symbolic, this is a county park, there is a Rotary playground, this is a Masonic shelter,” said Adolph Dahl, a Master Mason of the Butler/Victory Lodge. “I think it’s very important to recognize your local nonprofits and how important these organizations are to the community.”
According to Fair, the Masons were looking for a community project, and the group was going to create a bus shelter. The county commissioners asked if the Masons could instead build a shelter in Alameda Park by the pool, after doing a study regarding the number of parks in the county. The shelter would be one of the first built in Alameda Park, according to Fair.
“The fraternity gave some money; the county commissioners gave their permission,” Fair said. “It was about $100,000, and most of it we got was donations.”
Building the shelter was a collaboration between five Masonic organizations that were active in the county at the time, Fair said. The picnic in August invites members of Masonic organizations to come together for a day of activity, but it also invites community members to speak with members to learn more about the group.
“We’re having an open picnic. They can come and ask questions,” Dahl said. “We’re just a bunch of guys at a family picnic.”
Nick Mainhart, head of the picnic committee for the Masons, said the event is an opportunity for the Masons to share their community contributions with others, because many people are still unaware.
“Traditionally, it has always been the third Friday; this is the first year we are actually moving it to the third Saturday,” Mainhart said of the picnic date.
He said it’ll allow for visitors to visit the park’s pool for swimming and enjoying the park throughout the day.
“We’re just trying to build it up again with membership, so we are looking to have more community outreach.”
Dahl agreed, and said he hopes to see people attend the picnic to learn more about the Masons.
Ideally, some of them would join a Masonic organization after attending the picnic, he said.
“A lot of people don’t know what the Masons are doing, but yet they still gather under this very pavilion and they don’t realize who built it,” Dahl said. “It’s easily overlooked. I think the Freemasons are doing a lot in Butler County.”
The Butler Area Masonic Family Picnic will serve lunch at noon Aug. 19, at the Masonic Shelter in Alameda Park. There will be a recognition program, games, ice cream and pool passes included, according to a flyer for the event.
