Chamber Coffee Hosted By Local Masons At The Masonic Lodge

For 102 years, the Ulysses Masonic Lodge #432 AF&AM has served the Grant County community and describes itself as a "personal improvement fraternity".

Lodge treasurer and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas, Derik Hockett said there are about 11,700 freemason members in Kansas.

“Of those 11,700, about 8,000 of them reside in the state of Kansas,” Hockett said. “Our membership numbers are starting to stabilize a little bit.”

Hockett added that  membership numbers have dropped over the past 10 years.

Hocket said they have focused hard on what it means to be a Mason.

“And making sure when we have new men join the fraternity, and our existing members, when they come into our lodge they have an ideal and fulfilling Masonic experience,” Hockett said.

History is a large part of freemasonry, with Tyler Hook the historian of the local lodge, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023.

“It goes back to the founding of our nation,” Hockett added. “We have a portrait of George Washington on the wall over here. George Washington was a Mason and a founding member of our United States.”

Locally, the Masons are known for charitable work.

“If you’re into charity, we’ve got something for you,” Hockett said.

The lodge is for men only, and women can become members of Eastern Star. Traditionally, only women with ties to the Masons could join Eastern Star, but now, all women are welcome.

“Just this last year, Order of the Eastern Star changed their membership rules a little bit,” Hockett said. “Previously, for a woman to join you had to have some kind of a Masonic relationship – a father, a grandfather, a husband, an uncle. We realized that was maybe kind of an older way of thinking so, at least for women, if you want to become a member of Eastern Star, you don’t have to have any Masonic affiliation.”

Another part of free masonry is Shriner’s International.

“In the central part of the country, the Shriner’s Hospital that services this part of the world is in St. Louis,” Hockett said. “Members of the Shrine, which you have to be a Master Mason, you have to be a member of a lodge like this in order to be a Shriner, all of the money Shriners raise here regionally goes directly to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.”

The hospital in St. Louis doesn’t take money from Shriner’s International.

“This region stands out in the way we contribute to that hospital,” Hockett said. “We’re not beholden to the larger Shriner’s organization as far as how funds are allocated.

“Out here, people give big, and they know how to take care of that hospital.”

The local lodge sells tickets for a car drawing every year, and this year it’s a 1967 GTO.

“That’s done through our Kansas Masonic Foundation,” Hockett added. “They go out every year, they help us with the promotional material, they purchase the car. The tickets are $20, 15 of those dollars come back to the lodge for things we do; we support Furever Friends, we’ve got a scholarship we do every year, other organizations and scholarships that we donate to and support. Five dollars goes back to the Kansas Masonic Foundation just to cover the cost of the promotional material and the car.”

The Kansas Masonic Foundation gives $50,000 per year to the St. Louis Shriners Children’s Hospital.

“Bits and pieces of the dollars you guys donate to us, also go to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in small ways and small forms,” Hockett said.

All the money collected in Ulysses goes to local organizations.

What's On The

Calendar?

Chamber Director Marieta Hauser presented a list of local events, starting with the Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Grant County Bank at 11 a.m., April 19 on the Grant County Courthouse lawn, and at 1 p.m. that same day is the final Legislative Coffee of the spring at Grant County fire station on East Oklahoma Avenue. Representative Marty Long and Senator Bill Clifford will provide on this past legislative session in Topeka.

Spring Fling is April 25-26 at Grant County Civic Center and any for-profit business who wants to participate can call the chamber office. The event is from 5-9 p.m., April 25 and from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. April 26, and features a kiddie tractor pull, live music, booths and food trucks.

•Grant County K-State Extension Service has plots available at the Grow Well Community Gardens at Barb Dye Park. Plots are available for rent at $10 per plot, and water is included. Pre-planted plots are also available.

•The City of Ulysses has kicked off an art project at Frazier Park as a fundraiser for Unity Plaza, the new park under way on Main Street. Organizations or individuals can donate to Unity Plaza through the foundation and anybody who donates $1,000 will have a Peace Pole at Frazier Park they can paint.

The idea is to raise money for equipment such as tables, chairs – among other things – at Unity Plaza while providing an opportunity for public art at Frazier Park.

•The first Farmer’s Market organized by Nancy Borthwick at Grant County Senior Center will be the evening of May 6, at Main and Grant.

•Grant County Library will have a come-and-go event for families from 4-5:30 p.m. April 22, to celebrate Earth Day.

•The city’s summer kickoff will be May 30 on Main Street.

•The Grant County Recreation soccer season is under way with games every night except Sunday and Wednesday, and 313 kids are signed up this year.

•The Father-Daughter Dance is May 3 from ages 4 to high school. The cost is $20.

There will not be a Chamber Coffee this week in celebration of Easter.