FROM OUR DISTRICT MASTER - Pat bellingham

Dear Members of VASA Pennsylvania District No. 9 - Drott Lodge, Nobel-Monitor Lodge and Svea Lodge.

Our District is a cornerstone of Swedish and Scandinavian heritage, and also a vibrant community of individuals who come together to celebrate tradition, foster camaraderie, and support one another.  I am honored to be the new DM and look forward to building on the great initiatives started by our Past District Master, Arne Dunhem.

The 61^st Biennial Convention was held last weekend.  There were 3 Grand Lodge Representatives; Antonio Spargo, Vice Grand Master, Kevin DeFeo, Grand Treasurer, and our own Julie Olson, Executive Board.  We had our officers, as well as 12 delegates and 1 alternate.

Some of our friends got an early start by arriving on Thursday.  That gave them the opportunity to view beautiful Erie, PA from the lake, getting a two hour tour of the bay, Perry Monument, Fernwood cottages, Dobbins Landing, and the community of houseboats on Horseshoe Pond.  It was a breezy day and required jackets, but it was a great time!

Friday was a busy day preparing for the weekend.  We were able to offer Nordic Nook, a room full of Scandinavian-inspired crafts and baked goods for sale, thanks to Kathy Williams and her Crew.

Taco Fredag is getting to be a staple at Convention.  This year was no exception.  We had a Walking Taco buffet – delicious!  We weren’t done walking because Karin had a Bingo activity with squares to be filled in by each member who had the stated skill set or background.  That means we had to be up and around finding people who could speak Swedish, knew who Silvia was, has a mormor, etc.  We got to learn about our brothers and sisters!

Saturday business meeting started off with a beautiful presentation of flags by the Junior ROTC from McDowell High School.  We then began our meeting with the usual roll call and initiation of a new delegate, Tom Hetrick.  Minutes were read and correspondence shared.  There were several emails from friends who were unable to make it to this event.  DM Arne Dunhem gave his report.  Other officers and committee members turned in their reports for the Convention Booklet and all reports were accepted as written.

We had some significant information and discussion about the Grand Lodge request for names and email contact information for their communication data base.  The discussion was led by Kevin DeFeo, Treasurer and GL website committee member.  Grand Lodge is developing a website to be more inclusive and informative.  Kevin has assured us that ALL information will remain private and will not be available to the public.   It was moved, seconded and carried to comply with Grand Lodge request to provide names and email addresses for local lodge members.

The second important discussion from the Grand Lodge pertained to the Vasa Star.  Publishing, printing, and mailing of the Vasa Star to each of our households is the second largest budget item.  You may have noticed that the magazine is getting smaller and thinner.  One solution is to distribute the magazine via email.  Several months ago many of you responded to our survey of which delivery you would prefer; USPS or email.  There were many throughout the country that prefer to have a USPS, hands on copy.  The Grand Lodge recognizes the value of the hard copy and assures us that present members, whether they have email or not, will continue to get the hard copy of Vasa Star if they want it.  These changes are still in the preliminary stages but this will be something that will be coming up.

Other business was attended to.  The budget was passed that included partial reimbursement to local lodges for their website expenses. The scholarship program will get a boost from Nobel-Monitor as they have offered to pay $3,000 in scholarship money every other year. 

We had a variety of cultural programs and workshops to attend on Saturday afternoon.  All were well received and appreciated.  We had programs on bees and their value in keeping our world fed (+a taste of fermented honey, mead), we learned some snaps songs that were later shared at the banquet, and had a Swedish trivia class.  Workshops included the District initiative, Curious About Sweden, designed to identify Scandinavian neighbors who may not know about Vasa, we learned about the Archives in Bishop Hill, and had a program on the new Youth Group, Tomte and Trolls.

A slate of Officers was presented by the Nominating Committee and these officers were installed:

•   District Master – Pat Bellingham
•   Vice District Master – Karin Weeden
•   District Secretary – Kathy Williams
•   Vice District Secretary – Tom Hetrick
•   District Treasurer – Marit Knollmueller
•   District Auditor – Eva Dunhem
•   Executive Board – Kathy Olson
•   District Trustee – Emma Hedman
•   District Cultural Leader – Arne Dunhem
•   District Master of Ceremonies – Ashley Mullinax in absentia
•   District Historian – Rolf Bergman
•   District Chaplain – Lorraine Johnson

Membership is a huge focus for our Lodges and District.  Local Lodges were recognized with checks - $10 for each new member that the Lodge brought in over the past two years.  Nobel-Monitor received $70, Drott received $250, and Svea received $190.  Hopefully, those funds will be used to encourage more new members.  Drott was recognized for their wonderful efforts in recruiting new members.  They increased their membership over the past two years by 17%!  They were awarded the District silver candelabra for their great work.

The banquet was beautiful and delicious.  Karin and Eva brought Princess Cakes for dessert - a labor of love all the way from DC!  Again, the Ambassador was top notch in their service and delivery.  We enjoyed a trio of musicians that played familiar Swedish songs.  Then Karin led us in singing the songs learned in her workshop earlier in the day!  We got to be pretty good.  The song sheet will be on the website!

Thank you to everyone who planned, participated, voted, supported, and shopped!   Mark your calendars for the next Convention, September 22-24, 2028!  See you there!