Here's a fairly awful hand-held phone video of Freemasons' Hall blinking red, white and blue last night during the festivities downtown. Shot from the Scottish Rite Cathedral parking lot at about 9:30 PM.

There's not much activity over the summer at Freemasons' Hall, but when lodges return at the end of summer they will see some new faces at the welcome desk. The Temple Association has employed the services of Securitas to provide security for the building. With new activity, renters and other events, the Board has determined that we need professional personnel to keep track of the many new people coming in and out of the building, and to provide greater safety for our members.

In the coming weeks, the Board will be providing all lodges and Masonic bodies in the building with new scheduling procedures. Because Securitas is a paid service, the longtime informal methods of scheduling events in the building must become more formal and standardized so we can ensure the building is open, with security folks on duty. Lodge and appendant body secretaries and recorders will soon receive official notification of the new procedures. Once issued, we must insist that these new guidelines are adhered to. Otherwise, you could find the building locked for your event, and no one wants that to happen.

Watch your mailboxes and look for postings in the building coming soon.