Message from your Potentate, June 2013

I have said it before and I will say it again. This year is going fast. The big item that has occurred since our last Burning Sands is that the Spring Ceremonial was held in Devils Lake this year in conjunction with Devils Run. Everything worked fine except the weather did not cooperate with us. It turned out cold and windy but it did not deter the people who came out. We had a great parade, a great Oasis, and an equally great Potentate’s reception. There are a number of people to thank for this great weekend and I would like to mention a few. Darren and Janie Briss and Chuck and Jonielle Soderstrom were absolutely great in getting everything set up and organized. Another special thanks goes to Dicky Prozinski for setting up a fabulous Oasis at Proz’s End of Line. The food was great and I understand that Tyler Prozinski was our cook. Also, thank you to all of the Divan and Nobles and ladies who attended. I hope you had fun.

Congratulations to our Grand Master Wendel VanWechel. Wendel was installed on June 15th in Jamestown, ND and I was glad to be there to be part of the Grand Master Wendel’s day. Let us all give him our support.

The 2013 Annual Session of Shriners International will be held on June 30 – July 4th. A majority of your Divan will be attending and it sounds like we will have a number of important items to vote on. Hopefully it is a good session and the items we vote on will strengthen Shriners.

On July 18th we will be going to Mayville for our unit/quarterly meeting. This will be held at the Mayville Golf Course. We will be doubling up at this meeting as we will be hosting the Shrine football players at the same time. It will be a busy evening. But we are not done yet. On Saturday the 20th of July please join us at the Alerus Center to watch these same kids play some exciting 11-man and 9-man football games. There will be an Oasis tent with food and beverages, plus I heard that the Kem Band usually shows up and plays some great tunes. So come out and join us.

On August 15th – 17th we will be traveling to Duluth for our annual Midwest Shrine Association. Hopefully your Unit can make it to Duluth. There are two great parades and there will be a lot of great Shriners. Join us if you can.

Finally, MEMBERSHIP! We need your help. Please sign up some new candidates so we can enjoy 15 straight years of growth. If you need help, call us. We will help.

God bless America and God bless Shriners,

Jim Kienast

Potentate