DeMolay Time and Free Time

The following blog post was written by Brother Austin Chase, Region C Youth Representative, and PMC of Westmoreland Chapter. 

What does a DeMolay do in his free time when he's not in school or working? Some DeMolay members might like to play sports, play video games, sleep, drink chocolate milk, or practice their ritual. Every DeMolay has their own go to activities that they enjoy.  

During my free time, I like to play video games with my friends. When we're not playing video games, we do other things like go to the gym or go get something to eat. Other DeMolays in my Chapter like to do various other activities during their free time. One member is part of the swim team for their school. One member plays flag football. Another member is in the band and also plays for their high school Volleyball team. 

Some of us get together outside of DeMolay events and spend our free time together. Sometimes we get together to play basketball, listen to music, or play video games. The best part of DeMolay is that it provides you lifelong friendships that last even outside the Chapter banner.

Austin Chase, Region C Youth Representative
    

KeyMan University

For the 32nd year, Pennsylvania DeMolay will host the annual KeyMan Conference, known for the last 4 years as KeyMan University. The week long DeMolay experience will take place at the Masonic Conference Center - Patton Campus in Elizabethtown, PA on August 6th to 12th, 2017. Members and sweethearts are encouraged to join us for what is known throughout DeMolay International as a premier DeMolay leadership program. So why should you attend? Here are several reasons why you will want to be in Elizabethtown in August.

10. The Directors of KMU, "Dad" Dan Loughin and "Dad" Matt Blaisdell, have put together a stellar staff roster to help teach members and sweethearts everything they need to know during the week.

9. Participants will enjoy a week long stay at Patton Campus. For those who have never been to the campus, the facility consists of several meeting size rooms, dorm room style accommodations, a state of the art Multimedia Center, a cafeteria, and plenty of outdoor space to play all kinds of games and sports.  

8. Patton Campus has a half Olympic size pool that participants will have opportunities to enjoy. Assigned time frames for the pool will be reflected on the schedule.  

7. For the sports fanatics, there will be assigned time to let off some steam, with sports such as dodgeball, flag football, kickball, volleyball and basketball. Not a fan of sports? Not to worry, there are plenty of other things to do on campus, including a closet full of board games and a few chess tables in the atrium. 

6. One of the things that makes KMU special is the emphasis on service through our various service projects that will be built into the week. More details on this will come in a later post. 

5. Each participant will be placed into a department, which will be the emphasis for their learning experience through the week. New members will be placed in the DeMolay Education department. Other departments include Ritual and Performance, Chapter Leadership and Operations, Communications and Media, Events and Program Planning, Brotherhood and Membership, and Interpersonal Development.

4. There will be opportunities to work on LCC's throughout the week. Participants can also start working on their Representative DeMolay Award. 

3. FOOD!  

2. Participants will get to meet other members and sweethearts from their Jurisdiction as well as others. KMU is a DeMolay International known program, with participants traveling from Virginia, Maryland, New York, Canada and others to participate in our program. 

1. The week long fun that will be had at KMU will surely provide stories and memories that can be shared for years to come. It will also provide lessons that can, and should, be taken back to your home chapter.   

I hope this motivates members and sweethearts to join us for what is guaranteed to be a great DeMolay experience. Registration is open now, so go to keyman.pademolay.org to register now.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Top Ten Reasons to be at Convention 2016!

Its the middle of May, which means the clock is ticking and Convention is right around the corner. This year, the annual Convention will be held at the Seven Springs Resort in Champion, PA from July 15 to 17, 2016. If you've never been to a PA DeMolay Convention, your probably asking yourself "Why should I go to Convention?" Below are the top 10 reasons why you should be at Convention 2016.

10. Members will have the chance to compete in Ritual Contests, from the Flower Talk to the Ceremony of Light.

9.  You'll get the chance to stay at a fancy hotel for the entire weekend.

8.  You'll get a free copy of the 2016 Convention Yearbook, with pictures and memories from all of the year's great activities. 

7.  Convention will be loaded with fun activities to fill the entire weekend. We start at the Caddie Shak Family Fun Center, which will have Mini Golf, Go Karts, Bumper Boats and much more. Then on Saturday, the Seven Springs Resort has several fun activities including the Alpine Slide, Disc Golf, Paddle Boats and Summer Tubing.

6.  Convention will provide food for every meal.  

5.  Your chapter will be able to receive awards based on the accomplishments they have performed throughout the year. 

4.  You'll have the opportunity to congratulate "Dad" Sam Williamson on being elected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame in person. The actual induction takes place on June 17 in San Diego, California.

3.  You'll have the chance to vote on your Elected State Officers for the 2016-2017 term. This includes the election of the State Sweetheart as well.

2.  This will give you a chance to get out of the house for the weekend.

And the number 1 reason that you should be at Convention 2016...

1.  Convention gives you the chance to see friends from the entire state of Pennsylvania for a great brotherhood atmosphere.

Hopefully this is enough to convince you that you should be at Convention this year. Registration is due June 5th, so get it in soon to guarantee that you won't miss out.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin     

Be Different Spotlight: Reading Chapter

The following post is part of a series entitled the “Be Different Spotlight.” This post will display a chapter’s effort to grasp the concept of the theme for this year. Each chapter was challenged by the State Master Councilor, Adam Pritchard, to “Be Different.” 

Challenge Accepted! This is the story of how Reading Chapter embraced that challenge...

I am proud to announce that Reading Chapter has successfully thrown their first “Be Different” event. In order to explain the event, we all need some back story. For a couple of years “Dad” Dan Loughin has challenged Reading Chapter that if they can make positive growth, he would allow the members of the chapter who were first line signers to shave his head. Reading has been desperately trying to reach this goal for a while, but have unfortunately come short every time.

However, this year was a bit different. Reading Chapter was able to make positive growth for the first time in years due to the help of state incentive programs and chapter incentives. Now the problem continued: When is a good time to celebrate this auspicious occasion and officially get the clippers buzzing.

Reading Chapter’s Master Councilor Brian Henderson had planned a “Be Different” game night for his term. This game night was newer than game nights that Reading Chapter used to throw in the past, which usually involved card games and board games only. Recently our lodge hall had several parlor games installed in the lodge cafeteria, including billiards and air hockey. For the first time, Reading Chapter was able to utilize these items to take game night to a whole new level.

Members showed up with their families, as well as prospects (thus doubling this fun game night to also be a prospect party.) There were sodas, chips, cookies, pizza and fellowship for everyone. Throughout the night you could hear the constant clanking of air hockey chips as well as the cracking of a cue ball against the other pool balls. Members and friends played doubles so as to include as many people as possible. I sat at a table playing various card games with 3 other youth in attendance. The prospect party did not end there, with the opportunity to play Wii or ping pong still remaining as options before the night was over.

The night culminated in the long awaited and anticipated shaving of “Dad” Loughin’s head. The floor was prepped, the clippers were plugged in, and the members gathered. The first line signers took turns taking swipes across “Dad” Loughin’s head while others watched and laughed. At some point members began to forgo shaving everything off, but thought it funnier to cut irregular tufts of hair off his head, and then began to make fun patterns and unusual shapes. 

The night ended with shaving the rest of his head bald and clean up. Much fun was had and goodbyes were given (especially to "Dad" Loughin's hair.) The event was so successful that several prospects who were in attendance showed strong interest in joining, and younger siblings who came for the fun were looking to continue to be involved in chapter activities until they can join.

To watch the video of "Dad" Loughin getting his hair shaved off click here

This blog post was written by Pennsylvania DeMolay SMC Adam Pritchard. Thank you Brother Adam for your contribution.

Reading Chapter has completed the challenge to “Be Different.” What has your chapter done in order to change things up a bit? Send in program details or write a post for your chapter and send it to me at JAPullin@pademolay.net

Dining Etiquette for Gentlemen

One of things I constantly harp on with our Elected States Officers is dining etiquette, especially when attending Masonic functions. It's a simple set of skills to learn and it goes a long way towards making one seem more professional.

Check out this video from the Art of Manliness that gives the basics of creating a good dining experience.

 



 

DeMolays Love Food

I wanted to blog about something a little less serious today. As I thought about something to discuss, I remembered that DeMolays love one thing above all else - food! Pennsylvania has a rich history of interesting foods and I thought it might be fun to show DeMolays from other places what PA is known for. Specifically, I'm going to give you some information on PA Dutch Foods, as Elizabethtown (and the PA DeMolay HQ) is located in Lancaster County. Check out this awesome infographic I found over at mapsofworld.com.

What's your favorite PA food?

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Delicious Graphics

Today, I just wanted to share something quick and easy with you. I stumbled across this infographic out on a blog located at http://sweetheartsocial.blogspot.com/, of which the owner is a member of the Masonic family. It's a great, short, reference for those planning after meeting refreshments.

In the words of "Dad" Dennis Snedden, "Meetings without refreshments suck!" So, don't let your meetings fall into that trap - use this handy reference!