This was the first of these balls which hasn’t sold out, and there were people who’d been to the previous three who weren’t there. I don’t know if there was something going on in an overlapping community that took them away, whether the Playford workshop tired people out, etc – but I did notice that …
Irish Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee) is one of three forms of Irish dancing. It is done in groups and at parties (unlike the solo Irish step dancing). Those jigs and reels that have you tapping your foot were made for dancing! Dances are similar to English country dances seen at Regency dance events, but done to …
On the evening of Monday, January 19th, Cupertino Lodge hosted Mountain View Lodge, True Fellowship Lodge, Saratoga Lodge, Philotesian Rebekah Lodge, and Clara Rebekah Lodge for a Dinner Installation lead by Grand Warden Adam Potolsky, District Deputy President Debra LaVergne, and District Deputy Grand Marshall Izzy Mahon. This was the largest Joint Installation for Odd Fellows …
At the end of January, True Fellowship 52 was pleased to welcome 4 new Odd Fellows to the Degree of Truth, in a ceremony that helped convey the deep teachings of our Order through the use of symbols. Receiving the degree were Tatiana Kuvaldina and Victor Gonsalves of Mountain View 244, Joey Bennett of Livermore …
On November 23, 2025 some 30 California Odd Fellows travelled through time and space to arrive in London on December 24, 1856 – the perpetual date frozen in time and sentiment at the charming Great Dickens’ Christmas Fair, located at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco, CA. The yuletide Odd Fellows came dressed in our …
Members of True Fellowship 52, Sara Bruce, Kat Powell, Scott Spence, and Debbie and Mason Wolf, decorated a tree in the Enchanted Forest at San Jose’s Christmas in the Park. This was our second year participating, and again we decorated out tree with Odd Fellows symbols, a triple-links chain, and a skeletal Santa. Our location …
Context 1856 was a year of civic formation in the Santa Clara Valley. The Odd Fellows charter that became today’s True Fellowship Lodge No. 52 dates to January 1856. Telegraph wires had already linked San José to San Francisco, and steamboats connected the city to the Bay through the port at Alviso. Nearby, the New …
On Thursday, November 13th, Barnes Encampment #77 hosted Grand Patriarch, Wendell Watson, and Grand Marshall, Shirley Watson. The evening kicked off with a delightful dinner with a Thanksgiving theme. The beautifully decorated room and table scape put everyone in a festive mood to welcome all of our guests. A chicken-centered potluck dinner was enjoyed before …
On Friday, August 15th Debra LaVergne and myself (Debbie Shuler) departed from San Francisco Airport to Chicago O’Hare Airport where we met up with fellow traveler Mel Astrahan. We all then proceeded to the Airport of Charleston West Virginia after a 5 hour layover. Luckily Debra and I had United Club passes available. Upon arriving …
On August 9, the lodge was filled with color and motion for the Jane Austen dance, co-produced by True Fellowship #52 and the Bay Area English Regency Society (BAERS). I, Alan Winston, am a Lodge member and a founder of BAERS, so am the crossover point for the two organizations. BAERS handled the band, caller …