‘Success: Masonic Con New York!’

    

Not everyone, but many who attended Masonic Con New York last Saturday at Masonic Hall in New York City. Our closing presentation took us to the Corinthian Room on the eighth floor.

Time for a recap of Masonic Con New York last Saturday at Masonic Hall in Manhattan? Sorry to say I cannot give much of a review because I didn’t get to see much of it.

I elected to remain at the check-in desk anticipating problems, mainly guests insisting they had paid for admission but whose purchases during the five months of ticket sales were not completed for vexing reasons. Actually, there were a few of those headaches, but only a few and they were easily remedied, so I missed the event for no urgent reason.

But the feedback is 96 percent encouraging! I am surveying our speakers, a segment of the vendors, and a large sampling of those ticket-holding guests to ask what they liked, didn’t like, and for improving suggestions, etc.

Don’t get me wrong. I will not be chairman of any Masonic Con planning committee again. I’ll attend Masonic Cons. I’ll even speak if invited (Hudson Valley Masonic Con in June), but I haven’t the desire or time either to be involved in future events to this extent or to be active in the Grand Lodge structure. I’m going back to my research lodges.

Warner Bros.

Strong thanks to our speakers: Dr. Heather Calloway, MW Akram Elias, RW Bull Garlington, Maj. Gen. Bill Green, W. Jim Ponytail(!), and RW Michael LaRocco.

To our vendors who snatched up the twenty tables we could fit into the second floor dining rooms.

To the planning committee empaneled eighteen months ago: Arthur, John, Lorenzo, Michael A., Michael L., Nathan, Piers, Rafael, and Sam.

To the advertising/production team: J.W. and his crew, Ryan, and Zach.

The Trustees of Masonic Hall, represented by RW Michael, made important things happen, to say the least. Also to the building staff, security, and other helping hands on site.

Mariners Lodge 67 is celebrating its bicentennial anniversary and made its Beefsteak Banquet and Maritime Festive Board the start of Masonic Con New York on Friday night.

To Webmaster Extraordinaire Ken.

Essential expertise also provided by Anis, Asly, Bill way up in the north country, Daniel, Todd, and Wil.

To VW Joel (building tours) and RW Jerry (cocktail hour).

To Joan and Loraine at The ESM magazine, and to the Craftsmen Online podcast. Also to Chris at Freemasons for Dummies for his October 31 post.

Convention Committee: Chairman Don, Angel, Don G., Greg, Juan, Trent, and Walter. I’d still be at the registration table if not for you.

And, of course, to Most Worshipful Grand Master Steven Adam Rubin.

Most especially to the 150 of you who supported the Grand Lodge of New York’s first Masonic Con by purchasing tickets—even if you gave me agita by waiting until after the event began!

(If I forgot you, please pardon the unintentional discourtesy, but let me know. I’m reviewing 200 old emails and 100 illegible pages of a Top Flight Wired™ Chub to get this right.)