Our plans to reduce operating expenses by renting the lower half of our Lodge to a Karate school fell through, with the Karate school owner deciding to go to another location; a closed grocery store at Phelps Crossing in Willington.

The first meeting of the year on Jan 10, 2009 was greeted by a predicted heavy snowstorm headed for our area. I had contacted the Grand Master to decide if we should cancel the meeting, and he suggested we wait as long as possible to determine when it would hit. It held off until later in the evening, and I held the meeting. However, we were without heat and had only partial electricity in the Lodge. The meeting was held with the brothers wearing their heavy overcoats and brother Ron Ireland (an electrician) working to fix the electrical problem in the Lodge. There were times when we had to conduct the meeting via flashlights, but we did manage to finish business and closed Lodge early @ 8:06 PM. It was a night to remember.

The second meeting was held on Feb 14^{th. We opened Lodge and finished our business very quickly, as the rest of the night was devoted to a Valentine party and dance. Our newer members (Dave Simon, Sean Zamora and Ken Luurtsema Jr.) and their wives (Louise, Wendy and Amanda) organized it. We had about 50 members and their wives attend. There were appetizers and drinks served, and Sean Zamora provided lively music for dancing. All had a great time.}

Our March meeting was our EA inspection. Unfortunately our two candidates who were to take the degree cancelled out and we had to get a courtesy candidate. All went well and Howard Schiller along with Paul Watson on the projector, gave an excellent historical presentation (From the old glass slides in our Lodge) of the Lectures of the degree.

At our Blue Lodge meeting on April 29th, brother Herb Klei received the "MASON OF THE YEAR AWARD" Herb has always worked relentlessly to help all brothers and particularly our newer brothers learn the ritual, rules and regulations. He has served as Master several times and can be counted on to fill any position when needed. He has helped maintain our Lodge in good working order. He has also demonstrated his skills of cooking and has made some really delicious meals at many of our meetings over many years. He has been an inspiration to us all and is well deserving of this honor. Congratulation Herb, on your award. We appreciate your past and continued service and dedication to the Lodge.

One of our most interesting events of the spring (June 13th) was our "Ladies at the Table Lodge" This event was presented to honor our Masonic Ladies. Howard Schiller was Host for the evening, and after we had a brief meeting upstairs, the ceremony began. Many toasts (Wine, and grape juice and cider for those who do not drink) were made by the Ladies to famous personalities such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Ella Grasso, Amelia Erhart, etc; while enjoying a hearty dinner prepared by Jim Locicero, Gary and Elaine Fenster, (Elaine also did all of the beautiful decorations) Edythe Frank (Elaine’s mother), Bob Burns, Dave Simon and Maureen Allen provided desserts. While brothers were upstairs conducting Lodge business, a wonderful presentation "Birds of Prey" was given to the "Ladies" by Fred Kaisers’ daughter Mary Beth. She brought us many birds to view such as Hawks, Owls, Falcons and other interesting animals. All were thrilled at this amazing presentation.

^{A Lodge cleanup was held on May 23. Floors were washed and scrubbed, rugs vacuumed, and the building cleaned throughout. Outside work was also done in raking leaves, clearing brush and cleaning out the swale behind the building. I would also like to thank Phil Locicero for doing all of the lawn and trim work throughout the summer. The lawn looks great and his work is greatly appreciated.}

The District Deputy Installation for Very Worshipful brother Michael Talamini (9B) was held at Uriel Lodge. Mike was installed along with his Associate Marshal WB Mark Richens by WB Michael Dodge and W.M.Brian Newman. There were about 130 attendees.

We also had a CHIPS Program on Saturday July 25th. We had about 15 brothers and sisters from Uriel and Climax Chapter, process about 75 children through an identification system, consisting of finger printing, teeth impressions, Saliva swabs for DNA, height and weight measurements and an interview of each child was documented by a DVD. Our tent was located next to the Police Canine Trials, which were great fun to watch.

I would encourage all brothers and their families to attend some of the events we have instituted for the year. I guarantee, you will have a great time.----John Allen