Trestleboard | star-in-the-east-59

MAY 2026 trestleboard

Star in the East Lodge #59

Exeter, New Hampshire

Wor. Dwane Staples, Master

TRESTLEBOARD

Stated Meeting of Star in the East Lodge #59, F. & A. M.

Thursday May 14, 2026 at 7:00 P.M. (Dinner at 6:P. M. and Collation after meeting)

- To conduct all business that may regularly come before the Lodge

- Program: Closing Charge

Thursday May 14: Stated Meeting: Program Closing Charge

Saturday May 16: Grand Lodge Annual Meeting: Grand Lodge opens at 9:30am

!! Sunday May 17: Breakfast at Star in the East. 9:AM!!

Thursday May 21: Fellowship Night 6:30pm!! Friends & Family Invited

============================================================================== FROM THE EAST

Greetings Brethren!

As I sit and reflect on the April meeting, I am excited and inspired by how much our Lodge is doing. We had our inspection by the DDGL RW Dan Perry and our JW stepped up to do the Masters part for the Degree. Wor. Bruce Hussey did and excellent job on the EA History and charge. Thee DDGL said we did an excellent Degree and I need to thank our courtesy candidate Bob O’Shea from Gideon Lodge for doing that for us that night. I am proud of our officers and the work they are doing.

We attended the Grand Lodge Town Hall Meeting held in the Lodge in Candia. Among several topics we learned that the Grand Lodge will be redistricting the state again in year 2028. The First District will be losing the Lodges in Raymond and Candia. The First District will gain Lodges from Dover and Rochester.

We had our Stated communication and Brother John Mosely presented a program on Mathematics that was very interesting and done very well! Congratulations Brother Mosely!

On our Fellowship Night St. James Lodge from Hampton visited and had hot dogs with us and held their Stated communication at Star in the East. It was a great night!

As you can see we have been very busy and it would be great to see you if you have not been to Lodge in a while. We will be talking about the closing charge at our Stated communication for the program of the evening. I am hoping to have a candidate ready to do his Fellow Craft Lesson at our Stated communication, so please come and support him. We will have our monthly breakfast and Fellowship night this month so I hope you can come and enjoy a meeting this month.

We will also be preparing our list for our steak and lobster night at our Stated communication in June.

Since it is Hockey Playoff season I will leave you with a quote from my coaching days by an anonymous person “Whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re probably right”

I look forward to seeing you in Lodge!

Fraternally,

Dwane Staples, WM (DDSL@comcast.net) 603.682.5205

Final Thought:

“The secret of making progress is to get started.” - Walt Disney

Special Notes:

- There is no warmth more comforting than surrounding yourself with good people who care.

- Star in the East is committed to being a Lodge that practices inclusion. Please, Brethren, if you would like to present a program, take part in Ritual, serve on a committee, or help with our dinners, we’d love to hear from you.

- Remember, our Lodge room is a sanctuary, free from the worries and tribulations of the outside world, where we all meet on the Level.

- You are someone’s impression of the Fraternity. Please dress appropriately for our meetings.

From the West

GREETINGS FROM THE WEST

It has been a busy season of Masonic fellowship thus far. I have enjoyed the many programs that have been offered. I am looking forward to many more enlightening presentations/conversations. Please feel free to offer any presentation/conversation ideas you might have.

Our Junior Warden (and his talented lady) shined at the most recent “Masters and Wardens” meeting. Star in the East has certainly become well known for the exceptional meals and pre/post meeting fellowship treats.

We have an EA Degree on the horizon – as well as a Master Mason Degree. I always look forward to the excellent Degree work that takes place at Star in the East. I would encourage you all to keep an eye on these upcoming Degrees. It is always nice for a candidate/brother to see you as part of the Degree – or on the sidelines.

I would like to give special recognition to Worshipful Bruce Hussey, for his excellent “Entered Apprentice History/Charge.” What a spectacular job!

I am looking forward to the many experiences our mentoring program will offer. This is a great time for those who will be advancing in their respective officer roles – to mentor those coming up behind them. I am certainly benefitting from the mentorship of Worshipful Dwane Staples (and others).

I encourage all members to drop in and see what is happening in your Lodge.

Fraternally,

Michael W. Frost, SW

“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”

Tennyson

FROM THE SOUTH

We are looking forward to our May Stated Meeting with Dinner starting at 6PM.

As we transition into spring, sub-freezing nights in April are not helping this “transition”. Spring is a time for “Revival”, this makes me think of our Lodge and all the exciting things happening. The closeness of the Brethren, the unbelievable programs at our meetings and the plans we have for an unforgettable year. I am looking forward to many, many things, too many to mention, but one of the “upgrades” that I am looking forward to is the rumor that dress shorts will be “approved” for the June Hawaiian Shirt Meeting, I will keep my fingers crossed 😊

The menu for May stated:

MAIN COURSE:

Chicken & Steak Fajita’s!
- With all the fixings

DESSERT:

Chef’s Choice (Surprise!)

COLLATION:

Assorted Cookies and Pastries

NOTE: RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST FOR THIS MEAL.

The cost of this meal will be $10.00
If you will be joining us for dinner, you are requested to REPLY directly back to the Text-Em All that goes out the Friday preceding our Meeting. If you do not receive our Text-Em All please call/text/email; Brother Joe Elliott, Junior Warden; cell: (603) 702-3480 – joe@atlanticautotruck.com
. “Active Candidates & “Special Ladies” are not charged for the meals

Fraternally,

Joe Elliott, JW

SUNDAY IS FUNDAY!!

Just a reminder – our next breakfast will be May 17, at 9:00 am and go until we run out of food or conversation. Bring your family and friends for breakfast. There is no charge. All we ask is that you bring some food item to contribute to the meal. If you could please let the Junior Warden or me know if you’re attending it would be appreciated.

– Wor. Mike Daley, Jr.

FROM THE HISTORIAN

I have been asked several times by Brethren - both members and visitors - if Star in the East Lodge always met on the second Thursday of the month. My response has always been no, but I could not be much more specific than that. I always knew I had the specific answer someplace, but could not remember where. Being continuously frustrated was frustrating, so I decided my office clutter was such that I had three options: live with it, throw it all out, or downsize. (Jim Ryan and I have something in common - being given Masonic “stuff”.)

In the process of downsizing (the logical choice), I found I have copies of what are probably the original and next two revisions of the Lodge by-laws from 1857, 1875 and 1895. They were in a box with a collection of myriad other small booklets on various and sundry Masonic topics. I had the answer to both meeting nights and the Annual Communication:

From 1857 to 1875, Lodge was held “on the Wednesday of each week on which the moon fulls.” The Annual Communication was on the regular lodge night in April.
From 1875 to 1895, Lodge was held “ on the Thursday of each week in which the moon fulls.” The Annual Communication was held on the first stated communication of the year.
The 1895 by-laws permitted the Lodge to omit meetings in July and August by vote of the Lodge, but the Lodge was still a moon lodge.

Moon lodges generally allowed for better light traveling home from Lodge meetings. There were probably a significant number of Moon Lodges in the early days of Masonry, but I do not have anything that gives me that information. There are several well-written books with Lodge histories, but none that I have in my library include that information. There are/were still two moon lodges in New Hampshire in the recent past - Evening Star in Colebrook and King Solomon’s in Elkins. With all the recent Lodge mergers, I’ve lost track.

My apologies for my Trestleboard absence the past few months, but it has been a complex period in the Cole family, and I found myself pulled in many directions. I want to thank our Worshipful Master and Senior Warden for helping me maintain a semblance of normalcy, balance and functionality.

Richard F. Cole, Jr., PDDGM, Historian

FROM THE NORTH

Greetings Brethren,

As I type this, I am home for 3 days after taking a 4 day Masonic road trip with Brothers Almon and Elliott. We went to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the George Washington Masonic Memorial, the Museum of the American Revolution, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and Mount Vernon.

What an experience it was! We will be putting together a slideshow and showing it in Lodge as soon as we can.

There’s something that has been eating at me for some time now, and that’s the empty seats at our Stated meetings and Degrees. Our Lodge has become something to be even more proud of over the past couple of years, with great programs and terrific meals provided by our Junior Warden and his lovely wife Michelle. If you haven’t been to a meeting in a while, I strongly urge you to make the effort and come back to see what our Lodge has become. There are few things better than to see a full Lodge room and Brethren receiving more light. I truly hope to see you all soon.

Fraternally,

David Dominianni, P.M.