"To preserve the reputation of the Fraternity unsullied must be your constant care."

BE A FREEMASON

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Make Your Masonic Week 2018 Reservations

Sorry I forgot to post this sooner, but the website for making reservations for the 2018 AMD Masonic Week  has been up and running for a while now. This annual event will be held between February 8-11, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia (a mere cocktail glass' throw from Reagan International Airport, across the Potomac from Washington, D.C.). Eighteen Masonic appendant bodies, invitational groups, research organizations, and others will be holding their annual meetings, degree conferrals, elections, banquets, speeches, and other assorted sundry activities. There is also always a healthy dose of Masonic product vendors on hand. 

The direct link to reserve a room at the Hyatt with the convention rate is HERE.

If you've never been to Masonic Week before, the real benefit of going is that it is the largest concentration of seriously proactive Masons from across the country and around the world you'll find on an annual basis, along with many of the best known Masonic researchers, authors, editors, and other personalities. While the bulk of the groups require existing York Rite membership as a precondition for their own admission (and a few are invitational only), you will still find plenty to keep you more than occupied for these three and a half days. And there is as much to be absorbed at the bar or in the hospitality rooms as in the meetings themselves. 

Plus, if you've never been to Washington, D.C. before, this is the perfect excuse to go. I will tell you from experience that there is a 50/50 chance of the weather either bringing three feet of blowing snow, or 70 degree sun-drenched days. Sometimes both. That's just Washington in February. (Take an extra set of underwear in case your flights get canceled. Old hands know this.) But add a day to your trip to sightsee, and be sure you visit the Scottish Rite's House of the Temple no later than Thursday, because it is CLOSED Fridays and weekends. Visit the Capitol, the monuments, the Smithsonian. Have drinks and cigars at the Old Ebbitt Grill (you'll find Masons there nearly any night that week). Or go the other direction to Alexandria and visit the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, and have dinner at Gadsby's Tavern. There's no shortage of historic sites tied to Masons concentrated in the area.

(Yes, I know the graphic at the top of the Masonic Week pages has a glaring spelling error. No, I don't have anything to do with their website myself, beyond linking to it here. Yes, I informed the site admin over a month ago, which is why I delayed posting it much earlier. No, I don't want to hear about it anymore.)

2 comments:

  1. Thanks, Chris, for the update.

    Even though the Order Of The Eastern Star is a wonderful fraternal Order for men and women (with a Masonic requirement), it is serious stuff.

    So for those "old hat" Masons or younger Millennial brothers looking to take a break from all the serious stuff, and have a fun fraternal experience with their wives or significant others, Masonic Week 2018 is hosting the Noble Order of Muscovites. Interested brethren can find their tab on the Masonic Week website. The CZAR is looking for candidates. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Brother! I will have to say that, 1995 called and they want their geocities webpage back!

    ReplyDelete

ATTENTION!
SIGN YOUR NAME OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFY YOURSELF IN YOUR COMMENT POSTS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT.
Your comments will not appear immediately because I am forced to laboriously screen every post. I'm constantly bombarded with spam. Depending on the comments being made, anonymous postings on Masonic topics may be regarded with the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned. If you post with an unknown or anonymous account, do not automatically expect to see your comment appear.