Season six brought some exciting developments to the Three Links Odd Cast. The biggest one was Meredith Moore joining as co-host and Director of Institutional Research. We expressed our gratitude for Past Co-host Mike Duminiak and his years of hard work on the show. We also reviewed and discussed our various episodes from throughout the season. Some of those highlights included the on-location episode recorded in Yreka, California for the Cave Degree, an interview with Past Co-host Duminiak about his book "Oddtistic," a look at the fraternal cemetery business with Brother Jon Hart of the Odd Fellow Memorial Gardens in Livermore, California, another tattoo episode (of course!), the Christmas episode, Meredith's two survey episodes about burnout and the future of the Rebekahs, the new lodge in San Antonio (for which Toby made a special musical recording), and the episodes about new and revitalized lodges in Tennessee, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. We closed out with a great conversation with Sovereign Grand Master Tom Calabrese who provided us with some great wisdom and insight. All in all, it was a pretty good season. The Shoutout went to another revived Encampment, Pueblo #1 of Colorado. In the Odd Podge, Toby is looking forward to his Washington Grand Sessions with old friend Kelly Hughes returning as Sovereign Grand Warden, Meredith gave credit to a number of lodges doing great things, and Ainslie spilled the beans on the upcoming Three Links Emporium and Tattoo Extravaganza at Sovereign Grand Lodge.

Odd Fellowship is built around the principle of mutual aid, which implies that we should all be of service to one another. Our current Sovereign Grand Master, Tom Calabrese, exemplifies the spirit of a servant leader. Modest and unassuming, he has shown throughout his career in Odd Fellowship that he is always ready to pitch in and help out and that spirit of service has extended to his time as Sovereign Grand Master. Brother Tom worked his way up from being a member of his father's lodge to becoming a Past Grand, joining the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, joining the Sovereign Grand Lodge, and then moving up to the highest office in Odd Fellowship. Along the way he has exemplified the best aspects of service at every opportunity. He shares his thoughts about the Order's direction, tells what he has done to keep the Sovereign Grand Lodge functional, and gives insight into how he deals with issues that come to him. The Shoutout goes to yet another new Encampment, Barataria #73 of New Orleans, Louisiana. In the Odd Podge, Toby shares the visit of PGM David "Ace" Adams of Minnesota to Seattle, Ainslie talks about his adventure driving a century-old dump truck, Meredith gives credit to a lodge in the Philippines for their amazing relief efforts in the face of a disaster, and Tom shares his wonderful cemetery experience with the Grand Master of Vermont, Teppi Zuppo.

Brother Aiden Brink returns to the podcast to share some insight that he has gained about his lodge, degree work, regalia, robes, community involvement, and a host of other topics. Grab your notepads and get ready to take notes because this episode is chock full of great information that will be useful for every lodge, from the smallest kitchen-table lodge to the biggest traditional lodge. Changes that can help a lodge can start with just one member who wants to memorize rituals and make degrees more meaningful. The Shoutout goes to Victory Encampment No. 34 of the Atlantic Provinces (yes, it's *another* new Encampment). For the Odd Podge, Ainslie shared a remarkable experience where a prospective member stopped in at his shop to meet him and talk Odd Fellowship; Meredith gave props to Oustomah Lodge No. 16 of Nevada City, California for being so active in their community and sharing it on social media; Toby gave us the update on his lodge's German Dinner (which brought in some applications!); and Aiden thanked two groups of members for aiding in his lodge's success: newer members for their assistance with outreach and older members for their hard work and support.

There are many historical connections between Texas and Tennessee, from country music to Davy Crockett to Willie Nelson to the many brave Tennesseans who helped defend the Alamo. Because of those links, it's appropriate that we follow up two very Texan episodes with one from Tennessee. Recently, Crockett Hall Lodge #59 was re-chartered in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Brother Robert Gentry, who headed up the effort to revive the lodge, joins us to tell his story. Like many of us, he first encountered historical relics of the Odd Fellows' presence in Middle Tennessee, including a road bearing the name of the Order. That led to research, which led to a desire to form a lodge, which eventually led to the Grand Lodge of Tennessee and PGM Tammy Barton, who assisted with the process. He also shares some of the ways in which he was able to find members interested in reviving the lodge, including taking many people down to Alabama to get their degrees in the closest lodge. The Shoutout goes to Four Creeks Lodge No. 94 of Visalia, California, home lodge of our guest host Michael Crile, for their work in becoming active again and getting new members. In the Odd Podge, guest host Brother Michael gives us a brief history lesson of Tennessee Wesleyan University, which was first going to be chartered as Odd Fellows Women's College and spent an amount of time named for Brother Ulysses S. Grant; Robert previews the August Back-To-School Motorcycle Run, Toby shares his visit to Mount Constitution Lodge No. 88 on Orcas Island and gives an impromptu history lesson on the Pig War; and Meredith talks Cinco de Mayo and the "Good Neighbor" policies toward Latin America under President Brother Franklin D. Roosevelt, which, of course, prompts another history lesson from Toby.

For nearly 150 years, prior to 2001, the Rebekahs were a strong and vital companion organization to the Odd Fellows. However, once women were allowed to be Odd Fellows and were no longer restricted to just Rebekah membership, numbers for that unit of the Order started to decline precipitously. Director of Institutional Research Meredith Moore attended the Testamonial of IARA President Pam Isenhower to meet with and interview many prominent Rebekahs from around the US and Canada. Sister Meredith asked many important questions of the attendees hoping to get a feel for the future of the Rebekah branch. What followed were some frank and surprising answers, some of which may be controversial. The Shoutout goes to Scott Encamment #132 of Pennsylvania that listens to the podcast and discusses what they hear in each episode. In the Odd Podge, Meredith previews her upcoming trip to the now-passed Founders Day Reenactment in New Jersey, Ainslie shares his trip to a recently revitalized lodge hosting its first Degree Day in several years, and Toby lets our colleagues at Modern Goat Rider know that he's attending the Grand Sessions of British Columbia.

Odd Fellowship has a long, proud history in the state of Texas, dating back to Lone Star Lodge No. 1 in Houston, the first lodge chartered outside the United States by the IOOF, in 1845, before Texas joined the union. A big part of that history was San Antonio Lodge No. 11, only a few steps away from the Alamo, the cradle of Texan independence. On April 11th, San Antonio Lodge No. 11 was rechartered by the Grand Lodge of Texas with eleven members. Brother Daniel McGittrick joined us to preview the reinstitution of the lodge and give us the story of how it came to be as well as how the process worked for it to happen. The Shoutout goes to *ANOTHER* new Encampment, this time Peoria No. 3 of Illinois. Unlike many of the recent new Encampments, this one was spearheaded by older members who wanted to have their own Encampment to help support the Patriarchs Militant. In the Shoutout, Toby gives an update on how the progressive Degrees are going in his associate lodge; Ainslie shares the cycle of Odd Fellowship he experienced participating as Noble Grand in the Funeral Ceremony and then, later in the day, attending a Degree Rally; Meredith gives props to the new Grand Master of Texas, Jason Ottwell, for performing the Installation of Officers for Dallas No. 44 the same day he was installed as Grand Master; and Daniel thanks three important Odd Fellows in Texas for their assistance and support of the recent growth: Charles Stephenson, John Woolsey, and Bruce Wayne Smith. Special music for this episode was recorded by Toby Hanson.

Pine Island, Minnesota is the kind of idyllic Midwestern farm town that most people picture when they think of anywhere in the middle of the country: friendly people, a strong sense of community, and civic pride. The town also had one other fixture that used to be common in every little town in the Midwest: an Odd Fellows lodge. Unfortunately, the lodge had fallen on hard times. Membership was low and the building was falling apart. Evan Goranson and David Friese stepped in about a year and a half ago and started turning things around. Sometimes that job was fun and easy, like getting people interested in sorting through old treasures in the building. Sometimes it was more of a challenge than they wanted, like dealing with a leaking toilet. Through it all, the lodge is prospering and starting to grow, having reconnected with its community. The progress is significant and shows that with the right combination of new members, guidance from the Grand Lodge, and a can-do attitude, a lodge can be revived and start to thrive. The Shoutout goes to a new lodge in Tennessee, Crockett Hall Lodge #59. In this episode's Odd Podge, Meredith previews a special parade inclusion for the upcoming Pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Ainslie shares another somber memorial service in Illinois, Evan expresses excitement for the first day over 70 degrees Farenheit for Minnesota and Wisconsin, David expresses gratitude both for the nine candidates poised to join his lodge and for being able to talk about it on the podcast, and Toby recounts his conversation with a Chief Patriarch about how to make his Encampment more interesting for its members.

Coulterville, California is a relic of the Gold Rush; a small mountain community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. There are 110 residents of the town, which is situated at the crossroads of two state highways that take tourists to and from mountain tourist attractions like Yosemite National Park. Like so many other towns of the Old West, Coulterville has an Odd Fellows Lodge, but one that was on the verge of closing. Just when it seemed like the lodge was about to join so many other Gold Rush-era lodges in the history books, along came Erica Wolfsen, a multi-generational resident of Coulterville, and Willow Polson, her friend and partner in reviving the lodge. When they joined, rumors were swirling around the town that the lodge couldn't afford to stay open. They both stepped up and found ways to make the lodge an essential part of the community again and membership has rebounded as a result. They tell us the story of what they did and how they did it. Spoiler alert: it involves getting active and holding events in the community. The Shoutout goes to another re-chartered lodge, this time San Antonio No. 11 in Texas. In the Odd Podge, Erica raves about the inspiring speech Grand Master of California Rita Cooper gave at her recent visitation, Willow shares her happiness with the recent membership gains, Toby talks about the new plan his associate lodge has adopted to bring members in more gradually, and Ainslie previews the sad but rewarding duty of tending to a member at the end of his life.