The Three Links Odd Cast
Arts & Culture Podcasts
The Three Links Odd Cast is an exploration of and discussion about issues in Odd Fellowship for members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It provides a fun, light-hearted look at the history, traditions, customs, and practices of Odd Fellowship as well as an examination of where the fraternal order is today. NOTE: there will be *NO* discussion of The Unwritten Work or any of the signs, grips, or passwords of Odd Fellowship.
The Three Links Odd Cast is an exploration of and discussion about issues in Odd Fellowship for members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It provides a fun, light-hearted look at the history, traditions, customs, and practices of Odd Fellowship as well as an examination of where the fraternal order is today. NOTE: there will be *NO* discussion of The Unwritten Work or any of the signs, grips, or passwords of Odd Fellowship.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Description:
The Three Links Odd Cast is an exploration of and discussion about issues in Odd Fellowship for members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It provides a fun, light-hearted look at the history, traditions, customs, and practices of Odd Fellowship as well as an examination of where the fraternal order is today. NOTE: there will be *NO* discussion of The Unwritten Work or any of the signs, grips, or passwords of Odd Fellowship.
Language:
English
Contact:
(206) 245-8207
Email:
iooftoby@gmail.com
Episodes
Musical Heritage of Odd Fellowship
4/5/2021
Odd Fellowship has a long heritage of music, much of which has been forgotten. In this episode we explore the mysteries of the Ode Book and other forgotten pieces of Odd Fellows music. PGP John H. Seiffert, a Lutheran church music director in his professional life, dedicated a large amount of time to compiling the IOOF Odes, published by Sovereign Grand Lodge first in 1877 and then subsequently several times thereafter. The Ode Book includes several settings of the Opening and Closing Ode as...
Duration:02:18:36
New Lodge In Virginia
3/21/2021
Nick Curry was sitting in his hometown in Virginia looking for some kind of community organization to join. He searched on the Internet and made a list of all the usual fraternal and community groups. The more he researched them, the more one organization stood out: the Odd Fellows. He set about the task of gathering people together that he knew and started down the path that would end up re-chartering Chester Lodge #281 after nearly three-quarters of a century defunct. Along the way he had...
Duration:01:21:32
Growth From The Arts Community
3/7/2021
This week we're reaching deep into the heart of Texas to talk to Brother Ivan Kotcher, Noble Grand of Dallas Lodge #44. When he first joined the lodge less than ten years ago, it was down to a small cadre of elderly members barely able to make quorum. He shares the story of how a pair of well-known and charismatic artists in Dallas were able to draw large numbers of members to the lodge. Some of the lodge's success has been due to their commitment to feeding their member before and holding...
Duration:01:32:01
Appendant Bodies For Odd Fellows
2/21/2021
Popular culture has linked fraternal orders with the iconic headwear of the Middle East: the fez. How did that piece of headwear sported by Morocco Mole become emblematic of American fraternalism? What kinds of side orders are there for Odd Fellows? How did they develop and what happened to all of them? In this episode we get some answers from Brother Seth Anthony of Triune Lodge #307 in Middletown, Pennsylvania. Brother Seth is an avid fraternalist and founder of the Museum of Fezology...
Duration:01:37:11
Reviving A Small-Town Lodge
2/8/2021
Sister Stacy Thomason of Gold Hill Lodge #129 in Oregon joins us. In less that two years of membership, Stacy has become an amazing dynamo of activity, breathing new life into her small-town lodge. She has created a seed swap, a book exchange, a little free food pantry, and something she calls her "Odd Fellows Propaganda Machine." She fills us in on all the details about her amazing projects and how they have brought her lodge and her community much closer together. She also talks about some...
Duration:01:02:34
Supreme Historian, Part 2
1/31/2021
Brother Supreme Page joins us to continue the conversation begun in Episode 17. In this episode he gives us a fascinating glimpse into African-American history and the pivotal role Odd Fellowship played in developing Black communities. Specifically, we learn about various important figures in African-American history and their connections with Odd Fellowship. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s grandfather was an Odd Fellow who helped to build the Grand Lodge building in Atlanta which anchored the...
Duration:01:11:32
Supreme Historian, Part 1
1/25/2021
Brother Supreme Page of Oglethorpe Lodge #1, IOOF and Wayman Lodge #1339, GUOOF joins us for the first half of this episode to talk about the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and their unique history in African-American communities. Unfortunately, due to a dropped phone call, Bro. Page was unable to finish the episode with us. We are hoping to bring him back in the future to finish the conversation so he can share more of his historical research about the Grand United Order. Some of the...
Duration:00:44:36
Inspiration From A New Member
1/10/2021
Brother Joe Motta from Reno Lodge #14 in Nevada joins us to talk about his experience in joining the lodge last October and share his thoughts about making Odd Fellowship more accessible to younger members. He's in a perfect position to offer that insight since he's twenty-one years old and is working hard to bring new members into his lodge and revitalize Odd Fellowship in Nevada. Joe has some brilliant insights that will be easily adaptable to many lodges. His greatest insight is that...
Duration:01:38:52
Christmas Episode
12/20/2020
In the Christmas Episode, Ainslie and Toby are joined by guest host Bro. Christopher McHale of Covenant Lodge #6 in Missoula, Montana. They start off the show with a quick mention of Lake Stevens, Washington and an explanation of why. They share updates from past guests of the show and talk about the impact they're seeing in Odd Fellowship, including the chartering of a new lodge in Virginia. Bro. Michael Greenzeiger, Deputy Grand Master of California, shares his special Hanukkah message for...
Duration:01:12:54
Saving Lodges In Pennsylvania
12/6/2020
This jam-packed episode of the Three Links Odd Cast begins with a musical tribute to the Keystone State courtesy of Sovereign Grand Musician Toby Hanson. Ainslie issues a correction regarding President Chester Alan Arthur's lapels and Toby explains why Harry Truman wasn't in the Presidential Odd Fellows episode (hint: he wasn't an Odd Fellow). The episode gets rolling in earnest with Grand Secretary Justin Bailey, PGM, of Pennsylvania who shares some of his experiences working with lodges to...
Duration:01:53:49
An Odd Crossover, Part 2
11/22/2020
The Crossover Craziness continues with the second half of the crossover episode recorded by the hosts of both Modern Goat Rider and The Three Links Odd Cast. When the first episode left off, we were discussing membership and some of the challenges of communication across jurisdictional lines. This episode picks up where that one left off as Sergio was just about to answer a question...
Duration:01:05:45
Presidential Odd Fellows
11/15/2020
Inspired by current events, Ainslie and Toby are joined by guest host Christopher McHale for a historical overview of Odd Fellows who have served as President, Vice President, or Canadian Prime Minister. The brothers give some solid historical information on important parts of history like the highly-contested 1876 election and its lasting effects on US politics. They also throw in some irreverent discussion of things like which president had better facial hair (Chester A. Arthur or Martin...
Duration:01:31:56
Odd Fellows Cemeteries
10/30/2020
In this very spooky episode, Sergio and Toby are joined by three members of Crescent City Lodge #73 in New Orleans, Louisiana: Eddie LeBoeuf III, Michael Duplantier, and Emily Ford. All three share a passion for preserving history. Emily is a professional cemetery restorationist, Michael has over thirty years' experience with caring for cemeteries in New Orleans, and Eddie is a dedicated Odd Fellow who has made great strides to rebuild Odd Fellowship in Louisiana. In this episode they share...
Duration:01:21:10
Coming soon... the long-awaited Cemetery Episode!
10/26/2020
We've been promising an episode about Odd Fellows cemeteries for what seems like forever (but is really only a couple months). That episode is coming very soon! In the meantime, enjoy this narration of an account of the first Odd Fellows funeral in North America, as taken from a post on the Heart In Hand Blog from 2017. If you'd like to check out more posts from the Heart In Hand, you can catch the blog on the web at http://www.oddfellowsguide.com. In the meantime, stay tuned for the...
Duration:00:02:06
Listener Interaction
10/20/2020
Brother Christopher McHale from Covenant Lodge #6 of Missoula, Montana joins Toby and Sergio as Ainslie is still away on assignment. He brings his own unique humor and outlook on Odd Fellowship to the podcast as the hosts discuss various listener interactions they've had so far. The hosts have fielded questions from listeners ranging from how to find lodges to the role of religion in Odd Fellowship. They share the results of those interactions including how they have helped potential members...
Duration:01:04:53
Challenges And Rewards Of Chartering A New Lodge
10/4/2020
Brothers Mario Guzman and Wilbert Lemuel from Family Lodge #293 of New Jersey take us inside their process for chartering a new lodge. They start with what brought them to Odd Fellowship and how they teamed up to create a new lodge and share their challenges and inspirations along the way. During the process there was some resistance from members who thought it would detract from current lodges but there was also a lot of support from their Grand Lodge. They discuss the various resources and...
Duration:01:29:50
Odd Fellowship And Covid-19
9/20/2020
Ainslie, Sergio, and Toby discuss the various effects that the global Covid-19 pandemic is having on Odd Fellowship. They solicited input from various members around the country including Harrison Moore IV from Texas and Grand Master Mike Zurell from New York. They discuss the way the pandemic is impacting meetings, finances, and membership with examples from lodges around the country. As usual, the conversation touches on some unexpected points of interest, from an Odd Fellow skull's...
Duration:01:02:00
Responding To Secret Societies Podcast
9/6/2020
The Parcast Network's "Secret Societies" podcast recently did two episodes about the Odd Fellows. Brothers Ainslie, Sergio, and Toby listened to both episodes and give a good breakdown of them. They go over each of the points made in the episodes from the accurate, like their depiction of the Initiatory Degree, to the absurd, like their speculation that the Odd Fellows were behind Australia's infamous "Somerton Man/Tamam Shud" case. They also give a frank assessment of where Odd Fellowship...
Duration:01:25:09
San Fernando Renaissance
8/23/2020
Ten years ago San Fernando Lodge #365 was slowly dying like so many other lodges. Their building was dingy and most people only knew it for the church that met there. In the decade since, the lodge has completely transformed itself into the social and fraternal hub of San Fernando, California. Brothers Jesus Ochoa and Jesse Garcia join us to talk about the transformation of their lodge and what they've done to bring it about. With the right people and the right efforts, any lodge can be...
Duration:01:09:01
Rebuilding A Grand Lodge
8/8/2020
What happens when Sovereign Grand Lodge removes the officers of a Grand Lodge and audits the books? What are the challenges of taking over leadership of a Grand Lodge after that happens? How can the webmaster of the SGL website help prospective members join Odd Fellowship? What gets advertised in the program at Sovereign Grand Lodge? What happened to former president Rutherford B. Hayes when he returned home to his Odd Fellows Lodge in Ohio? Was a picture of Toby in his lederhosen ever...
Duration:01:03:33