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.

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Location:

United States

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

Episodes

Kitchen Table Lodge

1/23/2023
Inspired by a recent series of emails from a listener, Ainslie and Toby discuss the phenomenon of "kitchen table lodges"—those lodges which don't do any ritual or hold formal meetings. Instead, they meet informally around a table to do the minimum amount of business. As more and more people are finding their way to Odd Fellowship, more new members are running into the discouragement of a kitchen table lodge. The hosts discuss the situation and offer some suggestions to help members who find...

Duration:01:33:57

Gem City Revival

1/9/2023
What happens when a barber in an old river city on the Mississippi finds a bunch of Odd Fellows collectibles? He starts a lodge, of course! That was the genesis of the newly-rechartered Gem City #357 in Quincy, Illinois. Members Matthew Roegge and Jacob Bertram joined us to talk about the beginning of their lodge which was chartered in June 2022. They tell some great stories of learning, camaraderie, and fellowship. They also outline the incredible amount of support they have received from...

Duration:01:27:40

Christmas Episode III: We Three Links

12/19/2022
Our annual Christmas episode has become the place where we look back on the year in Oddcasting and this year was certainly delightful. We brought on a new co-host, Mike Duminiak, and continued our tradition of making meaningful and relevant episodes for our Odd Fellow brothers and sisters. This particular episode includes a greeting from Brother Torbjörn in Sweden, a Hanukkah message from Brother Michael in Virginia, a holiday message from past co-host Christopher McHale, and, for the first...

Duration:01:37:49

Young Leaders In Odd Fellowship

12/7/2022
Despite recent growth, Odd Fellowship is still predominantly full of retirees. While they present a wealth of knowledge and experience, they can also be resistant to change and adaptation. That can become even more of a challenge when young leaders emerge and try to work with entrenched members. In this episode we talk to PGM Buddy Goetsch of Colorado and DGM Erik Fearing of Massachusetts. With Buddy having completed his term as Grand Master and Erik preparing for his, they share very useful...

Duration:01:38:37

The Rose Float

11/24/2022
With the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, we thought it would be an excellent time to talk turkey about one of the great New Year's Day traditions—The Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California. The celebration includes the famous college football game The Rose Bowl and the accompanying Rose Parade. Brother Mel Astrahan, PGM of California, joins us to give an exhaustive look at the history of the float, the process to build it, and a look behind the scenes of how it all happens. The...

Duration:01:52:24

Crossover 3: Now With More Goat Riding!

11/8/2022
Our colleagues Billy and Tara from Modern Goat Rider join us to continue the crossover begun on their show. If you've not heard it yet, you'll want to hit up the URL above and listen to it so you've got some continuity. The episode rolls on with more comments about marketing Odd Fellowship in unconventional ways, discussion of the impact that podcasting is having on Odd Fellowship, and a look at our motivations for doing the two shows. The Shoutout goes to another brand-new lodge,...

Duration:01:25:21

Burying The Dead

10/25/2022
Just in time for Halloween, we take a look into the death care industry through the eyes of Sister Kait Osman of Emerald Bay Lodge #50 in California. Sister Kait had a somewhat roundabout way of getting to the funeral world, going through studies of forensic anthropology and other subjects along her way. Eventually she found herself in California with an interest in helping people as they face the challenges of handling a funeral. Sister Kait provides a candid look at what it's like to learn...

Duration:01:53:47

New Members' Insights

10/10/2022
Ainslie, Mike, and Toby are all experienced Odd Fellows. They like to *think* they have a handle on what new members are looking for, but do they really? To test that theory, they invited Josh Dandurand from Oregon and Randy & Caylee Chorrushi from West Virginia to come on the podcast and offer their insights. All three are members who have joined within the last six months so their hot takes are still burning hot. The conversation ranges from how degrees are performed to the lack of Odd...

Duration:01:44:01

Our Own Spaces

9/25/2022
At its beginning, Odd Fellowship was just for men (though some groups of Odd Fellows retain that tradition). In 2001 the Independent Order opened up membership to women. Since that time, women have risen to the highest ranks in Odd Fellowship, including our current Sovereign Grand Master. There are some lodges, however, that still maintain a (mostly) single-gender membership. Brother Roger Sitton, PG of Waxahachie #80 and Savannah Williams, PNG of Waxahachie Rebekah Lodge #381 join us to...

Duration:01:58:17

Reinstating Non-Profit Status

9/11/2022
We've all been there—years of neglect to important lodge business has left a huge mess behind and we've just walked into that void of neglect. That happened to Brother Jack Crispin Cain of Upper Lake Lodge #241 in California several years ago when he started looking into the lodge finances and discovered that the lodge had lost its non-profit status. Being a clever and resourceful person, he was able to get their non-profit status reinstated. He shares his experiences with that process and...

Duration:01:22:54

Odd Fellowship i Sverige

8/30/2022
On a dark, rainy September evening in Sweden, a young man stood on a curb as a nondescript sedan pulled over to meet him. The rear door opened and he was beckoned into the car. Inside were three gentlemen, all in dark suits. While this sounds like it could be the beginning of a spy thriller novel, it was actually the beginning of the journey into Odd Fellowship for our guest, Brother Torbjörn Andersson of Tibro, Sweden. Brother Andersson was kind enough to join us to talk about his...

Duration:01:44:57

Should We Pitch Our Tent?

8/14/2022
We had to call another audible at the line of scrimmage as our scheduled guest was out sick this episode. With Sovereign Grand Lodge right around the corner we decided to discuss the Encampment branch of Odd Fellowship. Once a vibrant and vital part of the Order, in many places it has atrophied to the point of irrelevance. Toby, Ainslie, and Mike discuss whether it makes more sense to put an end to the Encampment branch and let it be remembered fondly from its glory days or whether it has a...

Duration:01:23:16

Our Mentors

8/1/2022
Technical issues prevented us from interviewing our scheduled guest so, being resourceful Odd Fellows, we called an audible at the line of scrimmage and decided to talk about our mentors in Odd Fellowship. Mentorship is an important part of any organization, and especially so in our Order. There's much to do as an Odd Fellow and it can take years to get everything down. Each of us has had some very special members who have provided wisdom and guidance over the years and this is our...

Duration:01:16:09

Anniversary Spectacular 2: Electric Boogaloo

7/10/2022
July 2022 represents two years of podcasting for the Three Links Odd Cast and we are all very excited to commemorate this achievement with a celebratory episode. As part of the celebration, we announce a new cohost, Brother Mike Duminiak of West Virginia, who had previously been a guest on the episodes about the Patriarchs Militant branch and the Freemasons. Together, the three co-hosts discuss favorite episodes and moments from the two years of podcasting. For Ainslie, it's the episode with...

Duration:01:39:19

Pride In Odd Fellowship

6/26/2022
June is a month of many celebrations and we're taking the opportunity to join in with one of them, though not the one Toby had expected. Brother Chris Emmons from Kanawha Lodge #25 in Charleston, West Virginia joins us to celebrate LGBTQ Pride and share his experiences as an out gay Odd Fellow. The conversation wanders around quite a bit and covers a wide range of topics, including the many great and affirming experiences both Chris and Ainslie have had in Odd Fellowship and some of the...

Duration:01:38:57

Don't Look In The Closet...

6/5/2022
As Odd Fellows, we're not surprised by any old thing we find in a lodge hall. For non-members, though, it can be quite a shock when relics of a former lodge are left behind and discovered while exploring a new building. Such incidents usually end up getting some kind of media coverage and one of those stories inspired hosts Sara Buesing and Emily Coleman to do an episode of their podcast Afternoonified about those discoveries. They were kind enough to join us for this episode of The Three...

Duration:01:32:36

Demystifying Grand Lodge

5/26/2022
GRAND LODGE. The mere words strike fear into the hearts of Odd Fellows everywhere. What is this strange, mysterious conglomeration of Odd Fellows who gather for some unknown purpose? Since Grand Lodge season is upon us, Ainslie and Toby sat down with Brothers Adam Potolsky and Matthew Finkelstein to discuss their experiences at the 2022 session of the Grand Lodge of California held in Modesto. Brother Adam is a veteran of several Grand Lodge sessions and served on the Legislation Committee....

Duration:01:03:15

A Young Man's Benefit

5/1/2022
What if the narrative we've all been told—that the government takeover of social services led to the decline of Odd Fellowship—was wrong? Esteemed Canadian economist, author, and educator Herb Emery, author of "A Young Man's Benefit," joins us to discuss his research into the end of beneficial membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. What he discovered from researching records of the Sovereign Grand Lodge and various jurisdictional Grand Lodges is surprising and challenges that...

Duration:02:02:42

Pocatello Revival

4/18/2022
As recently as 2017 Portneuf Lodge #20 in Pocatello, Idaho was moribund. Six people met twice monthly in a dusty old hall downtown with a worn-out, broken sign out front. It might as well have said that the lodge was permanently closed. Then something remarkable happened—the lodge decided to spend some money to fix up its sign. The newly painted and refurbished sign, with its glorious neon lights, was soon lighting up the night in Pocatello. The new sign gathered interest from the local...

Duration:01:47:11

Secrets Of Freemasonry Revealed!

4/4/2022
Odd Fellows, like all fraternal orders, have to exist in the long shadow cast by the only fraternal group that has any awareness in popular culture: Freemasons. Whether because of wacky conspiracy theories, blockbuster movies, thriller novels, or seemingly endless supposed connections to various historical figures and events, Freemasonry is the template against which most fraternal orders get compared. Even many Odd Fellows, when pressed to "explain" Odd Fellowship to the average person,...

Duration:01:40:00

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