Selling chocolates and cakes are not the only fun that the Belleville and District Shrine Club gets to enjoy.  They also attend the parades either locally or at the many Rameses Spring Ceremonials in our part of the province.  However we do have the more serious side where we hold our monthly dinner meetings to conduct the business of the Club or to celebrate with the Nobles and their Ladies from other Clubs at Ceremonial Feasts, etc.  By the end of these sessions we just want to have Fun raising monies for our Shriners Hospitals for Children.

in 2004 the Belleville and District Shrine Club attended the Spring Ceremonial organized by the Ramoca Shrine Club in Owen Sound.  Here a few pictures taken during the workup to and during the parade.

Throughout the years our Belleville and District Shrine Club Camel Herder Unit has been the Club’s strength at the many parades we participated in throughout the District as well as at the many Rameses Spring Ceremonials.  Here is a collage of the pics I could find that looks at this proud Unit.  Maybe you can spot some familiar faces.  And whatever happened to the bikes with the beer kegs?

How many of you remember when the children in our community looked forward to the Shriners Circus.  Everyone got involved to make these a successful event.  Both parents and children loved to see the many animal acts as well as the Clowns and aerial acts.  There were elephants, dogs, bears, lions, and as each year came there were new acts introduced with different animals and entertainers.  Lots of memories for all of us and a big thanks to the Nobles and their Ladies of the Belleville and District Shrine Club who made it happen.

The Belleville and District Shrine Club is well known for their Camel Herder Unit.  But also notiiceable is their Clown Unit and they use to have a Pumper/Fire Fighter Unit.  Like the old busses and now one of the old Clown vehicles, aging membership, and lack of funds, most of these vehicles are now gone.  But the spirit of the Club is still alive and kicking.  You can find us on most of the parades in our great distirct.

We are always looking for young Masons to join our ranks and to help create a new Unit; maybe scooters, ATVs, electric wheelchairs, jeeps, or whatever their imagination can create.  Come on Brothers in the Lodges, make this happen and create a new Unit for our Club.

President Stephen Shirk did some rooting around the boardroom at the Belleville and District Shrine Club and came across a bunch of old photos.   He is sure that there are some Nobles and their Ladies who can identify a few faces in these pics.  Some photos had lots of thumbtack holes, to be ignored.  Have fun and lets put some names to these guys.

Yesterday (6 Jul 2018) Noble Bill Black and his team ran a BBQ at Canadian Tire in Belleville.  It was a little cool and very windy in the morning but gradually improved.  We learned a few things about ensuring that our grill had its annual certification and how to stop everything flying away in the wind.  A big thanks to all who helped:  Clarence Stevenson, Gary Smithrim, Doug MacLaurin (selling chocolates), John Hopkins, Clive Allan (selling chocolates) and Ladies Debbie Black and Elaine Smithrim who took control of the cooking.  Also visiting for support were Lady Kathy Shirk, Noble Harold Newton, Lloyd Kellett and Jack Hellberg.

It was such a hot day (35 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees with the humidex) on 1 July 2018 that our Shrine Club was unable to attend the Canada Day Parade celebration in Marmora, Ontario. It started off that our two Clowns Nobles Clive Allan and Bill Black had to be in Marmora at the Park for 11:00 a.m. while a few Nobles and Ladies assembled at the Belleville and District Shrine Club house at 10:30 a.m. getting ready to leave by 11:00 a.m. When we found out that the parade was at 2:00 p.m. instead of 1:00 p.m. the day had become too hot for our elderly Shriners to attend the parade. President Noble Stephen Shirk and Parade Chairman Noble Doug MacLaurin travelled to Marmora to let the organizers know that our Club would not be in attendance. They fully understood our situation as other organizations had also withdrawn from the parade. Fortunately we still received a contribution for our efforts and managed to get some of these photos of our two hard working Clowns. Thanks Nobles and thanks to all who tried to make it happen.

A great big thanks to Nobles Leonard Bedford, Bill Bedford and Brian Käuk for getting the motorhome ready for the parade.  I don’t remember seeing so clean in a long time.  The airconditioning was working perfectly and the motor almost purred.  Should be perfect by the next parade now that the brakes have been updated.

Prsident Stephen Shirk thanks the following who showed up ready to attend this parade until we had to call it off:  Donald (Trout) Douglas, Jennifer Wickman and her boyfriend, Gary and Elaine Smithrim, John Hopkins, Leonard Bedford, Clarence Stevenson, Brian Käuk, Doug MacLauren, Jack and Celine Hellberg, Debbie and Bill Black, Clive Allan, Rev. Brian Webber and Jim Preston.  (P.S. I know I am forgetting someone.)

Thanks to Noble John Neil, our Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada, for inviting the Administrator of our Hospital located in Montreal, Jaques Boissonneault, to be our Guest Speaker at our 27 June 2018 Special Ladies Night Dinner Meeting. Jacques provided us with an insight on the operations of our Hospital as well as the it’s future as it will hopefully develop and expands. Jaques was very fluent in his presentation providing us with a sense of emotion on his dedication to improving relations between our Hospital and other City Hospitals across Canada. Thank you Jaques and thank you John for making this happen. Fortunately we had 10 of our Special Ladies present who also enjoyed this treat.

This was the first time that my Lady Kathleen Shirk and I had been at one of the Spartan Races.  It was a real eye opener for us and for our Daughter Shelley, her husband Martin, and their son Quinlan Salisbury who all helped as volunteers at this years event.  Illustrious Sir Ray Causton P.P. was assisted by Illustrious Sir Al Berry and Noble Mark Smith as well as the many other Shriner volunteers, their families and friends in attendance.  It was nice to see that the President of the Kawartha Shrine Club Noble Steve Christie and President of the Oshawa Shrine Club Noble Aubrey Periera were leading their volunters as did I as the President of the Belleville and District Shrine Club Noble Stephen Shirk.  The day was a little cool with a slight drizzle at times but turned out to help every one of the participants become winners and very muddy.  Hopefully Sunday’s event goes as smoothly as ours did today.

These Ladies of our Belleville and District Shrine Club attended the Rameses Shriners Spring Ceremonial in Orillia on Friday 09 June 2018 at the Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club

Back Row:  Gayle Stevenson; Celine Hellberg; Velda Gillis; Bonnie Wigmore; Barb Geen; Sandy Allan; Peggy Neil; and Debbie Black

Front Row:  Audrey Carter; Sharon Osborne; Gwen Bedford; and Marjorie Bedford.

After the parade in Orillia on Saturday, 09 June 2018 everyone prepared themselves for the evening feast held at the Silver Nightingale Ballroom at Casino Rama for cocktails at 5:00 p.m. followed by a meal that left everyone in awe. Anyone who attended the 2012 Spring Ceremonial in Orillia were not dissapointed by the quality of service, ambiance, and excellent meal this year that began with Candied Butternut Squash & Tart Apple Soup, En Croûte Fresh Thyme and Nutmeg Creme Fraiche, followed by a Baby Organic Garden Green Salad with Marinated Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Artichokes, Sundried Tomato and Ranch Dressing, with a main course of a 4 oz. Filet Mignon and 6 oz Chicken Supreme, Dauphinoise Potaotes, Seasonal Vegetables and Natural Jus Reduction. Ending with the dessert of a Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlee with Maple Crackling , Marinated Blueberries and Almond Tuile. Naturally there were buns, coffee and herbal teas provided. Everyone listened to Orillia’s Shriner child and his mother talk about his treatments in Erie, PA from age 4 to age 14 when they were initially told by a local Doctor that he would never be able to walk. Our Shriners Hospitals for Children proved them wrong. A total of around $132,000 in Club donations were made to the Rameses Transportation Fund and/or Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada at this feast which attested to the hard work of Rameses Shriners and their Ladies. The Belleville and District Shrine Club donated a total of $4,000 while the Camel Herder Unit donated a further $4,000, both to be split between the Hospital and Transportation Fund. Our Special Ladies also had a cheque of $120 presented at the feast by our Ambassador. Well done to all!