The Orcas Island Odd Fellows wish to again express our deep gratitude to our fellow islanders for the support we have received this year with the recent Firewood Raffle and Halloween dance that help fund our scholarships for local high school students, all proceeds going to the fund.

This year and last, the theme we have been focused on is “renewal,” and we have our community to thank for the successful continuing renewal of our deck through the Orcas Island Community Foundation’s program with contributions from the community for this project.

We also wish to thank the San Juan County’s Agricultural Committee for its grant to seek community involvement in planning for best future uses for our commercial kitchen. This is an ongoing project to develop a multiple-use kitchen to support our Hall for all the wonderful community events we all enjoy and the weddings that help bring tourism support to Orcas.

Our lease agreement with the Orcas Island Food Co-op will end on Jan. 1, and we thank all of the employees of the Co-op who have managed the Hall for these last years and especially during the difficult time of the COVID outbreak. The Co-op and we Odd Fellows found ways to change our agreements to make it work. We are close to being able to announce how the renewed Hall management will look, and we thank all those applicants who submitted their proposals to us for this transition.

It is with considerable sadness that we announce that we have decided not to host the annual Thanksgiving meal this year. We reached this conclusion after careful, collective consideration. Our hope is to renew this cherished community event in a renewed form next year.

“It takes a village” of islanders to support our Odd Fellows’ Hall, and we Lodge members are very grateful for that support and are endeavoring to meet the community’s needs of our building in the best ways possible.

We thank you in Friendship, Love and Truth (traditional Odd Fellow commitments),

Che Blaine

Noble Grand, Mt. Constitution Lodge, #88