Rusty Nail Luncheons began on the 4th Thursday of each month with the first one being held on February 28, 2013.

DATES: The 4th Thursday of Every Month
TIME: Gathering - 11:30 AM till 3:00 or 4:00 PM
WHAT: Lunch, Renewed Friendships, New Friendships and Education - a break away from your caretaker!
WHERE: Jefferson Masonic Temple
CONTACT: Russ Johnson or Bruce Barnes: 100@jeffersonmasonicassociation.org

Thursdays are the traditional day when we meet to do work on the building and they are a natural to bring brethren together.

These luncheons are FREE to any Brother who cannot afford to pay for lunch and is a member of one of the Blue Lodges or Appendant Bodies which meet at Jefferson Masonic Temple. All others will be asked to donate what they can to help cover the cost of the food and beverages provided.

A donation jar will be placed in the serving area and donations will be requested of those who can afford to pay for their lunches. No retired brother who cannot afford to pay for lunch will be turned away.

The purpose of these meetings is to bring those Brothers who normally cannot make it to a meeting because of night, or other, driving restrictions together, get them out of the house, give their caretakers a day off, and let them enjoy the company of old friends while they make new friends!

The agenda will be determined by the retirees. Want to learn new computer skills? We can do that.

Want to sit around and talk? That's OK, too.

Want to practice your ritual? We'll do that.

It's not so much what we do, it's that we get together, renew old friendships, and keep everyone in touch with each other.

Please let your retired members who cannot normally attend evening meetings know about this new Rusty Nail Luncheon project and invite them to attend.

Better yet, if you are available and can drive a couple of them to the Temple building at 11:00 AM, on the 4th Thursday of every month, please volunteer to do so.

Brothers Russ Johnson and Earl Heppner have recently complete the replacement of the 100 year old rollers on the sliding door between the Temple Meeting room and the Preparation Room. With assistance of sliding door specialist William Rigby, referred to us by This Old House Magazine, they were able to find the exact replacement parts for the rollers, originally manufactured by a company in Aurora Illinois.

From the pictures we took and sent to Mr Rigby, he was able to identify the manufacturer, model number and even tell us why they had failed: too much grease on the track when the roller bearings should have been oiled. He also had a set of three replacements - identical to the originals, which we were able to purchase for less than $100.00.

While we awaited the replacement rollers, Brother Heppner thoroughly cleaned the track on which the rollers hung and the door was supposed to glide as it is opened and closed. Once the rollers arrived and the track had been cleaned, Brothers Johnson and Heppner mounted the new rollers, rehung the door and will be checking and adjusting for proper operation over the next couple of weeks prior to replacing the trim.

Thanks, Brothers Johnson and Heppner, for a job well done as we continue to both restore and preserve the Jefferson Masonic Temple building.

Jefferson Masonic Temple, home eleven of Chicago's Blue Lodges and Appendant Bodies, is now the oldest building in Chicago dedicated solely to the preservation of Freemasonry and Masonic Tenants.

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Dedicated in January of 1913, the land was purchased, and construction began, in 1912. Last August, Jefferson Masonic Temple celebrated 100 years of providing a location for Blue Lodges and other Masonic appendant bodies to meet in a safe, secure, and comfortable environment.