This year, for our Christmas episode, we present this adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."  Listen along as an all-star cast of Odd Fellows presents this unique Odd Fellows take on the classic story.Ebeneezer Scrooge: Gil T. RodelloThomas Wildey: Steven CrossBob Cratchitt: Joseph BentonTim Cratchitt: Ainslie HeilichGhost of Odd Fellowship Past: Michael GreenzeigerGhost of Odd Fellowship Present: Mason WolfGhost of Odd Fellowship Future: Mike DuminiakWritten, directed, recorded, and edited by Toby Hanson.  Music by Toby Hanson.

Our Sovereign Grand Master, John Cupp, is a very busy man.  We were very fortunate when he made some time at the West Virginia Grand Sessions to sit down and talk with co-host Mike Duminiak about his time as Sovereign Grand Master and some of his experiences in Odd Fellowship.  He was joined partway through the interview by his wife Emilie who also shared some experiences and observations.  Both are very intelligent and articulate leaders in our Order and we feel very fortunate that they made the time to speak with Mike.  The Shoutout goes to the newly-revived Reno Encampment #5 of Reno, Nevada.  In the Odd Podge Toby recounts his trip to Lake Tahoe for an Odd Fellows Thanksgiving, Mike previews the upcoming 175th Anniversary Dinner of Kanawha Lodge #25, and Ainslie shares the success of his lodge's open house and potato bar.

Pueblo Lodge #8 was down to just four members after the passing of one of the five who was maintaining the quorum that kept their charter.  John Jones had recently moved to Colorado from another state and was looking to join a lodge.  One day, a man with a letter from the Grand Secretary showed up on his doorstep to meet him and possibly bring him into the lodge.  That man was Vernon Wolf, Past Grand Master of Colorado.  Brother Vernon did show up on John's doorstep and brought him into Pueblo #8.  John, in turn, helped the revival of the lodge which has continued to this day.  Unfortunately, Brother Vernon is not around to see the fruits of his labors in full bloom as he passed away.  However, his spirit lives on in the thriving lodge he left behind.  Brothers John Jones and JT Wessel join us to share memories of Vernon Wolf and talk about the many ways in which Odd Fellowship is thriving in Pueblo today and how that all stands as a testament to the dedication and hard work of Brother Vernon Wolf.  The Shoutout goes to Rushmore Lodge #39 of Rapid City, South Dakota for their efforts to welcome Ukrainians into their community with a picnic.  In the Odd Podge, Toby celebrates 25,000 downloads of the podcast, Ainslie recaps the Odd Market and Masquerade, John talks about having held his wedding reception in the old Pueblo Odd Fellows Hall,  and JT previews the next Scribes' Meeting at the Colorado Grand Sessions.

We always like to do an episode about cemeteries around Halloween and this year is no exception.  Given our command to "Bury The Dead" as Odd Fellows, and how many lodges have administered cemeteries throughout our history, it's no surprise to find a lodge engaged in activities related to a final resting place.  For this episode we are joined with Past Grand Master Carol Woltjer and Brother Matt Rock of Sioux Falls Lodge #9 in South Dakota to talk about their "Remember Me" project.  Their lodge is raising funds and placing markers on the graves of indigent burials in Minnehaha County, South Dakota.  Carol tells the touching story of how she learned about the burials and got the program started.  Matt tells about how his family has become involved with the program and the lodge.  The Shoutout goes to another lodge in South Dakota, Gregory #189 for the wonderful involvement of younger people in their lodge.  For the Odd Podge, Toby tells about his visit to the Idaho Grand Sessions, Mike talks about his experience at the West Virginia Grand Sessions, and Ainslie previews the upcoming (at the time of the recording) Odd Market hosted by his lodge in Tuscola, Illinois.

A life of academic wandering and creation has brought Dr. Heather Calloway to her present position as Executive Director of University Collections  and Director of the Center for Fraternal Collections and Research at Indiana University.  Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and having grown up in a fraternal family, Dr. Calloway was destined from an early age to make her way to the hallowed halls of academia and bring her fraternal knowledge and experience with her.  She was kind enough to share some of her time with us to talk about the collection, how it came to be, what they are doing to preserve it, why such a collection is important, and how they are making it available to the public.  The Center for Fraternal Collections and Research has a great Instagram feed available at @fraternalcollections.  The Shoutout goes to Four Creeks Lodge #94 of Visalia, California for their recent regeneration.  In the Odd Podge, Mike talks about the time-consuming work of preparing for the West Virginia Grand Sessions, Ainslie tells about his budding Odd Fellows tattoo empire at the Illinois Grand Sessions, and Toby talks about planning the District Meeting for his district in Washington.

In a secluded corner of the wilderness around Mount Shasta in Northern California, a secret rite has been taking place for generations.  No, it's not something from the latest thriller novel, it's the Cave Degree!  In a natural cave that faces east toward Mount Shasta, Odd Fellows (and before them, Knights of Pythias) have been performing degree work.  The Odd Fellows of Yreka Lodge No. 19 bought the cave from the Pythians in 1962 for $10 but had been using the cave for the Second Degree since 1940.  The Cave Degree has become one of the most cherished traditions of Odd Fellowship in California and Oregon, with generations of members having made the trek out to the cave for the ceremony.  For this episode we are joined by PGP Brian Riehl, RA VP Debra LaVergne, and NG of True Fellowship Lodge #52, Mason Wolf as they discuss the history and tradition of the Cave Degree, and one of its greatest champions and caretakers, Richard Brouse.  The story of the Cave Degree has many twists, turns, and stories.  We also discuss the current state of the cave and the efforts underway to rehabilitate the facility so it can again be used for the Second Degree of Odd Fellowship.  The Lodge Shoutout goes to Friendship Lodge #50 in Northfield, Minnesota which was recently revived by a group of Masons who discovered Odd Fellowship and joined.  In the Odd Podge there was definitely a theme of Odd Fellows helping one another out.  Toby told about his lodge brother Matt in rehab and all the Odd Fellows of his lodge who had visited him.  Debra shared the exciting news about a new baby born to members of Mountain View #244 in California.  Mike gave the dates for Gerald Workman's Testimonial in Charleston, West Virginia in 2024.  Ainslie mentioned the new article for the Heart In Hand Blog about the Hahn Farm Degrees written by Brother Mason Wolf.  Brian also shared a story of visiting members in sickness and distress and also mentioned the Oktoberfest hosted by St. Helena Lodge which sent Toby into a near frenzy of desire to get one of their beer steins.  To close the Odd Podge, Mason talked about his experiences going to Portland to render aid to a brother in need.

Tucked away in a secluded corner of Oregon's rolling farmland northwest of Portland sits the Hahn Farm. Owned by Gary Hahn, a third-generation Odd Fellow and fourth-generation owner of the farm, it has become a beacon for Odd Fellowship in the jurisdiction of Oregon.  Every year since the early 1990s, on the third weekend of September, the farm hosts a Degree Weekend unlike most others in Odd Fellowship.  Candidates take the Initiatory and Three Degrees on Saturday and then the Encampment and Canton Degrees on Sunday.  The setting for the Degrees could not be more amazing.  The Degrees are performed next to a pond in a grove of trees planted especially for the occasion.  The dramatic elements of the Degrees becomes immediate and tangible to the candidates as they literally live through the experiences of the Degrees rather than watching them acted out in a stuffy lodge hall, watching the video of the Degrees, or having the lecture form read to them.  Gary Hahn sits down with Toby to tell the story of the Degrees on the Farm.  We're also joined by Brother Mason Wolf of San Jose, California who traveled to Oregon to experience the perils of the Rough Road as he took the Encampment Degrees.  He shares a compelling account of why live Degrees are so crucial to Odd Fellowship.  The Shoutout goes to Bay View Lodge #109 of Redwood City, California for their efforts to remodel their hall and become a popular music venue.  In the Odd Podge, Toby talks about a new member in Arkansas who posted about joining on Reddit, Ainslie shares his recent trip to Montana and his Odd Fellows discovery, Mike introduces us to his new car (after his old one died with 400,000 miles on it), and Mason recounts his visit to a Portland brewpub for some good music and a very successful event at his home lodge in San Jose.

Civic life in America has been in decline for decades.  A prescient few, including noted author Robert Putnam, have chronicled that decline.  In his book "Bowling Alone," Putnam explored the link between civic engagement and the function of government and described the nature of the decline in participation in clubs, churches, and other groups.  Pete and Rebecca Davis, a brother and sister team, made a film based on Putnam's book: "Join Or Die!"  Their film opens with a visit to one of our superstar lodges, Waxahachie #80 in Texas.  Throughout the course of the film we get to learn the story of how Putnam did his research, how he's shared his findings, and how he's put those findings into action.  The film ends up as a kind of "love letter" to Odd Fellowship as it opens and closes with brilliant scenes of fellowship at Waxa #80.  Brother Tom Wright from that lodge joined us along with Pete and Rebecca to talk about the film and their experiences.  Our Shoutout this episode goes to a new lodge of the Grand United Order—New Northwest #2554 in Portland, Oregon.  In the Odd Podge, Toby talks about his "souvenir" from Sovereign Grand Lodge, Mike shares his joy at Charleston being awarded the 2025 SGL Session, and Ainslie recounts his random meeting with members from his jurisdiction on his way home from the Session.

Odd Fellowship has found many spaces in which to adapt its Degree work.  Our beginnings were in pubs and taverns so Degrees were originally performed there.  Eventually we built lodge halls but we still looked for more interesting and unusual places to perform Degrees.  Caves became a popular choice in the 20th Century.  California's Cave Degree near Yreka is the most well-known, but other locations have done outdoor and underground Degrees, including Dead Horse Cave in Idaho.  Located near the town of Gooding, Dead Horse Cave first hosted the Second Degree in 1947, a tradition which continued until 2004.  Brother Donnie Marvin, PGM, PGP, and PDC of Idaho gives his recollections of the Dead Horse Cave Degree as well as some great stories from his musical career and some other historical tidbits from Idaho Odd Fellowship.  The Shoutout goes to the newly-rechartered Brazos Valley Lodge #76 of Texas.  For the Odd Podge, Toby tells about his enjoyment of the Sand Drags at Mountain Home, Idaho and Ainslie prepares for his trip to Sovereign Grand Lodge.

Hard to believe, but it's been three years since the launch of the Three Links Odd Cast.  Way back when, Sergio, Ainslie, and Toby could hardly imagine the cultural touchstone this podcast would become.  Here we are at the beginning of Season Four and we're just as excited to make new episodes as we were when we started in 2020.  We take a look back at the episodes that made Season 3 special, including talking with the Historian from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library, the "kitchen table" episode, the episodes about new lodges that were chartered, and some of the other highlights.  The hosts welcome a new sponsor, the Heart In Hand Institute, and look ahead to some of their projected topics for the upcoming season.  The Shoutout goes to another new Encampment, Allen #5 of Quincy, Illinois.  In the Odd Podge, Toby thanks everyone for their support during his recent challenges, Ainslie shares his special award (another new one for him), and Mike talks about the benefits of Odd Fellowship for his family.