In April of 2025, the third largest flood on record causing widespread damage to the town of Hardy; including the Wilson Lodge 432.
According to Vernon Kimbrough, Worshipful Master for the lodge, the flood gave a devastating blow to the, but also an opportunity and good excuse to strip it down and rebuild.
On April 11 beginning at 12 noon, the community is invited and encouraged to attend the grand rededication ceremony at the lodge located at 136 Woodland Hills Road in Hardy.
“After the flood last year, we went in and remodeled the inside of the lodge. We had to gut the entire thing out and so this is a memorial type ceremony for us.”
In attendance will be several high ranking Masons from the state.
“We will light refreshments and our ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. If you’ve never seen a ceremony for the Masons it is worth seeing. We get our direction from the Bible; and what we will do is take corn, wine and oil and each has a specific meaning,” Kimbrough said.
Without giving away too much detail regarding the ceremony as the hope is community members will attend to experience it for themselves, Kimbrough explained the purpose is to unite the building as a whole.
“It is not very often that we get to do an open ceremony like this where the public is able to see,” Kimbrough said. “If anyone has questions of who the Masons are; what we do; what is freemasonry about; we can tell people everything, anything they want to know.”
The community is invited and encouraged to attend the grand re-opening and dedication ceremony Saturday, April 11 beginning at 12 noon.
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
