Masonic Community Days is an innovative program that was introduced in 2001 to assist lodges in increasing public awareness of our local Masonic lodges, their members and the Masonic fraternity in Illinois. Since that time, the consistent use of this program by hundreds of lodges throughout the state has been instrumental in telling our friends and neighbors, who Masons are and what they do in their communities. With the increased interest in our fraternity by young men, it serves as a valuable link to encourage them to become members of the world’s oldest and largest fraternity - and identifies where Masons meet in their own communities.

The program has evolved during the years and the current program is now designed to be easier to use by our lodges with a minimum of restrictions and record keeping. It allows lodge officers to concentrate on the planning and implementation of Masonic Community Days activities at any time of the year. Guidelines for the program can be downloaded below or at our forms and downloads page. The requirements for the Masonic Community Days program are:

1. The time frame for events coincides with that of the Grand Master’s Award of Excellence
   July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 with a requirement this year to complete three (3) registered
   MCD events during the year. A certificate will be issued upon the completion of the third event.


2. Activities must be of a public nature and sponsored by a Masonic lodge. Both members
   of the fraternity and non-Masons must attend or participate.


3. The event must be clearly identified with the logo (download files below)as a Masonic
   Community Days activity - especially at the location of the event.


4. All events must be registered with a simple official registration form (download files below)
   within two weeks after the event has been held. Registrations must be sent directly to the
   Masonic Awareness committee, and the District Deputy Grand Masters are authorized to
   certify that all program guidelines have been met.

Site signs, tee shirts and caps with the Masonic Community Days logo (plus other items) are available from the Office of the Grand Secretary. Digital versions of the logo for use by lodges in creating their own materials are available directly from the Masonic Awareness Committee.

There are many lodge activities that always should be conducted as Masonic Community Days events. Just a few are: participation in parades and civic celebrations and festivals; awards and recognition dinners and ceremonies; open houses and other public events held at the Masonic temple; scholarship presentations and fundraisers; activities involving youth groups as well as the elderly; and rededications and anniversary celebrations conducted by the lodge to which the public is invited.

Every IL Chip event should also be conducted as a Masonic Community Days activity. Recognition dinners for Academic Bowl teams should be Masonic Community Days events. Both fundraising events and presentation ceremonies for Coins for Children grants should be Masonic Community Days events.

Your District Deputy Grand Master is prepared to provide assistance to your lodge with the planning and registration for each of your lodge’s Masonic Community Days activities. Keep him aware of your planned activities of a public nature; he can help you make each one of them a Masonic Community Days event.

Masonic Awareness committee will provide assistance, suggestions and materials to any lodge upon request. You may contact the committee by contacting Mike Fowler by e-mail at mfowler51@comcast.net or by regular mail or phone at:

Mike Fowler
Tel: 309-531-9234
1009 Porter Lane
Normal, IL  61761-4215

Download the materials by going to our forms and downloads page or by using the links below:
 
- Community Days Guidelines in .pdf format
 
- Community Days Registration 2010-11 in .pdf format
 
- Community Days Registration 2010-11 in .doc format
 
- Community Days Logo in .pdf format
 
- Community Materials Order Form in .pdf format