The working tools of Lynden Lodge No. 505 caught me by surprise... giant Tonka trucks and earth movers, miniature spades rakes and shovels, scissors and crayons.

I was en-route from Hamilton to Waterford and I had a rendezvous with Fred Waller from North Entrance Lodge in Haliburton. Since he was attending Lynden that night, we used it as a rendezvous and a car-drop. The front steps and front walk weren't shoveled but there were two cars in the parking lot. The back door was unlocked, so I went in to wait in the warmth.

Kicking the snow off my boots must have created a ruckus because the basement door swung open and a lady exclaimed, "Oh! It's a big person!" Compared to the inhabitants of the basement, I was indeed big.

The co op day care centre helps make the lodge building the centre of the small settlement. It had more than a dozen kids colouring paper plates and playing with wooden blocks on the floor under the guidance of the teachers. It had met previously in the Legion and in a local church, but in 1988 they moved into the lodge's banquet hall on a temporary basis to "see how it would work". It was a good deal for everyone. The co op got cheap rent, they kept the building warm all week, and by housing a not-for-profit child care facility, the lodge qualified for a fire-proofing grant.

My coming in the back door is nothing strange in this part of the country, because it is truly "country" where entertaining can be done in the kitchen and people feel more comfortable coming to the back door.

LYNDEN is part of a cluster of settlements between Brantford and Hamilton dating from the arrival of United Empire Loyalists. Neighbouring Jerseyville's name has nothing to do with cows or the island in the English Channel. It was named for "New Jersey" by the people who had to leave there. Copetown was named for Konradt Cope, a Dutchman from New (Amsterdam) York. Lynden itself was named not for the tree but for "Lynden Vermont". The settlers were primarily Loyalists and farmers.

Lynden is in Brant District but its more like a suburb of Ancaster, which is a suburb of Hamilton.

Lynden Lodge was constituted in 1912 and met in rented or borrowed premises until fifty years ago. That's when the land was acquired from a brother at a "reasonable" price, which set the policy of erecting the temple. Local sweat was mixed with local skill and the lodge was completed over a three year period without ever incurring debt.

Never doubt that networking was done before networking became a concept. Leonard Mieler and Murray Betzner were avid hunters and went on annual deer hunts near South River, forty miles south of North Bay. Of course they met up with Masons in that area and talked about their project, building a lodge structure. It took a bit of time, but they brought back three truckloads of all sized spruce. Other brethren did the sawing and hammering.

Other lodges helped out as well. A brother from St. George who was a professional concrete mason set the cinder blocks. Since it was a spare time job, that may have accounted for the three years it took to finish the temple. It certainly accounts for the seam that runs around the building. The basement and part of the first floor had blocks from one manufacturer. From there to the roof another supplier provided blocks with a slightly different colour.

Also visible to professional builders is the unique contour of the roof. Several explanations are offered but one stands out as the most believable. When the walls were up, two crews started erecting the trusses from opposite ends of the building, cutting as they went. With each cut, the pieces of wood diminished by the swath-width of the power saw. By the time they met in the middle of the building that "unique" look had been established.

On our way back from Waterford we attended the meeting while picking up our cars. It had the dignity attendant to an official visit of the District Deputy Grand Master. Like the others, we came in the back door, walked through the basement banquet hall, the headed upstairs to the lodge room.

The Tonka trucks were parked under the kindergarten tables for the night and the stuffed purple dinosaurs and giant green frogs were in their boxes. Fabric tunnels were decommissioned and crayons lined up in open dishes. Climbing toys of red, green, blue and yellow plastic were neatly stacked against the wall. Front and centre for the evening were the trestle tables with stacks of fresh buns, juicy hot ham, mustard and sinus-clearing horseradish. The stacking chairs were marked "OES".

On the wall, coloured photos of children at play were separated by decorated paper plates, paper sculpture, and drawings where the crayons strayed outside the dark lines.

"Thank you Farmer Brown," reads one poster. It has the kids' impressions of a visit to a real farm. "We had a good time."

I find myself hoping that Farmer Brown has seen this tribute to his involvement with the youngest members of the community. I find myself hoping that I sat in lodge with him earlier in the evening.

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V.W.Bro. Ted Morris,  76 Ballacaine Drive, Etobicoke, Ont., M8Y 4B7
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