Carpet Replacement on 10/20/2026
 Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Brothers, OES #277 has approved ~10,000.00 for carpet replacement in the lodge room, ante-room, both secretary's offices and the preparation room. Putnam Carpets will replace on Nov 09 - 12. We need help. On Nov 6, 2026 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm-ish we will remove all the seating bolted down in the lodge and move all furniture to the center of the lodge room and cover with plastic. We will also remove all furniture from both secretaries offices and the ante-room over to the dining room and we will move all the cabinets/items in the preparation room to the center of the lodge room to be covered. The lodge approved ~$1500.00 for paint and supplies and on Nov 7-8th we need to paint all those rooms. Paint and materials will be available, we may try to use an airless spray gun to speed up the process, but if that isn't workable then we will have to resort to rolling. Please contact WB Thornton at 704-223-0327 by text and let him know if you can make it for any of the work, even just an hour or so will help out so one or two people are not trying to do this all by themselves. We will then need help on Nov 13 to replace all the furniture before the community breakfast on the 14th. Thank you for any assistance you can give. While this work is ongoing, anyone wanting to help with trimming trees/bushes is welcome as well. We will coordinate with the Town of China Grove to pick up brush from our parking lot on Nov 9 or 10 so the lot is cleared before the breakfast. |
Upcoming Meetings and Events on 10/17/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| The next stated communication is Monday, October 19, 2026. We will be serving dinner at 6:00pm and opening the lodge at 7:00pm. There will be a 1st Degree so come out and support our newest Entered Apprentice. |
| The 1st Annual Eureka Lodge Winter Gun Raffle has started. We are selling a maximum of 2500 tickets and drawing 20 winners. 19 will receive a gun (mix of pistols, traditional hunting rifles and shotguns) and 1 will receive an in-store gift certificate at Poppie’s Guns for $600.00. Tickets are $20.00 each or 3 tickets for $50.00 OR 7 tickets for $100.00 The proceeds will be split between the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford and the Lodge Charity Account in the NC Masonic Foundation. Drawing is Jan 4, 2027 Bring cash or check or WB Thornton can take Venmo payments. If you can sell tickets to others please call WB Thornton to get tickets issued (704) 223-0327 |
| Renovations around the lodge are coming up: 1. We are getting the schedule to have the carpets replaced on the lodge side of the building and when we get that, we will schedule furniture moving and painting - a call for volunteers will go out. If you wish to be on the text message about that please send WB Thornton a message. 2. We need to trim the trees in front of the lodge - as we are getting into cooler weather tree trimming both in front of the lodge and beside out back out-building will be scheduled. A call for volunteers will also go out for this, contact WB Thornton to be included in that 3. Our flag pole needs painting. There are a couple trains of thought on that, first being rent a scissor lift to scrape, sand and paint the pole in place; the second being to take the pole down and do the work at ground level then reinstall the pole. Will keep you updated on that. The group China Grove Events is renting the lodge for a Holiday Pop-Up Market on Nov 28, 2026 from 9;00am - 5:00pm and will host about 23 vendors inside. They are asking for volunteers on the day before to move furniture and tables/chairs to make the space ready. Proceeds from the rental are being donated to the Building/Maintenance fund. You can check them out at http://chinagroveevents.com and follow them on Facebook for more details at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594093539995 Hope to see everyone soon. |
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Special Committee on Charity - Raffle on 09/30/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Good Day Brothers, The Special Committee on Charity - 1st Annual Winter Gun Raffle would like to ensure you are all informed that the Select Committee on Subordinate Lodge Activities at the Grand Lodge has approved our event. We have a maximum of 2500 tickets to sell and 20 winning tickets will be drawn on Jan 4, 2027. Buying more than one ticket gives more than one chance to win. You can win more than once. Ticket Prices: $20.00 each OR 3 tickets for $50.00 OR 7 tickets for $100.00 (best value) Contact WB Rob Thornton at 704-223-0327 if you want to buy or get tickets to sell. We are also looking for volunteers to go to other lodges in the district during their stated communications to offer them a chance to win. Let WB Thornton know if you can attend, he has a schedule of their meetings through the end of the year. Proceeds from this event will be split between the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, NC and our Lodge Charity Account within the NC Masonic Foundation. The Lodge Charity Account is used to provide scholarships, sponsors the South Rowan Public Schools Bible Teaching Association, sponsor other youth activities in South Rowan county such as summer league ball teams, etc. Have a Great Day! |
Upcoming Events on 09/22/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
Brothers, Greetings from the Master. This years Charity Motorcycle Ride is complete and was very successful. The lodge raised $34110.00 and after expenses we delivered to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, NC $31,540.88. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, sponsored, rode, cooked breakfast, donated and in any other way supported this effort. The Special Committee on the Masonic Charity Ride is to be highly commended for such efforts that reflect great credit upon themselves, our Lodge and masonry across the world! Looking forward to next year - the 30th Annual Charity Motorcycle Ride - we hope you will help us make this the best event ever. Help us get sponsors, riders, volunteers and especially join us wither on a motorcycle or in part of our vehicle caravan to show the children at our Home we really do care more about them than just sending money. |
We have a Special Committee on Building Maintenance that is working on long term plans to renovate our building, parking, signs and other structures to ensure they remain a safe and viable venue for our use and as a rental venue to promote a closer community in China Grove as the town grows rapidly. We cannot hold fundraising events for our building so, as of now, all funds for maintaining our Lodge must come from either member dues, donations, or building rentals. With this in mind, we already have a rental coming up on Nov 28, 2026 for a Holiday Pop-Up market featuring local artisans and entrepreneurs, with the rental proceeds going to the building fund. Please come out and shop, if you have Holiday goods to sell, consider being a vendor or at least let others know what is happening. More information is available at chinagroveevents.com. |
Next - we have kicked off the 1st Annual Winter Gun Raffle to benefit the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford and our Lodge Charity Account (LCA) in the NC Masonic Foundation. The LCA is used to provide local scholarships, sponsor other charitable endeavors in the local community related to youth activities such as the South Rowan Public School bible Teaching Association, sponsor youth summer league sports teams, etc. A total of 2500 tickets are available - $20.00 each, 3 for $50.00, or 7 for $100.00. The drawing will be January 4, 2027 at our lodge and 20 winners will be drawn. We have a mix of 19 pistols, traditional rifles, and shotguns and 1 in-store purchase only gift certificate for $580.00 (not redeemable for cash) If you need to sign for tickets to sell, please contact Rob Thornton at 704-223-0327. To purchase we will be selling at our meetings and the monthly community breakfast and other brothers will have tickets for sale - e.g. Chance Honeycutt at Brian's Grill or Matt West at Advance Auto Parts, etc... |
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Eureka #283 AF&AM CHarity Ride and Gun Raffle on 09/15/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| The 29th Annual Eureka Lodge Charity Motorcycle Ride is in the books and we delivered $31540.88 to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, NC this year. This was a highly successful year and thanks in many parts to our Sponsors, the Riders, and the members of Eureka Lodge #283 AF&AM. Worshipful Master Doug Earnhardt and his team on the committee this year executed flawlessly and are to be congratulated! |
| We are kicking off our 1st Annual Winter Charity Gun Raffle this year. Tickets will be available this coming Monday at our next stated communication and sold through the drawing on January 4, 2027. There are 19 guns and 1 gift certificate for in-store purchase only (Valued at $560.00). Tickets are $20.00 each, 3 for $50.00 or 7 for $100.00. Contact the Secretary at 704.223.0327 or robthornton@carolina.rr.com or attend any meeting between now and January 4th to get your tickets. The net proceeds will be evenly split between the MHCO and our Lodge Charity Account in the North Carolina Masonic Foundation (to support our local youth activities, scholarships and the South Rowan Public School Bible Teaching Association) |
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June 2026 on 05/27/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| June 01, 2026 is our next stated communication. We eat at 6:00 and the meeting opens at 7:00pm, I know summer is coming but it really would be great to see a lot of you at the meetings upcoming. June 13, 2026 is our community breakfast at the lodge from 6-9am. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring friends and family to a buffet style sit down breakfast that includes eggs, grits, rice, bacon, sausage, country ham, sausage gravy, homemade biscuits, redeye gravy and served with water, orange juice and coffee. $10.00 per plate for this much is great! On a side note, we need help cooking and cleaning up so if you want to help cook come early and if you can help clean up come late, but either way we would love to see you. June 15, 2026 is the 2nd stated communication. We eat at 6:00 and the meeting opens at 7:00pm, again, we would love to see you all. We have a couple certified coaches in the lodge and if you are interested in getting more involved, would like a refresher or just need to remember a couple things, get with them. |
| Our annual School of Instruction is scheduled for May 30, 2026 and June 6, 2026 from 09:00 to 11:30am each day at Eureka Masonic Lodge. All brothers are invited to attend and if you have an OSW bring it as this will be instruction for all. We hope to see you. |
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School of Instruction on 05/18/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Our annual School of Instruction is scheduled for May 30, 2026 and June 6, 2026 from 09:00 to 11:30am each day at Eureka Masonic Lodge. All brothers are invited to attend and if you have an OSW bring it as this will be instruction for all. We hope to see you. WB Doug Earnhardt |
Masonic Funeral for Brother Jimmy Goodnight on 04/30/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Brothers, It is with a sad heart we announce the passing of Brother Jimmy Goodnight on April 29, 2026 in South Carolina. The family is requesting Masonic Funeral Service and Pall Bearers. Date: May 9, 2026 Time: Visitation 12:30pm - 2:00pm Service: 2:00pm Location: Bethel United Methodist Church 2380 Long Ferry Rd, Salisbury, NC 28146 Anyone planning on attending and participating please let the Master (Doug Earnhardt) know. |
Eureka #283 AF&AM Golf Tournament 2026 on 04/04/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
The annual Eureka Lodge #283 Masonic Charity Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 11, 2026 at Rolling Hills Golf Club in Salisbury, NC.
This golf tournament has been a lasting benefit for China Grove and South Rowan county as well as the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford. In 2025, the tournament helped provide 4 scholarships - including to students related to 3 of our members; we provided a $500.00 gift to the MHCO for bedroom furniture, a $1,500.00 sponsorship to the South Rowan Bible Teaching Association to support the teachers at both high schools and China Grove Middle school and finally we provided a $1,000.00 gift to the MHCO in response to their drive to kick off 2026 in good terms. None of this could be possible without the tireless work of the members of this lodge and the Golf Committee would like to take the opportunity to thank you all. |
| Upcoming events: We have lodge meetings on Monday April 6, 2026 and April 20,2026 - eat at 6:00 and lodge open and 7:00pm ORS Breakfast is April 11, 2026 - please come out and eat, bring friends and anyone interested in volunteering are welcome - we can use the help. |
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Breakfast 3/14/2026 6:00-9:00am on 03/13/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| OES 277 is holding breakfast buffet at the lodge tomorrow. This would be a great time to see everyone, eat breakfast and get BBQ chicken tickets or pay for your current tickets. The secretary will be on hand for anyone remitting dues to get your dues card. Come eat, bring family and friends. We’d love to see you. |
Meeting February 2, 2026 cancelled on 01/31/2026
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Brothers, On behalf of the Master of Eureka Lodge #283 AF&AM, Doug Earnhardt, I am writing to inform you the meeting on February 2, 2026 is cancelled. The Master feels there won't be enough opportunity to get our parking lot cleared enough to feel attendance would be safe. Take care of yourselves and if you need any assistance through this inclement weather period, please do not hesitate to reach out to a brother. Sincerely, Rob Thornton Secretary, PM Eureka Masonic Lodge #283 |
Emergent Communication - 3rd Degree(s) on 10/26/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Greeting from the Lodge. On Monday, November 10, 2025 at 7:00pm the Master has called for an Emergent Communication for the purpose of raising 4 new Master Masons in Eureka Lodge #283 AF&AM. There will be a meal at 6:00pm, please let the Secretary know if you are planning on eating so the food preparation will be sufficient. |
| Our regularly scheduled stated communications will occur on Nov 3rd and Nov 17th. The November 17th meeting will be a “move-up” night to demonstrate who desires to hold elected and appointed positions next year in the lodge. Remember we will elect the 2026 lodge officers at the stated communication on the first Monday of December, 2025. We look forward to seeing everyone. |
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Upcoming Lodge Degrees on 10/06/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| We will be holding a 2nd Degree on Monday October 6, 2025 (eat at 6 and lodge open at 7) Hope to see you there. |
| With the large number of candidates we have been working through this year, our expected schedule through the end of the year is as follows: Oct 6 - 4 brothers will be advanced to FellowCraft, 1 new petition to read Oct 20 - Vote on affiliation of a brother moved here from Ohio, possibly a 2nd degree Nov 3 - Vote on new petition, 2nd degree if not performed in the previous meeting Nov 10 - Emergent Communication for the purpose of Raising at least 4 new Master Masons Nov 17 - 1st degree Dec 1 - Vote on Officers for 2026, 3rd degree Dec 15 - 2nd degree These degrees and dates are subject to change by the Master. If you can attend the 3rd degree on Nov 10, please contact the Secretary at 704-223-0327 and indicate if you can participate in any role such as: FellowCraft, Searcher, Ruffian, Lecture, Working Tools, Bible Presentation, Charge, etc. |
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Upcoming Events - August/September 2025 on 08/05/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| August 18, 2025 at 7:00pm we will be conducting a double 3rd degree for our 2 Fellowcraft. There will be practices on Sunday August 10 and Sunday August 17 both at 6:00pm. Anyone planning on attending should try to come to a practice for a refresher on the Fellowcraft roles. |
| September 1, 2025 we expect to hold at least one but possibly multiple 2nd degrees as part of our stated communication. We initiated 2 more on August 4, 2025 bringing us to 4 Entered Apprentices. His is turning into a busy year as we have raised 1, affiliated 1, have 1 applying to be reinstated, initiated 6, passed 2 and read another petition that we will vote on September 1, 2025. |
| Our Annual Masonic Charity Motorcycle Ride to the Children’s Home in Oxford, NC will be September 13, 2025. If you plan on sponsoring the event we need confirmation by August 11, 2025 to ensure shirt printing can get completed. The ride leaves the lodge at 8:00am that morning and the OES is holding its monthly breakfast that day too. (Help will be needed please) |
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Upcoming Events & Farmers Day Update on 07/22/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Farmer's Day 2025 is complete. The Ham biscuits were a hit and we have determined 45 lbs and 276 buns is the right mix. We are constantly heavy on soft drinks so we will dial that back a little next year. Except for the ham, everything else was donated by members of the lodge and we cleared $1121.00 plus an additional $32.00 donated to the Children's home. We have sent the checks $560.50 and $592.50 to MESH and MHCO respectively. |
| We are experiencing a busy year and that is great news. We have 1 affiliated and 1 raised so far this year. We currently have 2 Fellowcraft, 2 Entered Apprentices, 2 Applicants and 1 Application for Restoration after Exclusion for Non Payment of Dues. Lots of work upcoming The Master has called for a double 1st degree on August 4, 2025 with practices at 6pm both Sundays before. There is also a scheduled double 3rd Degree called for August 18, 2025. Practices will be both Sundays before then as well. Bring your OSW if you have one and lets get this right! |
| Our next charitable event will be our Annual Motorcycle Ride to the Children's Home set for September 13, 2025. Breakfast at the lodge before departing at 8:00am. If you want to continue or start sponsorship, please contact Worshipful Brother Doug Earnhardt at 704-957-0346. Finally - we had to replace one of the HVAC systems at the lodge last week, which carried a cost of $17,800.00 and we take a hit to our Building and Maintenance Fund. We are expected to have to replace the other system within the next 3 - 5 years (hopefully it lasts that long). Anyone wishing to make donations tot he Building and Maintenance Fund can either see the Secretary on meeting nights or send it to the Lodge at PO Box 283, China Grove, NC 28023 (Please put a note in the envelop to designate it for Building and Maintenance. More to come - Hopefully this message finds you all well. |
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FIrst Degree - June 16, 2025 Eureka Lodge on 06/04/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Please come and visit us as Eureka Lodge confers a double 1st Degree for Mr Todd McGee and Mr Michael Walsh. When: June 16, 2025 - at 7:00pm Meal: 6:00pm |
| This is a regular stated communication and the degrees will be performed toward the beginning of the evening |
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OES #277 Breakfast on 03/06/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| The Order of the Eastern Star #277 is hosting its monthly breakfast on Saturday, March 8, 2025 from 06:00am - 09:00am in the dining room of Eureka Lodge #283 AF&AM, located at 604 E Church Street, China Grove, NC. This buffet style homecooked breakfast includes scrambled eggs, grits, rice, bacon, sausage, country ham, homemade biscuits, sausage gravy, redeye gravy, water, coffee and orange juice. Cost is $10.00 per person and the proceeds support both the Eastern Star and Eureka Masonic Lodge #283. Tell your neighbors, bring a friend, and come enjoy a community gathering with good food. |
Golf Tournament 2025 - Teams/Sponsors/Prizes/Volunteers on 02/22/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Mark your calendar for April 14, 2025 - Rolling Hills Golf Club, Salisbury, NC - Registration opens 11:00am, eat at Noon and shotgun start at 1:00pm It is time again for the 28th Annual Eureka Lodge #283 Masonic Golf Tournament. We are doing some new things this year including an online website for registration and donations, the event schedule and agenda and descriptions (pictures too) of event contests and prizes. As expected, we need assistance to get door prizes donated, teams registered to play, volunteers to help manage the event, and hole sponsors. Registration to play, sponsor or cash donation can be made at www.eureka283golf.com Payment is accepted online by card, checks and cash are available options (Select Pay by Invoice) |
| Our annual golf event is designated to support youth activities, primarily in south Rowan County, but inclusive of special requests of the Masonic Home for Children (as we did last year with a donation for new furniture for the kids bedrooms) With guidance from the Grand Lodge, that we can no longer distribute monies raised in Special Activities approved by the Grand Lodge directly for Scholarships, our lodge has created a Lodge Charity Account within the NC Masonic Foundation that is directly managed by our lodge. From this account we can distribute scholarships as well as funds for charity as we see fit - related to our stated purpose for the special event fundraising activities. |
| Our goals this year are to field 18 full teams of players, provide trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams along with prizes, and provide prizes for special contests (Putting, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive (Men and Women respectively, and $10,000.00 Hole-in-One) All prizes, swag gifts, website and food expenses are being donated so all proceeds will go to the Lodge Charity Account to support Youth Activities. Contact Rob Thornton (704-223-0327) if you have items to donate for door prizes. Respectively Eureka Lodge Golf Charity Committee |
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Passing of Brother Edward Lee Lockhart on 02/20/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
| Brothers, Edward Lee Lockhart - a 54 year member of our masonry and a member of our lodge has passed. He died on Tuesday, February 17, 2025 at the age of 86. I have not received any request for Masonic Funeral Services, but wanted to let you know if you wish to attend the viewing or funeral yourselves. Visitation will be held from 5:00pm - 7:00pm pm Friday, February 21, 2025 at Linn Honeycutt Funeral Home in China Grove, NC. Funeral services will be at 11:00am Saturday, February 22, 2025 at Mt Moriah Lutheran Church in China Grove with burial at the church cemetery following. Ed was raided in Cabarrus #720 and affiliated with Eureka 05/2023. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for memorials to be made to Mt Moriah Lutheran Church, 750 Mt Moriah Church Road, China Grove, NC 28023 Please keep the family in your prayers. WB Rob Thornton Secretary Eureka Lodge #283 |
Lodge Meeting 2-17-2025 7:00pm on 02/16/2025
Eureka No. 283 Grand Lodge Of North Carolina, A.F. & A.M. |
Our next stated communication will be Monday February 17, 2025.
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We are working to plan for this year's charity events (Golf in April, Farmer's Day in July and Charity Ride in September)
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Golf Tournament - Teams/Sponsors/Prizes/Volunteers on 03/14/2024
Brothers
The annual Eureka Golf Tournament is set for April 22, 2024 at Rolling Hills Golf Club in Salisbury NC to support ourcharity outreach to youth activities.
Cost per player / team is $75.00 / $300.00 Hole Sponsors are $100 / $300 / $500
I am the point of contact and can be reached by email at robnsusan2000@gmail.com and text/voice at 704-223-0327
Please let me know if you plan on playing (single / Double / Team etc) and the names of team mates if known
Also, if you can find any hole sponsors or obtain any door prizes that would be greatly appreciated
We do need volunteers to work the event for registration, putting contest organizer/ref, hole in one observer, food prep and food service, setup/cleanup if you can volunteer please let me know.
Contests: There will be a $10,000.00 hole-in-one contest, a putting contest, longest drive (men and women) contest and closest to the pin contest with prizes for each.