With the melodious sounds of Worshipful Brother Joe McBride’s mournful blues vocals fronting Brother Jon Ringel’s amazingly talented band “The Mad Things”, Union Lodge No. 5’s Annual Summer Picnic rocked the neighborhood and the city of Stamford on Saturday, July 11, 2009.  More than sixty brothers, family members and friends joined together for a rousing barbecue picnic on a beautiful summer day filled with laughter, friendship, and brotherly love.

In addition to the brothers of Union Lodge No. 5, several other area lodges accepted the invitation to join the picnic, including Old Well, Ivanhoe and Harmony.  It was wonderful to have so many Masonic Lodges well represented.

Held on the lodge grounds where a large lawn provided ample space for several tents to be set up, adults and children alike played games like horseshoes, bocce, and several other fun games dreamed up by Worshipful Master Ken Robertson.  Senior Warden Stephen Petri’s wife Patrice planned, shopped for, and ran several of the games.  Worshipful Brother Doug Burchard rigged an additional tarp to provide extra shade, which came in handy for the children at play so they could avoid getting sunburned.

The grills were set up under the trees so the chefs of the day, Senior Warden Stephen Petri and Worshipful Brother Joe McBride, could have some shade while laboring for several hours to cook a delicious meal that included 15 racks of ribs, 30 chicken breasts, 72 sausages, Burgers, Hot Dogs, 3 watermelons, and 7 pies.  Brother Adam Ellison brought home-made beer that turned out to be a big hit among the brothers. 

Several brothers in attendance remarked on the event, noting how great it was to have such a large turnout.  Starting several days before the event with planning and food preparation, to the event setup and eventual tear-down, each brother and volunteer pitched in gladly and readily, making the work fun and easy.  A truly “Masonic” event in character, Union Lodge No. 5’s Annual Summer Picnic was an unqualified success from start to finish!

Several people have asked for WB Joe McBride's recipe for the delicious ribs he made.  Here is the recipe, see below--Joe notes he got the "Who Loves Ya Baby-Back" recipe from the Food Network!