For the first time, the annual Degree weekend will not be held at the cave: Odd Con 2026 is moving to Vallejo, and registration is now open. For those who know the Pythian Cave — the creaky yellow gate that guards the access road, the gravel trail lit by moonlight, the view of Mount Shasta, and the long stewardship of Yreka 19 — this is a significant change. The cave is where the degree weekend began, and there would be no degree weekend today without it.
The degree weekends that eventually became known as “Odd Con” have always been held in Yreka, with the second degree conferred at the Pythian Cave overlooking Mount Shasta by the light of the full moon. We love and appreciate the work of the brothers and sisters of Yreka 19, and their many decades of stewardship of the Cave Degree. This year, however, current circumstances have required us to seek an alternative location while Siskiyou County determines whether the cave is safe and suitable for the rituals we have used it for since 1940. It is a long story, and not one I will elaborate on here, but as the cave is owned by the California Grand Lodge, we are trusting that they will let us know when we are able to resume holding degrees in it.
For Odd Fellows in the Bay Area, the move is especially relevant. While Yreka is many hours away, much of the energy behind the Richard Brouse Degree Lodge comes from this part of the state. Slightly more than half of the members of the degree lodge are from our area, and many Bay Area Odd Fellows have made the trip north year after year because the live conferral of degrees matters to them.
This year, that work moves to San Pablo Lodge No. 43 in Vallejo, one of the remaining lodges built in the old grand style, once common in major cities. Its four floors include multiple lounges, a game room, two large meeting rooms — one configured for lodge work, and the other well suited for dancing — plus a full dining area and commercial kitchen. The lodge regularly hosts music shows and dances, and its costume and regalia closet is well stocked for degree work. For a weekend that includes ritual, meals, education, fellowship, and social events, their building offers a great deal.
San Pablo 43 also has its own history with degree work. Members there note that the lodge once served as a degree lodge, with candidates traveling from around the state to receive their degrees. That makes the move to Vallejo significant, as the 2026 Odd Con will be held in a lodge looking to reclaim its place in the degree traditions of Odd Fellowship. In the end, while other locations were considered, it was that enthusiasm and history that proved decisive in our search.
The general shape of the weekend will remain familiar. For those candidates brand new to our Order, the weekend will begin with the initiatory degree on Friday afternoon. In the evening, we’re bringing back the “Odd Ball” that we had so much fun with in 2025. Brother Alan Winston has agreed to be our caller once again (and for those worried they can’t dance, he provides easy instruction). Throughout the weekend, meals will be taken together in the dining room. Breakout sessions between the degrees will take place in the meeting rooms and lounges, where members can learn more about the Order, ritualism, and practical guides on how to run a successful lodge. The initiatory, first, and third degrees will take place in the main lodge meeting room, and in addition, Philotesian Rebekah Lodge 145 is planning to confer the Rebekah Degree on Sunday.
The second degree will not be in the Pythian Cave this year, but the plan is still to confer it outdoors by moonlight, weather permitting, at one of the natural settings near Vallejo on Saturday after sunset. While another location cannot reproduce the experience of the cave, the goal is to bring the same care and preparation to a new setting and see what that setting offers.
Vallejo has its own natural beauty. It sits where San Pablo Bay narrows toward the Carquinez Strait, with Mare Island and the Napa River to the west. On a clear day, you can see Mount Diablo to the southeast. It is a place of waterfronts, wetlands, old naval history, and steady bay breezes, with September weather that is typically mild and dry. Average temperatures for that time of year run from a high around 75 to a low of around 60, so if the weather cooperates, the outdoor degree should have a moving and meaningful character of its own.
This will not be the usual Cave Degree weekend. But for those who care about live degree work in California, it should still be worth the trip (and for those of us in Silicon Valley, it’s a much shorter trip!) The cave has shaped our degree weekends for four generations; this year in Vallejo gives us a chance to connect with those degrees in a new way. Registration is now open for those who would like to be part of this unusual year.
In Friendship, Love, and Truth,
Mason Wolf, past degree master for Richard Brouse Degree Lodge no. 190