California’s only degree lodge held its first degree weekend away from Yreka on September 26th, 2026. The Richard Brouse Degree Lodge #190 conferred the first, second, and third degrees inside of the large and beautifully-furnished hall at San Pablo #43 in Vallejo. 31 candidates, representing 14 distinct lodges from around the state, came together, along with 30 members of the degree lodge and another 20 observers, for a day of fellowship and learning. At 81 total participants, it was smaller than last year in Yreka, but not by much.
There were other changes too. In past years, the degree weekend included the initiatory degree as well, but without the cave, it was decided to shorten the event to a single day, and ask the lodges to initiate the candidates themselves. And in practice, this is usually what lodges would do anyway. The initiatory degree was generally the least attended of the degrees at previous weekends. Removing it made the schedule much more manageable (the initiatory degree is long and complicated), but philosophically, many members of the degree lodge felt that candidates ought to get their initiation from their home lodges anyway, (or at least near their home lodges) in order to build that initial connection with them, before going on to receive the remaining degrees from us.
Leaving Yreka was a difficult decision. We knew the cave wouldn’t be available, but even without the cave, Yreka 19 is still a wonderful place for degree work, and we strongly considered holding the degrees there anyway. But ultimately, the members of both Yreka 19 and Richard Brouse 190 felt that it made more sense to move to a different location this year.
San Pablo 43 was once a degree lodge in its own right, and the members of today were eager to reclaim that distinction. Boasting an impressive store of costumes and regalia, very little had to be carried in by the members of Richard Brouse 190. Some members did provide their own costumes, and the degree lodge did bring collars for the initiatory, first, and second degrees (the blue and pink collars were reversible). But all of the third degree collars came from San Pablo’s own stores.
The schedule included two breaks between the degrees. Participants were encouraged to use that time to either socialize with one another, or attend special lectures provided by Past Grand Master Peter Sellars, (who discussed the history and structure of Odd Fellowship) and Andrew Crockett (who discussed the use of ritual and symbolism in fraternal traditions).
For the degrees themselves, most parts were done from memory, and the unwritten work was given with no written aids. Debbie Wolf, the outgoing deputy degree master, was the director for the first degree, as well as a major cast member. Mason Wolf (me) directed the second degree, and also portrayed the conductor. And the incoming deputy degree master, Katrina Hazen, directed the third degree. All three degrees were among some of the best portrayals I’ve seen or participated in.
After the third degree, we enjoyed a delicious dinner together, followed by an English country style dance with live music and instruction.
While I think we were happy with how the degrees and entertainment went, we did have one unfortunate situation in the elevator. San Pablo 43’s elevator has broken down in the past, and we were aware that it would need repairs in order to function. They were very confident that it would be working for the degree day, and indeed, 2 weeks before the degree day, it was fixed. I rode in it myself. Sadly, the morning before the degree day was set to begin, it broke again, and suddenly we were no longer handicapped-accessible. Repair men were called urgently, and we hoped it would be a simple fix, but it was anything but (a shorted-out motor that would require replacement parts that would have to be ordered). We had one person in a wheelchair who was unfortunately not able to join as planned, and a couple of other ones who had planned to stay for dinner, but instead left early (while the degrees were on the second floor, the dinner was on the fourth, and that was just too many stairs).
We also discovered that having a dance at the very end was probably not the best idea. While it was enjoyed by those who stayed, since it was a one-day event, and not a full weekend, most people left after dinner in order to get home. The dance is probably best when it’s going to be held on a night before other activities.
We’ll carry the lessons of what worked and what could have worked better as we plan for next year’s degree weekend. There’s been little progress on the cave, so it’s unclear whether we’ll be able to use it next time, and it’s difficult to prepare without knowing what our venue will be. But I learned that what really makes the event special isn’t a particular place, but the sense of camaraderie and love of ritual that it evokes each year. In the end, we conferred nearly as many degrees away from the cave as we normally would confer in it, and I loved being part of that tradition once more.
— By Mason Wolf
