The Three Links Odd Cast

Brother Mike Duminiak of West Virginia joins us as we reconvene for the new year to tell the story of the Patriarchs Militant.  This oft-ignored branch of Odd Fellowship provides some surprising opportunities and does some very interesting work.  Brother Mike is a passionate and articulate supporter and gives us a comprehensive look at the history, origins, development, and current practices of th...

Toby and Ainslie take a nostalgic look back at the past year in Odd Fellows podcasting and revisit some of the topics they covered.  Brother Nick Curry of Chester Lodge #281 in Virginia gives an update on the lodge's progress and how they're reforging bonds with the community that were lost when the lodge closed.  Ainslie and Toby also give a sneak peak at some of the coming year's...

Medieval English Craft Guilds were the wellspring of modern fraternalism.  From those original attempts to protect trade secrets, educate artisans, and assist members and their families, an amazing variety of fraternal orders has developed.  Those fraternal groups would have remained solely in the land where they began had it not been for the subsequent spread of British influence and culture acro...

Amidst the fields of corn, soy, and wheat, there's something else growing in Northern Illinois: Odd Fellowship.  Brother Ray Jackson of Ottawa Lodge #41 shares his story of how the members of Century Lodge #492 in Carpentersville spread out across the northern part of Illinois reviving struggling lodges and renewing the spirit of Odd Fellowship.  SPOILER ALERT: there's no one, main secre...

With a strong interest in history, esotericism, and philosophy, it was only a matter of time before Asean Malik Bey found his way to Odd Fellowship.  That first encounter happened at a friend's martial arts studio and, since that time, Brother Bey has launched a career as an Odd Fellow organizer, historian, and scholar.  A member of Teoronto #8 of the IOOF and Northern Star #715 of the GUOOF,...

More than a decade ago, Scott Moye was just your average historian in Arkansas.  Fueled by a desire and curiosity to be a part of a fraternal order, he started looking around and researching and eventually landed on the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.  That journey eventually lead him to scholarship and the authorship of his new book, Think Like An Odd Fellow .  During this episode, Brother Scot...

We've all had to sit through long, meandering, pointless meetings.  Why should we allow our lodge meetings to be disorganized and annoying to sit through?  Brothers Ainslie and Toby dedicate this episode of the Three Links Odd Cast to guiding you through the best practices for holding a lodge meeting so that business can get done in a quick but thorough way.  They start with the preparations...

Ainslie and Toby spend some time contemplating the culture clash that often happens when new members join lodges full of long-time members.  On the one side, there are eager new members who have just joined and have great ideas and can't wait to start changing things and getting their new lodge active.  On the other side there are members who have spent years perfecting the way they do things...

Back home from Sovereign Grand Lodge in Cincinnati, Brothers Ainslie and Toby share their exhaustive interview with Grand Master of California Michael Greenzeiger about his new book, The Odd Fellows' Primer.   The interview goes into great detail about the process of researching and writing the book, its origins, its inspiration, and the various challenges encountered along the way.  The inte...

Toby and Christopher hit the road to attend the Rededication of the Idaho Odd Fellows Museum in Caldwell, ID.  While there, they conducted interviews with Grand Secretary and Museum Curator Jeff Mann, Past Assembly President, Past Grand Master and current Grand Patriarch Marge Harlan, current Grand Master Joe DeChristefero, and Past Grand Master David Livingston and his wife Crystal.  Much great i...

In April of this year the Half-Asked Podcast did an episode about the Odd Fellows.  (You can hear their episode here .)  Our colleague Billy Sanderson from Modern Goat Rider alerted us to the episode and we decided to reach out to the show so we could discuss Odd Fellowship.  As a result, Pete, Judy, and Britney joined us to share their process for how they came to discover Odd Fellowship.  Like s...

Ainslie, Toby, and Christopher are reunited with Sergio to celebrate the First Anniversary of the Three Links Odd Cast.  The four Odd Fellows discuss the first year of the podcast including what they expected when it started, how it has progressed, and what kind of impact they feel they've had on Odd Fellowship as a whole.  They share some excerpts from previous episodes as well as recorded m...

If you've ever wondered what former members think after they stop participating in a lodge, this episode is for you.  The Three Links Odd Casters are joined by Seattle musician, educator, and recording artist Scott Adams (no, not the Dilbert guy) to talk about his experiences in Odd Fellowship and why he left the Order.  Scott pulls no punches in his assessment of his time as a member and wha...

In 2020 almost all Odd Fellowship was put on hold, including most jurisdictional Grand Sessions.  For 2021, the jurisdiction of Oregon found some clever and elegant solutions to hold their Grand Lodge, Rebekah Assembly, and Grand Encampment sessions online.  Sister Pearlie Stewart, Grand Scribe of the Grand Encampment of Oregon, and Brother Brad Probst, technical coordinator for this year's S...

Prompted by a character in an old episode of Star Trek , Owen Snowdon wanted to grow up and wear a sash.  His grandfather, a member of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, promised him that one day he would be able to do just that.  That dream came true for him at age eighteen.  Now, five years later at twenty-three, Owen is a member of several branches of seven different fraternal orders an...

George Sliney, a young immigrant from County Cork, Ireland, rode out along Owl Creek in Wyoming Territory in the latter half of the 19th Century and staked a claim that would become his cattle ranch.  Over time, he would become one of the most prominent citizens of Hot Springs County and the city of Thermopolis.  He was also a member of Thermopolis Lodge #26, IOOF.  That obscure footnote of histor...

It's another crossover episode with our brothers and friends at Modern Goat Rider!  Ours is the second half of the crossover so be sure to download and listen to Episode 29 of Modern Goat Rider to get all the context for this episode of the Three Links Odd Cast.  In the first half of the crossover we discuss how Odd Fellowship would have been different today if we had made changes in the past...

The Rebekahs are an important component of Odd Fellowship that frequently gets overlooked when talking about the Order.  Prompted by a request from a Rebekah in Texas, we decided to go straight to the top and do an episode with Sister Elizabeth Mowry-Harbstreit, President of the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies.  Sister Elizabeth is a passionate and knowledgeable Rebekah who gives u...

Odd Fellowship has a long heritage of music, much of which has been forgotten.  In this episode we explore the mysteries of the Ode Book and other forgotten pieces of Odd Fellows music.  PGP John H. Seiffert, a Lutheran church music director in his professional life, dedicated a large amount of time to compiling the IOOF Odes, published by Sovereign Grand Lodge first in 1877 and then subsequently...

Nick Curry was sitting in his hometown in Virginia looking for some kind of community organization to join.  He searched on the Internet and made a list of all the usual fraternal and community groups.  The more he researched them, the more one organization stood out: the Odd Fellows.  He set about the task of gathering people together that he knew and started down the path that would end up re-ch...

This week we're reaching deep into the heart of Texas to talk to Brother Ivan Kotcher, Noble Grand of Dallas Lodge #44.  When he first joined the lodge less than ten years ago, it was down to a small cadre of elderly members barely able to make quorum.  He shares the story of how a pair of well-known and charismatic artists in Dallas were able to draw large numbers of members to the lodge.  S...

Popular culture has linked fraternal orders with the iconic headwear of the Middle East: the fez.  How did that piece of headwear sported by Morocco Mole become emblematic of American fraternalism?  What kinds of side orders are there for Odd Fellows?  How did they develop and what happened to all of them?  In this episode we get some answers from Brother Seth Anthony of Triune Lodge #307 in Middl...

Sister Stacy Thomason of Gold Hill Lodge #129 in Oregon joins us.  In less that two years of membership, Stacy has become an amazing dynamo of activity, breathing new life into her small-town lodge.  She has created a seed swap, a book exchange, a little free food pantry, and something she calls her "Odd Fellows Propaganda Machine."  She fills us in on all the details about her amazing p...

Brother Supreme Page joins us to continue the conversation begun in Episode 17.  In this episode he gives us a fascinating glimpse into African-American history and the pivotal role Odd Fellowship played in developing Black communities.  Specifically, we learn about various important figures in African-American history and their connections with Odd Fellowship.  Martin Luther King, Jr.'s gran...

Brother Supreme Page of Oglethorpe Lodge #1, IOOF and Wayman Lodge #1339, GUOOF joins us for the first half of this episode to talk about the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and their unique history in African-American communities.  Unfortunately, due to a dropped phone call, Bro. Page was unable to finish the episode with us.  We are hoping to bring him back in the future to finish the conversa...