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The Crossover Craziness continues with the second half of the crossover episode recorded by the hosts of both Modern Goat Rider and The Three Links Odd Cast.  When the first episode left off, we were discussing membership and some of the challenges of communication across jurisdictional lines.  This episode picks up where that one left off as Sergio was just about to answer a question...

Inspired by current events, Ainslie and Toby are joined by guest host Christopher McHale for a historical overview of Odd Fellows who have served as President, Vice President, or Canadian Prime Minister.  The brothers give some solid historical information on important parts of history like the highly-contested 1876 election and its lasting effects on US politics.  They also throw in some irreverent discussion of things like which president had better facial hair (Chester A. Arthur or Martin Van Buren) or how much value there may be in a bucket of warm piss.  Along they way they give a historical overview of the contributions of Sir John A. Macdonald, Ulysses S. Grant, Schuyler Colfax, Rutherford B. Hayes, Thomas Hendricks, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding, John Nance Garner, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Listeners will discover what caused Colfax's fall from grace, how the phrase "fall guy" came about, and the nickname of Vice President Garner.  This episode's Shoutout goes to Washougal Lodge #194 of Washington for their exemplary support of a local domestic violence shelter.

In this very spooky episode, Sergio and Toby are joined by three members of Crescent City Lodge #73 in New Orleans, Louisiana: Eddie LeBoeuf III, Michael Duplantier, and Emily Ford.  All three share a passion for preserving history.  Emily is a professional cemetery restorationist, Michael has over thirty years' experience with caring for cemeteries in New Orleans, and Eddie is a dedicated Odd Fellow who has made great strides to rebuild Odd Fellowship in Louisiana.  In this episode they share the stories of how they came together to form their lodge, how they use their talents to care for New Orleans' historic cemeteries, some of the challenges of caring for the Odd Fellows' Rest, and some guidelines for any lodge that would like to take on the challenge of cemetery restoration.  Along the way we learn about the massive parade to dedicate the Odd Fellows' Rest, the city's attempt to buy and bulldoze the cemetery, a cautionary tale from the Odd Fellows' cemetery in San Francisco, and what happened to the burial records for their cemetery.

We've been promising an episode about Odd Fellows cemeteries for what seems like forever (but is really only a couple months).  That episode is coming very soon!  In the meantime, enjoy this narration of an account of the first Odd Fellows funeral in North America, as taken from a post on the Heart In Hand Blog from 2017.  If you'd like to check out more posts from the Heart In Hand, you can catch the blog on the web at http://www.oddfellowsguide.com.  In the meantime, stay tuned for the cemetery episode because Halloween will be here before you know it...

Brother Christopher McHale from Covenant Lodge #6 of Missoula, Montana joins Toby and Sergio as Ainslie is still away on assignment.  He brings his own unique humor and outlook on Odd Fellowship to the podcast as the hosts discuss various listener interactions they've had so far.  The hosts have fielded questions from listeners ranging from how to find lodges to the role of religion in Odd Fellowship.  They share the results of those interactions including how they have helped potential members find lodges close to them, how they have helped members make connections with other member working on the same thing, and how they have used various forms of social media to foster Odd Fellowship.  Sergio talks about creating a Discord server for those looking for more information about Odd Fellowship, Toby talks about using Reddit to help someone locate a lodge, and Christopher shares the story of how looking for a clean bathroom led him to join the lodge.  This episode's Shoutout goes to Canton Northeast #9 of Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Brothers Mario Guzman and Wilbert Lemuel from Family Lodge #293 of New Jersey take us inside their process for chartering a new lodge.  They start with what brought them to Odd Fellowship and how they teamed up to create a new lodge and share their challenges and inspirations along the way.  During the process there was some resistance from members who thought it would detract from current lodges but there was also a lot of support from their Grand Lodge.  They discuss the various resources and inspirations and outline goals for the future.  Having already chartered a new lodge and an AMOS Sanctorum, these two dynamic Odd Fellows have plans to charter a Rebekah Lodge and an Encampment next.  Sergio discusses his newfound love of typing letters to lodges on his typewriter and Toby tries to exploit geographical rivalries to get more downloads.  This episode's Lodge Shoutout goes to newly-re-chartered Washington Irving Lodge #20 in Saugerties, New York.

Ainslie, Sergio, and Toby discuss the various effects that the global Covid-19 pandemic is having on Odd Fellowship.  They solicited input from various members around the country including Harrison Moore IV from Texas and Grand Master Mike Zurell from New York.  They discuss the way the pandemic is impacting meetings, finances, and membership with examples from lodges around the country.  As usual, the conversation touches on some unexpected points of interest, from an Odd Fellow skull's appearance in a George Romero film, to the idea of doing degree work outdoors, to Toby trying to score a performance in Pennsylvania.  Sergio introduces his new plan to find pen pals in various lodges as a means to interact with more senior members who don't use computers and Ainslie tells us about his upcoming TV appearance.  All this plus the Shoutout, which goes to Mt. Hor Lodge #736 in Pennsylvania!

The Parcast Network's "Secret Societies" podcast recently did two episodes about the Odd Fellows.  Brothers Ainslie, Sergio, and Toby listened to both episodes and give a good breakdown of them.  They go over each of the points made in the episodes from the accurate, like their depiction of the Initiatory Degree, to the absurd, like their speculation that the Odd Fellows were behind Australia's infamous "Somerton Man/Tamam Shud" case.  They also give a frank assessment of where Odd Fellowship stands today which contrasts quite a bit with the impression left by the "Secret Societies" podcast.  For optimal listening, it's recommended to check out both Odd Fellows episodes of "Secret Societies" before listening to this episode of The Three Links Odd Cast.  This episode also includes the debut of a new feature, the Lodge Shoutout, where the hosts share good news from various lodges.  The first Shoutout goes to a brand new lodge, Family #293 of New Jersey.  There's also a sticker giveaway so be sure to listen to the episode for details.

Ten years ago San Fernando Lodge #365 was slowly dying like so many other lodges.  Their building was dingy and most people only knew it for the church that met there.  In the decade since, the lodge has completely transformed itself into the social and fraternal hub of San Fernando, California.  Brothers Jesus Ochoa and Jesse Garcia join us to talk about the transformation of their lodge and what they've done to bring it about.  With the right people and the right efforts, any lodge can be reborn just like San Fernando.  Also this episode, Ainslie shares a special gift from the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, Sergio talks about the podcast's new website, and Toby shares the news about new musical arrangements for our beloved odes.

What happens when Sovereign Grand Lodge removes the officers of a Grand Lodge and audits the books?  What are the challenges of taking over leadership of a Grand Lodge after that happens?  How can the webmaster of the SGL website help prospective members join Odd Fellowship?  What gets advertised in the program at Sovereign Grand Lodge?  What happened to former president Rutherford B. Hayes when he returned home to his Odd Fellows Lodge in Ohio?  Was a picture of Toby in his lederhosen ever published in the Washington Odd Fellow?  All these questions and more are answered by Ainslie, Sergio, and Toby with their special guest, Mike Zurell, Grand Master of New York.

Brothers Ainslie and Toby are joined by Brother Wayne Geurts, Past Grand Master and current Grand Scribe of Ontario to discuss the state of communication in Odd Fellowship.  Brothers Wayne and Ainslie are both on the Sovereign Grand Lodge Communications Committee so they share information about their experiences on the committee and what it does for Odd Fellowship.  The brothers also go into detail about the ways in which communication has been successful, like connecting with young people wanting to join the Odd Fellows, supporting efforts to establish lodges outside of North America (including Brazil Lodge #1), reconnecting with lodges in Cuba, and moving communication into the digital age with websites and social media.  They also outline some of the ways in which communication has been less than successful in Odd Fellowship, like the challenges some people face when they contact lodges to join.

Brother Erik Fearing of Friendship Lodge #20 in Belmont, Massachusetts joins our regular hosts to share his perspective on Odd Fellowship in New England.  He shares some wonderful insights into what has helped transform his lodge from a struggling group barely making quorum to an active beacon of Odd Fellowship for the greater Boston area and New England at large.  As always, Sergio, Ainslie, and Toby lend their perspectives on Odd Fellowship in their areas of the country.  We're very proud to announce that we now have a sponsor, Pig And A Pug Bath Stuff!  Listeners to the Three Links Odd Cast can get 24% off their next order with the coupon code THANKYOU24.  Be sure and check them out on Etsy.

In this episode, the three hosts, Toby Hanson, Ainslie Heilich, and Sergio Paredes, all introduce themselves and give some background on their involvement in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, including the stories of how each of them came to be members of the Odd Fellows.