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Fog/Mist Matinecock Masonic Lodge opens doors for fundraiser
While the history of the Freemasons has often been shrouded in mystery, members of the Matinecock Masonic Lodge in Oyster Bay recently welcomed dozens of people onto their premises for a fundraiser. Roughly 65 people, both Masons and their guests, enjoyed playing billiards, darts, cornhole and other games while raising money for Ryan Obes, a lodge member’s son, who is undergoing treatment for multiple polyps and subsequent complications.
The fundraiser was held on Aug. 2, and Masons from across New York State made their way down to support the Obes family and enjoy an evening of games and conversation. Steve Boerner, one of the organizers of the event, explained that while the goal of the evening was to raise money, they also wanted to begin making the lodge more active in the community.
“I worked very hard promoting and dealing with a lot of the logistics, and I was very satisfied seeing everybody having a good time,” Boerner said. “Warren (Ryan’s father) is a really great guy, so this was really important for us.”
One of the highlights of the evening was the pool tournament, played on the lodge’s recently donated billiards table. This one replaced their old table, which was destroyed along with their former lodge in the early 2000’s.
Attendees also enjoyed the chance to play darts and poker in the lodge’s recreation center downstairs. Meanwhile on the front porch the Masons and their guests also took turns playing in a corn hole tournament, making the most of the lovely evening.
“It’s very fitting because before Covid Warren and I were discussing ways to broaden the use of the lodge to the community and bring people in,” Boerner said. “Both because it’s a way to bring in guests and also potential future masons but also because Warren feels very strongly about community outreach.”
Underpinning the fun of the event was a cause that had brought everyone there — raising money to help pay for Ryan Obes’ medical procedures. While a freshman in college in 2018, he was diagnosed with multiple polyps, small clumps of cells that form on the lining of the colon which can often lead to cancer.
While Obes has had several surgeries and operations to defeat the disease, he is still facing ongoing medical issues. The family is hoping to raise $150,000 to pay for the costs of his small bowel transplant. They’ve raised over $68,000 thus far.
The event at the lodge raised another $2,000, and Boerner added that they have more events planned in the future, both to help Obes and to incorporate the lodge into the community more. Several members of the lodge, which has counted Theodore Roosevelt and his son Theodore Roosevelt Junior amongst its members, added that they were looking forward to playing a more active role in the life of Oyster Bay.
