Coulterville, California is a relic of the Gold Rush; a small mountain community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. There are 110 residents of the town, which is situated at the crossroads of two state highways that take tourists to and from mountain tourist attractions like Yosemite National Park. Like so many other towns of the Old West, Coulterville has an Odd Fellows Lodge, but one that was on the verge of closing. Just when it seemed like the lodge was about to join so many other Gold Rush-era lodges in the history books, along came Erica Wolfsen, a multi-generational resident of Coulterville, and Willow Polson, her friend and partner in reviving the lodge. When they joined, rumors were swirling around the town that the lodge couldn't afford to stay open. They both stepped up and found ways to make the lodge an essential part of the community again and membership has rebounded as a result. They tell us the story of what they did and how they did it. Spoiler alert: it involves getting active and holding events in the community. The Shoutout goes to another re-chartered lodge, this time San Antonio No. 11 in Texas. In the Odd Podge, Erica raves about the inspiring speech Grand Master of California Rita Cooper gave at her recent visitation, Willow shares her happiness with the recent membership gains, Toby talks about the new plan his associate lodge has adopted to bring members in more gradually, and Ainslie previews the sad but rewarding duty of tending to a member at the end of his life.

The annual Odd Market hosted by Tuscola Lodge #316 in Illinois has become a community mainstay. It didn't start out that way, though. The beginning had a lot more variety—and lizards. Sister Rain Martin and Sister Renee Moore join us to talk about the current Odd Market, how it started, how it grew, and how other lodges can copy its success. There were a lot of challenges along the way (some involving food trucks) and a lot of re-evaluation but it has grown into a major event in the area and is a main recruiting tool for Odd Fellowship. The Shoutout goes to Oak Grove Lodge #115 of Missouri which has recently begun getting active again after a period of dormancy. In the Odd Podge, Ainslie shares the story of his father doing degree work, Meredith talks about how female members have helped shape Odd Fellowship in Texas, Rain recounts her fundraising efforts for Kerrville after the floods, Renee offers to help any lodges needing assistance or guidance with doing events, and Toby recalls the recent Installation of Officers for Pilgrim Lodge #187 in Everett, Washington, the first formal Installation that lodge held for many years.

The new year finds us with a new co-host: Sister Meredith Moore of Dallas Lodge #44 in Texas. Meredith brings a wonderful background in Odd Fellowship and in data collection and analysis to the show and we waste no time in putting her skills to work. She developed and posted a survey on member burnout that got responses from 37 jurisdictions. The results are, in most cases, not surprising. Members like meaning, ritual, and regalia. The real question is whether any action will be taken based on the data from the survey or if higher levels of leadership will just continue on as before.

There's no Shoutout on this episode. We would love it if you would share great things your lodge is doing so we can tell the rest of Odd Fellowship about it. Email us at 3linksoddcast@gmail.com and give us the info about what you're doing. In the Odd Podge, Ainslie shares the exciting news that his father joined the Odd Fellows, Toby talks about a visit from Michael and Ryan Crile of California (including a tour of the Washington Odd Fellows Museum), and Meredith previews the upcoming Encampment and Canton Degree Days at the end of January.