July marks the end of one of Jasper’s longest serving fraternal organizations. After struggling for years to attract and retain new members, the Jasper section of the Excelsior chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, held its final gathering on July 9.
The Jasper group was established in 1926 and over the past 90 years has raised money for local scholarships, research projects and charities. The Order of the Eastern Star is an international mixed gender group closely associated with the Masonic Lodge’s Freemasons.
For Millie Block, a member for the past 60-years, the last meeting was hard to swallow.
“It’s sad because it’s been such a big part of my life for so long,” said Block. “A fraternal organization is a true brotherhood and without it I wouldn’t have gotten to know so many of the people that today I call friends.”
Although the closure is disappointing, Block said the news wasn’t much of a shock. At one time the local organization boasted 110 members, however, during the last few decades that number quickly dropped. In 2000, the Edson Eastern Star chapter pooled its resources with the Jasper group to try and keep the local chapter afloat. While the merger helped for a few years, Block said that near the end only about two members were showing up for the group’s monthly meetings.
“We haven’t even had a meeting since last October,” Block said. “Over the last couple of years we all knew this was going to happen, but we just kept dragging our feet hoping something would happen but it never did.”
Over the last few years, Block said the Jasper chapter appealed to local Freemasons and their wives along with other Jasperites to help increase membership, but no one was interested.
“It’s really difficult to get the younger generations involved, but I understand that times have changed,” Block said. “When I first started with the organization women didn’t work. Now people are so busy that it’s hard to get involved.”
When Block joined the Order of the Eastern Star she was 20, living in a small prairie town before moving to Jasper in 1960.
“For me that was my means of socialization—now people have computers and so many other groups, but for me it was always a good way to do some good in the community and get out of the house.”
During the farewell ceremony, the group did its last good deed by donating $1,000 to the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives.
Block said she remains hopeful that the chapter will start up again one day, however, she said some things will have to change. As of right now, people can only become members of the Order of Eastern Star if they are related or somehow closely affiliated to the Freemasons, an all male group.
“We’re trying to change that. I’ve had inquiries from people that they’d like to join but just because of the rules they can’t. That’s just stupid to me,” Block said.
Until the day comes where the Jasper chapter rises again, Block said she’ll attend Edson’s Order of the Eastern Star meetings every now and then.
“I still want to be involved somehow,” Block said.
Kayla Byrne
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