Masons enjoy trip to Fort Scott area

According to a press release from the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Temple, two members of the Scottish Rite Supreme Council in Washington D.C. recently visited the local area.

The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce assisted in hosting the two special guests, Dean Alban, Director of Member Services of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction and Stan Dodd, Assistant Director of Member Services. The visitors were in Fort Scott to attend the 221st Reunion of the Valley of Fort Scott Scottish Rite held on Saturday the 25th of April, according to the press release.

On Friday, April 24, Alban and Dodd along with Terry Claar, Executive Director of the Valley of Fort Scott spent the morning Geocaching, which is the new high-tech treasure-hunting sport that is gaining in popularity across America and is now being introduced to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the city of Fort Scott. The trio only had time to locate three of over sixteen sights in the Fort Scott Area before taking a tour of the Fort Scott National Historical Site. The tour was arranged by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce director of tourism Cynthia McFarlin.

According to the press release, the tour was conducted by Park Ranger Rodger "Skip" Johnson who diligently and colorfully explained the creation and events of the local fort.

Upon completion of the fort tour, McFarland was waiting to take the Scottish Rite Masons on a tour of Fort Scott on "Dolly" the Fort Scott Trolley. Darrell Bloomfield, the driver and tour guide, took time to point out so many of the gorgeous period homes and their histories. Along with the homes, Bloomfield talked about the history of the many businesses that were located in Fort Scott that made it a thriving and notable community.

According to the press release, after returning to the fort, Alban, Dodd and Claar thanked Bloomfield and McFarlin for a wonderful tour, and told them they would certainly be writing about their visit to Fort Scott in the Scottish Rite Journal, the official publication of the Scottish Rite which is sent to all of it's over 250,000 members within the southern jurisdiction.