L.B.A. – 91st Annual Convention
The Luxembourg Brotherhood of America hosted their 91st annual Convention on Sunday, February 25th at Edelweiss Restaurant in Norridge, IL. Grand Lodge President George Jones (Section 3) called the Convention to order at 12:30 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call of the Grand Lodge Officers and various section members that were in attendance.
GRAND LODGE REPORT & OLD BUSINESS
With 46 members in attendance, the Convention began with the Report of the Grand Officers. Remarks were given by President George Jones, Vice President & Treasurer Paul Krantz (Section 3), Secretary Chris Walton (Section 15), and Trustee Judy McCay (Section 8). The Grand Lodge was happy to report that 12 new LBA members joined in 2023 across all Sections, and Section 8 resumed their standard meeting schedule for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
2023 AWARDS
While there were no 25 or 50-year awards given this year, Donald Hansen of Section 15 was proudly awarded his 60-year award.
The 2023 Steven Heinz Award was awarded to Nick King of Section 3. Nick went above and beyond his duties as an active member throughout the past year. On top of his role as Sergeant at Arms of Section 3, Nick oversaw the refurbishing of the LBA website, the establishment of an LBA Wikipedia page, and the digitizing of the LBA’s history dating back to 1900. He also took on the responsibilities of Production Manager for the Luxembourg News of America. There was no member more deserving of this prestigious award this year – Congratulations, Nick!
NEW BUSINESS
The Grand Lodge highlighted the slate of LBA events that are scheduled for 2024, including the Sauerbraten Dinner hosted by Section 15 (April 28), Carmelite Mass (May 12), and the Schobermesse (July 29). The LBA also plans to have representation at various cultural festivals throughout the Chicago suburbs, including in Skokie (May 18-19), Bolingbrook (July 7), and Mt. Prospect (August 31). Other events that were highlighted included Section 7’s weekly Fish Fry, the annual LACS Luxembourg Fest in Wisconsin (August 8-11), and Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry in December.
INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
The two Grand Lodge Officer positions that were up for reelection this year included Grand Treasurer and Grand Trustee. Both of these positions were retained by their incumbents: Treasurer Paul Krantz of Section 3 and Trustee Judy McCay of Section 8. Section 3 also installed their 2024 Section Officers at the Convention. Officers that were in attendance included President Paul Krantz, Vice President George Jones, Grand Rep. Nick Jones, Financial Secretary Jake Jones, Trustee Antoinette Bislew, and Trustee Tony Viola. Sergeant at Arms Nick King was also present virtually via Zoom.
Once the meeting was adjourned, the attendants enjoyed a wonderful German-style lunch that included schnitzel, spaetzle, beef, and fresh vegetables.
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