Taste secret chili rituals at Masonic cook-off

Published 9:23 am Thursday, April 12, 2012

For years, Fall City Masonic Lodge No. 66 and Unity Lodge No. 198 have been sending gladiators bearing cast iron pots and searing pepper into the crucible of the annual Masonic Chili Invitational.

They’ll battle it out once again Saturday, April 14, for the title of ‘Best Masonic Chili in the Snoqualmie Valley.’ The event is private, but individuals may attend with permission. This year, the cookoff is at 120-year-old Falls City Masonic Hall, in Fall City.

The Brothers, their friends, and their families, gather for the feast. Afterwards, Masons quietly adjourn to the Lodge room upstairs to conduct their meeting behind a door guarded by a brother armed with a sword and requiring secret tokens from those seeking entry into the room beyond.

Both Bro. Schumacher and Bro. Cason, the current Worshipful Master of Unity Lodge No. 198 in North Bend, invite the curious to contact their lodges for more information on the 2012 Chili Invitational or other Masonic Events (www.fallcitylodge.com, www.unity198.org , or www.freemason-wa.org)

“We laugh, rib, and sweat over hot cauldrons of chili. Then we sit and break bread with all those who have gathered,” stated Bro. Schumacher, the current Worshipful Master of Falls City Lodge. “The real winners are the folks that have gathered for the event, the smiling children, the happy wives, the friendly Brother Masons.”