Grand Ball at Night
Drill Teams Compete During the Day
Minneapolis, Minnesota June 23, 1931: Beneath red canopies such as begot London’s thoroughfares as the Crusaders departed, 10,000 plumed Knights of Templar paraded before their leaders today as part of the triennial conclave of the order. Each of the 1700 commanderies representing 47 states took part in the 4 mile long parade which marched on the parade grounds where the capture of the ancient city of Antioch by Moslem hordes and the formation of the Knights of Templar were depicted.
Difficult Evolutions
Accompanied by 50 bands various mounted commanderies of the order maneuvered through difficult evolutions. Other groups on foot marched in formations of crosses emblematic of the order. More than 100,000 residents of Minneapolis as well is 35,000 visiting Nate and their families occupied the downtown district which was closed to all vehicular traffic.Leading the parade the Most Imminent Grand Master, William L Sharp and his personal escort including 72 piece Englewood commandery band of Chicago.The largest single city commandery here is that in Detroit.The San Francisco delegation is out to bring won the 1934 conclave to the Pacific coast.
Encampment Session
After the review and ceremony at the parade grounds a session of the Grand Encampment will be held at the Scottish Rite Temple. This meeting will last the bulk of the day and will be adjourned in time for a second performance of “Il Trovatore” at Lake Harriet at 8:00 p.m. Mayor M.G. Tennent of Tacoma Washington will press a button tonight which will light up electric symbols and decorations brought to the the conclave by the Ivanhoe commandery of Tacoma.
Mayor William F. Kunze of Minneapolis will exchange greetings with Mayor Tennent over long distance telephone. At 9:30 p.m. the grand hall will be conducted at the Minneapolis Auditorium. Twenty drill teams will conduct a contest Wednesday morning in the auditorium. Prizes will be awarded to the four leading teams by the Minneapolis commandery.
To place these events and the formation of the Grand Encampment into perspective, in 1816, James Monroe was elected President, assuming office in 1817. At that time there were 19 States in the Union, A period of growth and prosperity began, known as the “Era of Good Feeling.” Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, and Texas became a State in 1845. The Mexican War was fought one year later in 1846.
Before 1852, the Grand Encampment was made up of just 8 Grand Commanderies. No Grand Commanderies were added during the decade of the 1830’s, probably due to the effects of the movement for persecution (known as Anti-Masonry), which followed the Morgan affair of 1826. Just prior to the onset of the Civil War, during the decade of the 1850’s, 10 new Grand Commanderies were admitted. 8 were admitted in the 1860’s. 4 were admitted in the year 1860 alone.The shocks of Anti-Masonry and the Civil War were only temporary. The Templar Orders regained strength and by the first decade of the Twentieth Century, virtually all of the Grand Cornrnanderies within the Grand Encampment today were established.
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