Young County Masonic Auction postponed for COVID-19 safety

The Young County Masonic Lodge #485 made the decision Thursday to postpone their annual Scholarship Auction this year due to continued concern over the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes two days after the lodge previously decided to solely have the gun auction and move from the Old Ag Barn to the Young County Arena Saturday, April 10.

In the past the event was held at the Old Ag Barn at Fireman’s Park where items from kayaks to firearms were sold to benefit area students in Young County through scholarships. The auction has provided over $250,000 in scholarships, according to a previous article from The Graham Leader. Lodge District Education Officer and Past Grand Master, Mike Sipes, said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution.

“We have several members who are currently in quarantine or have covid,” Sipes said. “We were afraid that we would spend money on promoting and advertising and get to the point that maybe we would get shut down by local authorities (…) It’s continuing concerns over COVID-19.”

For the rest of the story, see the Feb. 6 edition of The Graham Leader.