The Three Links Odd Cast
Society & Culture
About
The Three Links Odd Cast is an exploration of and discussion about issues in Odd Fellowship for members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It provides a fun, light-hearted look at the history, traditions, customs, and practices of Odd Fellowship as well as an examination of where the fraternal order is today. NOTE: there will be *NO* discussion of The Unwritten Work or any of the signs, grips, or passwords of Odd Fellowship.
Episodes
- Volunteers For A New Lodge
There are many historical connections between Texas and Tennessee, from country music to Davy Crockett to Willie Nelson to the many brave Tennesseans who helped defend the Alamo. Because of those links, it's appropriate that we follow up t…
- Dipping Into Rebekah's Well
For nearly 150 years, prior to 2001, the Rebekahs were a strong and vital companion organization to the Odd Fellows. However, once women were allowed to be Odd Fellows and were no longer restricted to just Rebekah membership, numbers for t…
- A Song Of Old San Antone
Odd Fellowship has a long, proud history in the state of Texas, dating back to Lone Star Lodge No. 1 in Houston, the first lodge chartered outside the United States by the IOOF, in 1845, before Texas joined the union. A big part of that hi…
- Another Minnesota Revival
Pine Island, Minnesota is the kind of idyllic Midwestern farm town that most people picture when they think of anywhere in the middle of the country: friendly people, a strong sense of community, and civic pride. The town also had one othe…
- Small Town; Big Creativity
Coulterville, California is a relic of the Gold Rush; a small mountain community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. There are 110 residents of the town, which is situated at the crossroads of two state highways that t…
- Odd Market
The annual Odd Market hosted by Tuscola Lodge #316 in Illinois has become a community mainstay. It didn't start out that way, though. The beginning had a lot more variety—and lizards. Sister Rain Martin and Sister Renee Moore join us to ta…
- Burnout
The new year finds us with a new co-host: Sister Meredith Moore of Dallas Lodge #44 in Texas. Meredith brings a wonderful background in Odd Fellowship and in data collection and analysis to the show and we waste no time in putting her skil…
- How The Grand Master Stole Christmas
What exactly is a Grinch, anyway? Is it a person? A creature? An outlook on life that sours every interaction? The Three Links Odd Cast does another adaptation of a timeless holiday classic focused on Odd Fellowship as we present, "How The…
- Guardian, Secure The Door!
Odd Fellowship isn't something that can be joined casually. It requires a certain amount of effort to be expended on behalf of those joining the lodge to fill out an application, pay the application fee, and proceed through the interview a…
- WaxaTATchie
Waxahachie Lodge No. 80 is one of the largest and best-known lodges in North America. Because of their excellent promotion on social media, they have become household names in the world of Odd Fellowship. We talk with their Noble Grand, Al…
- Burying The Dead
We always like to do a cemetery episode during October in keeping with the "spooky" theme of the season. This year, however, we're not playing up the spooky or macabre side of cemeteries. Instead, we're looking at the compassionate, caring…
- Oddtistic
Mike fills two roles on this episode: one as host, and one as guest while we discuss his newest book, "Oddtistic." The book looks at how Odd Fellowship has become a refuge for those seeking acceptance in a world that is often dismissive an…
- Young Leader In The Heartland
Looking to get his life on a better track, Bro. Niles Schumm took his mother's suggestion and joined the Odd Fellows. That led him to his local lodge where he started to get more and more involved in lodge activities. After not too many mo…
- The Cave Degree, Part II
When we last spoke about the Cave Degree, it's fate was left uncertain. The deck in the cave was in disrepair and there was a fundraising effort underway to restore it to a functional condition. Now, in its second year post-revival, the Ca…
- Live From SGL II: Almost Heaven
Season six kicks off in Grand—or, should we say—Sovereign Grand style! We recorded this episode of the podcast live from the historic hall of Kanawha Lodge #25 of Charleston, West Viriginia, host of the 2025 Sovereign Grand Lodge Session.…
- Behind The Links
Five years ago, a new podcast emerged on the fraternal landscape, the Three Links Odd Cast. Shrouded in mystery, the reclusive hosts have done their best to keep knowledge about the show secret—until now. Join host Ian Love-Jones of Penins…
- Intro to Odd Fellowship
As more and more people are searching the Internet for Odd Fellowship, many of them are finding this podcast. As a service to them, we put together this episode where we give an introduction to Odd Fellowship, including what it is, how it'…
- Help! The Grand Master Is Coming!
Spring is here and many jurisdictions are having their Sessions, which means electing new Grand Masters who will be traveling around to visit lodges. In response to a listener's question, we discuss the process and protocols involved in a…
- Evangelicals And Odd Fellowship
Not everyone understands fraternalism or takes the groups at face value. The suspicion of Freemasonry by the Roman Catholic Church is well known. Lesser known is the skepticism of so-called "secret societies" by Evangelical Christians. In…
- New Perspectives On Odd Fellowship
Brothers Aiden Brink and Will Sparks both joined their respective lodges in the past couple of years. Each have become very active and spurred growth in their areas. They were both kind enough to join us to discuss their perspective on Odd…
- Ritual And Regalia Changes
Although it's tempting to think that Odd Fellowship has been handed down from the past completely unchanged from some visionaries at an ancient building site, that's not the case. Odd Fellowship has adapted and changed through its history…
- Mystery And Benevolence
In 2016, an exhibit opened at the American Folk Art Museum showcasing various artifacts from American fraternal orders, most notably the Odd Fellows and Freemasons. The collection shared the best of fraternal folk art with the wider world.…
- How Global Are We?
Most of us know about our local lodge and may be familiar with a couple other lodges in our area. However, Odd Fellowship is global in scope and scale—or is it? Brother Chuck Hillberry of the State Of The Order Committee of Sovereign Grand…
- Digging Up Our Roots
We think we all know the story of how Odd Fellowship began in North America: five brave souls, led by Thomas Wildey, held the first meeting in Baltimore in 1819 and, from there, Odd Fellowship exploded across the continent spreading friend…
- Growing In The Sunshine
Thirty years ago, in a small town in Washington State, a young twenty-something man stood surrounded by five elderly men in a leaky, damp building doing something that would change the trajectory of his entire life. In that moment, Kelly H…
- Mixing Old And New Members
Every lodge wants to grow—but how many lodges are actually able to incorporate new members successfully in such a way that the new members feel valued? Brother Matthew Thornton, NG of Houston Heights Lodge #225 in Texas, joins us to talk a…
- It's A Wonderful Lodge
Based on the classic holiday film "It's A Wonderful Life," this year's Christmas episode is an Odd Fellows' retelling of the old favorite in which George Bailey is the harried Past Grand of Bedford Falls Lodge #310. Straining under the wei…
- Eating Oddly
Eating together is an integral part of Odd Fellowship and has a long tradition of inclusion within our Order, from formal banquets at Grand and Sovereign Grand Lodge meetings to sandwich platters during a Degree Rally, to tried-and-true fr…
- Growing Prosperity
In high school, Dustin used to wander past the dusty old Odd Fellows Hall in Wenatchee, Washington. Intrigued by the music blaring out on to the sidewalk one evening, he went in to find an all-ages punk rock concert. Joel was the producer…
- Sovereign Grand Master Workman
Our Sovereign Grand Master, the Honorable Gerald V. Workman of West Virginia, sat down with us for a wide-ranging discussion about his path in Odd Fellowship and how it led him to the top job in the Order. He tells about his early days joi…
- Odd Fellows' Rest Revisited
As has become tradition at the Three Links Odd Cast, we like to take a turn to the spooky for Halloween and talk cemeteries. We're joined by Brother Michael Duplantier to discuss the progress on restoring New Orleans' famous Odd Fellows' R…
- Lodge Is Bustin' Out All Over
Usually, by the time we at the Three Links Odd Cast hear about a new lodge being chartered, it's already meeting regularly. However, in this instance, we got to talk to Brother Garrett Hite of Oklahoma as he's in the process of re-charteri…
- Sovereign Grand Lodge: Reactions
Mike, Toby, and Ainslie are all safely home from their trip to Pittsburgh and back to their usual lodge activities. The brothers got together to discuss their experiences at Sovereign Grand Lodge and how they felt the Order was progressing…
- Live From Sovereign Grand Lodge!
The 2024 Annual Communication of the Sovereign Grand Lodge was noteworthy for many reasons, not least of which was our live recording of the first episode of Season Five of the Three Links Odd Cast. We had a packed meeting room full of mem…
- Anniversary IV: More Of The Best
One might think that after four seasons and over 30,000 downloads of the Three Links Odd Cast that there would be nothing left for the hosts to talk about. Au contraire, mon frère! Mike, Toby, and Ainslie are very opinionated and love hear…
- The Lord's Prayer: Reactions
Our recent episode on inclusion of the Lord's Prayer in the lodge opening generated some of the greatest volume of feedback from listeners we've ever received. We went through dozens and dozens of listener emails, Facebook posts, Instagram…
- Lone Star Rising
The Grand Jurisdiction of Texas is on an upswing. Its membership is growing and getting younger and they are chartering new lodges. Grand Master Charlie Stephenson and Brother William Plotts join us to talk about the chartering of Brazos V…
- The Lord's Prayer
Odd Fellowship is non-political and non-sectarian. But why, then, do we recite the Lord's Prayer as part of the opening of the lodge? Ainslie and Toby dig into some of the history around this observance and discuss whether it makes us trul…
- True Fellowship
Like many lodges, True Fellowship No. 52 in San Jose, CA had seen better days. As members got older, the focus of the lodge became more insular and they were less interested in connecting to the outside community. That all began to change…
- Minnesota Miracle
A remarkable convergence of events led to the revival of Friendship Lodge No. 50 in Northfield, Minnesota. A Mason in Red Wing, Minnesota started an educational program for his Masonic lodge and then reached out to the Odd Fellows to reque…
- What Is Going Wrong? - Part II
Billy and Tara from Modern Goat Rider joined us for a thorough and in-depth discussion about leadership in the Odd Fellows. The first half of the episode is available on their feed on your favorite podcatcher or directly from their podcast…
- Selling Out
A recent email from a listener prompted this episode's discussion about what happens when a lodge sells its building. A lot can happen, but only a very few things should happen. We dig into the question and examine the process and what kno…
- An Odd Fellows Christmas Carol
This year, for our Christmas episode, we present this adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Listen along as an all-star cast of Odd Fellows presents this unique Odd Fellows take on the classic story. Ebeneezer Scrooge: Gil T.…
- Sovereign Grand Master Interview
Our Sovereign Grand Master, John Cupp, is a very busy man. We were very fortunate when he made some time at the West Virginia Grand Sessions to sit down and talk with co-host Mike Duminiak about his time as Sovereign Grand Master and some…
- Vernon Wolf Memorial Lodge
Pueblo Lodge #8 was down to just four members after the passing of one of the five who was maintaining the quorum that kept their charter. John Jones had recently moved to Colorado from another state and was looking to join a lodge. One da…
- Remember Me
We always like to do an episode about cemeteries around Halloween and this year is no exception. Given our command to "Bury The Dead" as Odd Fellows, and how many lodges have administered cemeteries throughout our history, it's no surprise…
- Linked In The Lodge
A life of academic wandering and creation has brought Dr. Heather Calloway to her present position as Executive Director of University Collections and Director of the Center for Fraternal Collections and Research at Indiana University. Ori…
- The Cave Degree (Part 1?)
In a secluded corner of the wilderness around Mount Shasta in Northern California, a secret rite has been taking place for generations. No, it's not something from the latest thriller novel, it's the Cave Degree! In a natural cave that fac…
- Hahn Farm Degrees
Tucked away in a secluded corner of Oregon's rolling farmland northwest of Portland sits the Hahn Farm. Owned by Gary Hahn, a third-generation Odd Fellow and fourth-generation owner of the farm, it has become a beacon for Odd Fellowship in…
- Join Or Die!
Civic life in America has been in decline for decades. A prescient few, including noted author Robert Putnam, have chronicled that decline. In his book "Bowling Alone," Putnam explored the link between civic engagement and the function of…