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Who Are the West Suburban Shrine Club?

The W.S.S.C. are a club of Medinah Shriners who live and/or work within reasonably close proximity to the Western Suburbs of Chicago.

We get together on the first Wednesday evening of each month, either in the Oasis of our Medinah Shrine Centre in Addison or in a private area of any one of several restaurants in the Western Suburbs, to enjoy good food and good fellowship. In addition to these monthly stag dinners, we host at least two dinner-dances for the Nobles and our Ladies each year, have group outings with our friends to ballgames and other events, and we cook out at the annual Medinah Picnic. Please click here to see the trestle board of upcoming events.

But we have a mission beyond our fellowship. Like all Shrine units and clubs, we raise money for the World’s Greatest Philanthropy, the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of twenty-two specialised medical centres, providing state-of-the-art treatment of orthopaedic conditions, spinal

cord injuries, and burns to children under eighteen at absolutely no charge to them nor to their families.

A key reason for the expertise found in specialised paediatric care at Shriners Hospitals for Children is the organisation’s strong commitment to research. Shriners’ researchers are noted as world leaders in their fields, and are respected for the impact of their work on the lives of children everywhere. To highlight Shriners Hospitals’ research efforts, the research division is pleased to introduce Biomedical Research Highlights. This first edition highlights burn research, especially some of the projects in process at our Boston and Galveston hospitals. Areas of research highlighted include muscle wasting, infection and scarring in patients with burns. Through increased understandings of severe burns, our dedicated physicians and scientists will ultimately be able to offer more effective treatments, improving the lives of people around the world. Shriners Hospitals have world-renowned research experts helping lead the way in orthopaedic discoveries and advancements. Some of their work will be showcased in future editions of Biomedical Research Highlights.

We have a parade unit; the Roaring ‘57s are our fleet of eight speedy, little go-carts with miniature ‘57 Chevy-styled bodies in a rainbow of colours. From the dozens of parades in which we ride in each year, the Roaring ‘57s are bringing smiles to spectators’ faces. Each year, we win more awards for outstanding parade performance, and we continue to be showered with trophies.

Email Petey to book the Roaring ‘57s for your parade. We drive so children may walk.

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine adhere to the principles of Freemasonry: brotherly love, relief and truth. In contrast to the more conservative work of the Masonic lodge, Shriners are distinguished by an enjoyment of life in the interest of philanthropy.

The approximately 500,000-member organization has a buoyant philosophy that has been expressed as “Pleasure without intemperance, hospitality without rudeness and jollity without coarseness.” Shriners are men who enjoy parades, trips, dances, dinners, cookouts, golfing, sporting events and other social occasions together. Family picnics, dances, parties and scheduled trips to near and far are just a few of the activities available. Furthermore, Shriners support what has become known as the “World’s Greatest Philanthropy,” the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Why do Shriners wear a fez? The red fez with the black tassel, the Shrine’s most distinctive symbol, has been handed down through the ages. It derives its name from the place where it was first manufactured, the holy city of Fez, Morocco. The fez was chosen

as part of the Shrine’s Arabic (Near East) theme, around which the colour and pageantry of the Shrine are developed. In the middle of the 19th Century, when our Order was founded, the Near East was a popular theme, particularly following the explorations by Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, KCMG, FRGS. This was the era of the popularization of the Book of 1001 Arabian Nights and its stories of Sinbad, Aladdin’s lamp, Ali Baba & the 40 Thieves, and flying carpets; a time of Zouave uniforms on regiments in the armies of the United States, Confederate States, France and other countries.

What is a Shrine Mason? Shriners, or Shrine Masons, belong to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.) for North America. The Shrine is an international fraternity of approximately 500,000 Shriners who are members of any of 191 Shrine centres throughout the United States, Canada, México, and Panamá, founded in New York City in 1972.

Are you a Medinah Shriner? If you live and or work in reasonable proximity to the Western Suburbs, click here to petition for membership in the West Suburban Shrine Club. There is no maximum radius nor a list of authorised ZIP codes, but we’d like you to be close enough to participate in our dinners or other activities at least once in a while.

When can we look forward to seeing you at West suburban Shrine Club?

For more information on Shriners and a fill-able Medinah membership petition, please click here.

The views expressed on this web site do not reflect those of any body or member of Freemasonry, apart from the West Suburban Shrine Club and/or its Webmaster. Please click here to view our privacy policy.

This site was last updated 10/27/07