Shriners and an International Celebrity

There are 19 orthopaedic Shriners Hospitals to help children with problems of the bones, joints or muscles. There are also 3 Shriners institutes for children who have been seriously burned or need reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation as a result of burn injuries. There is never a charge for any care or services provided by Shriners Hospitals. Income for Shriners Hospitals is provided by gifts, bequests, contributions and charitable fund-raising events administered by Shriners.

Mount Pleasant is the home of the OMAR Shrine Temple. It encompasses the area from Beaufort to Myrtle Beach, the Eastern portion of South Carolina. Columbia is the home for the JAMIL Shrine Temple. There are many individual units contained within the OMAR Shrine. Most can be seen performing during Shrine parades and other parades; such as the area Christmas parades and the Festival parades held in various communities during the year. Units include the Peddlers (ride bicycles), Berkeley Shrine club (ride a float), Prowlers (drive go-carts that resemble the purple Chrysler Prowler), Morticians (dress as morticians and ride in a Hearse), Clowns (clowns) and several others. I am a member of the Hillbillys, Clan 82 Outhouse #1. We drive antique vehicles. Most are just old. I have a '46 Chevy pickup. Other members have Model-Ts and Model-As.

I serve as the "Guardian of the Still" (treasurer). My wife, Faye, is the President of the Hillbilly Mamas (wives and girlfriends of Hillbillys).

This year an International Hillbilly Convention was held in Mount Pleasant, SC. The convention is held annually and includes Hillbillys from the U.S. and Canada. A competition was held to choose an International Hillbilly Queen. There were 22 contestants this time around and they had to dress-up, dance and answer questions pertaining to Hillbillys. Faye's question was "What is your favorite recipe for opossum pie?" Faye won the competition and is now the '98-'99 INTERNATIONAL HILLBILLY QUEEN. She will have to tour in order to represent the Hillbilly Mamas (as long as we pay for the travel). The next convention is to be held in Sarasota, Florida.

The only other Shriner and Hillbilly at XXXX is XXX XXXXX. He is in the XX group. He has been in the Hillbillys longer than I have.

To become a Hillbilly, you must become a Shriner. To become a Shriner, you must become a Scottish Rite or York Rite. To become a Scottish Rite or York Rite, you must become a Mason. To become a Mason . . . (I can't tell you; it's a secret.)

We enjoy being in the Shriners and work hard all year. If you see me, I will usually have tickets for a raffle of a vehicle -- car, truck or motorcycle. The money goes to support the OMAR Shrine temple.

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