Order of the Skink, and the first ever Skink Lodge, was established in 1872 in Gimli, Manitoba. While the skink was not the founders' preferred namesake, upon submitting their articles of incorporation, they found that all other animal names had been taken.
As time went on, members of The Order grew to love and emulate their reptilian mascot. The motto of The Order of the Skink is "Cold Blooded, Warm Hearted," and all members must live by the "Five Stripes of the Skink" — Honesty, Dignity, Loyalty, Integrity, and Charity.
in 1955, The St. Catharines Lodge is located at the base of the Escarpment. At the time of its founding, all Skink Lodges were required to be built "under a rock," though the interpretation of this stipulation was left to each individual lodge.
While membership peaked in the mid-1960s, the Skink Lodge and its members remain as active as ever.
operates as a gathering place for its membership, and when not in use, can be rented for community events. At the Lodge, Skinks can take part in weekly bingo nights, chartered bus trips to local entertainment and sporting events, and fish fries in the summer months.
It wouldn’t be summer in the Garden City without a huge plate of deep-fried catfish with all the fixins, and the Annual Summer Catfish Fry is a huge revenue generator for the Lodge.
The 1980 Catfish Fry is particularly notable, as it’s rumoured that then-mayor Roy Adams ate 12 plates of catfish at the event. Unfortunately, no first-hand accounts have ever been confirmed.
Check out all of my Hidden St. Catharines research in person. Visit the Flea Market Gallery at the St. Catharines Factory Outlet Flea Market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from April 21 to July 21, 2024.
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