Millennials are making the Masons more relevant, and with that there is a rechartering of a masonic youth
organization for boys.
The Order of the DeMolay meets twice a month in Bowling Green, providing fellowship, fraternity and fun
for boys ages 12-21. The meetings are held in the Masonic Lodge, 159 N. Main St. 
An open house for the DeMolay chapter will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the lodge, 159 N. Main St.
“It’s a way for young men to learn leadership skills they may not get in other places. Hopefully, it will
help them the rest of their life,” said Jeremy Sharninghouse, one of the organizers of the Bowling Green
DeMolay chapter and a member of the Wood County Masonic Lodge.
Masonic groups across the country did take a hit recently as many veterans died and Generation X showed
little interest in clubs, he said. But there’s been a revival with the Millennials.
“There is a renewed life in the Masonic Lodge,” said Antonn Smeltzer, a lodge member who is also helping
to re-start the Bowling Green DeMolay chapter.
DeMolay dates back to the 1930s in Bowling Green, but died off in the early 1990s, Sharninghouse said.
There are 17 active chapters in Ohio, and 580 members.
They have appealed to schools, churches and scouts, looking for DeMolay members. Like the Masonic, the
only requirement for membership is a belief in a supreme being.
As they get organized, the boys will decide what they want to do, Sharninghouse said, with guidance from
advisers. They may play paintball or pick up trash in a community, he said. They will also elect
officers, learn about public speaking and build relationships.
Restarting DeMolay, Smeltzer said, is a good fit for today’s society. There’s a big push to give boys an
example of “non-toxic masculinity,” he said.
“It’s really in the forefront right now, what being a good man is all about,” Smeltzer said.
The Masonic Lodge is a group for men over age 19. The only requirement is to have a belief in a higher
power. At the meetings, there are no political or religious discussions.
The Bowling Green group has about 150 members, with 25 regulars, Smeltzer said.
The men and boys try to better themselves, then the community, nation and world, Smeltzer said.
“We’re all here for a reason and we’re all wonderful, magical people, all worthy of love,” he said.
Most of the lodges were formed after World War II, when men returning home wanted camaraderie and a
purpose, Smeltzer said. The Bowling Green club was formed in 1843.
Sharninghouse said the clubs are being revived by Millennials, who are seeking the same connections after
college or high school.
“They want people,” he said.
Smeltzer, who is also a member of the Rotary and Exchange clubs in Bowling Green, was one of those
looking for fellowship after college. He joined the Masons in 2013 after being in a fraternity at
Bowling Green State University and missing the brotherhood and rituals.
When Smeltzer posted about his Masonic membership on Facebook, one of his relatives told him that his
great-grandfather had been a mason. Smeltzer was given a box of memorabilia, including a gavel and
apron.
“It was really amazing to have that connection to history that I didn’t know about,” he said.
The Masons do “a ton of philanthropy,” Sharninghouse said, including supporting Special Olympics. Another
of its purposes is to look after widows and children.
There are some theatrics, Smeltzer said, with initiations. But it’s all part of the tradition.
Some well-known Masons include George Washington, Ben Franklin, Buzz Aldrin, Brad Paisley and Ernest
Borgnine.
Smeltzer owns a financial planning business and is also a wedding and funeral officiant. He and his wife,
Jodie, have a 3-year-old and live in Bowling Green.
Sharninghouse resides in North Baltimore with his wife, Robyn, and their 5-year-old. His full-time job is
with the Scottish Rite in Maumee as executive secretary.
“It’s a dream job. I get to work for the fraternity everyday,” he said.
More about DeMolay
DeMolay International is the world’s largest youth leadership organization for young men aged 12-21.
Specifically, its program is designed to provide a good, safe, moral environment to young men while
teaching leadership skills.
In 1919, while employed by one of the Masonic Bodies in Kansas City, Missouri, Frank Sherman Land hired
teenager Louis Lower to perform odd jobs around the building. Land found out that Lower’s father had
died in a hunting accident and that Lower missed having the guidance a father would provide. Considering
this was right at the close of World War I, Land assumed that other young men within the community would
also have lost their father-figures and would need some sort of support.
Land suggested that Lower invite some of his friends together to discuss starting a club. Lower brought
eight of his friends to a meeting. The Order of DeMolay was born. Within three years, chapters had been
established in 39 of the then 48 states.