Mizpah Shrine Units & Clubs

Shrine Units


Mizpah Shrine Chanters
Duane Targgart, PP, President
 
The Chanters are one of the most visible groups within the Shrine.  This choral group puts on over 30 performances each year.  They love to get out and perform.  

Directors
Marcus Hardiek, President
 
The Directors are the group responsible for the new candidates as they join the Shrine. They help organize the members and prepare them for the Shrine Ceremonial.  They handle the stage, lighting, sound, and all of the other aspects of the ceremonial. They are an integral part of the degree work that the Shrine puts on for the candidates. The Directors Staff also has a presence in the parades as they are the gentlemen with the dressed up golf carts.  

Mizpah Horse Patrol
Curtis Winebrenner, President
John VanVoorst, Captain
The Horse Patrol is one of the finest Shrine horse patrols in all of America. This unit has captured numerous GLSA titles and has performed in the Rose Bowl, and numerous other national parades. They have also been the sponsoring group for the Mizpah Shrine Horse Show. They perform a drill routine for competition and also put on a beautiful flag routine. When you see the palominos coming in the parades, you are watching one of Shrinedom's best. This unit also hosts the Annual Buckle Bash in September which is a rodeo.

Service Units

Antique Power Club
Frank Johnson, President
 
The Antique Power Unit is one of our most active units. You can't miss them in the parades as they drive down the street on their antique tractors. The club also includes members interested in old engines, particularly the hit and miss engines. This unit hits many local parades as well as the Shrine parades. They host an annual Antique Power Show in Columbia City each year in June. During the show they have a tractor drive, an auction, and an antique tractor pull.  

Clowns
Joseph DeJarnett, President
 
The clowns need little explanation as to their function. This group keeps busy throughout the year performing for many groups and organizations.  Their biggest joy comes from entertaining the children during the circus. You will see them all over the Coliseum entertaining young and old alike. They do enjoy putting on the grease paint and doing their thing.

Flying Shriners
Greg Colelli, President
 
The Flying Shriners have been an active part of Mizpah for several years. They were the original hosts of the Annual Fly-In Breakfast. This has since become a Mizpah function. If you are a pilot or have an interest in flight, they will be glad to include you in their membership.  

Grillmaster's
Phil Wade – President
 
The "Grillmaster’s" are a group who loves to grill/smoke and enjoy the comradery while enjoying all the wonderful smells of life! We are a very fun and relaxed group. We share our recipes and cooking experiences with each other, while learning the art of grilling. Our love for cooking is an enjoyment worth experiencing! We are continuing to expand our expertise in grilling for different events and venues. We also include our families in our cooking experiences, taking the average back yard cooking experience to a new and exciting level. We meet every third Wednesday at 7:00 PM, sometimes at the Temple and sometimes we take field trips to locale establishments to experience and learn about different cuisine.

Hillbilly Clan #95
Nate Moyer, Rabban of the Clan
 
The Johnny Appleseed Hillbilly clan is one of the newest units in Mizpah. Affiliated with the national Hillbillies, this unit is dedicated to having fun and making funds for the hospitals. They have a national convention every year in different parts of the country. This unit hosts an annual Chili Supper at the Horse Grounds in Columbia City every year. They also have available the Poor George Calendars.  

Hospital Unit
Jeffrey Baumgardner, PP, President
 
The Hospital Unit is the group most responsible for transporting children to and from the hospital. Most of the van drivers are a part of this unit. Their focus is the transportation of the children.  

Khyber Gun Club
Jack Dever, President
 
The Khyber Gun Club is a unit comprised of shooting enthusiasts. They meet and practice shooting throughout the year. They do have a trap shoot set up at the Columbia City Horse Grounds and help entertain the Nobles during the fall supper held at the Horse Grounds.  

Legion of Honor
Roger Swisher Sr., Commander
 
The Legion of Honor consists of those Nobles who have served the United States in its Armed Services. Membership is predicated on being an active member or holding an Honorable Discharge. They are active members of local and Shrine parades.  

Mizpah Shiners - CoHo
Sam Winebrenner, President
 
The Mizpah Shiners is the local unit that handles all of the arrangements for the GLSA Salmon Derby held in Michigan City every year. They organize the boats, captains, handle housing, banquets, prizes, weighing in fish, and all other aspects of the Salmon Derby. The Derby has made over $300,000 worth of donations to Shriners' Hospitals for Children.  

Mizpah Car Club
Dan L. Smith, President
 
The Mizpah Car Club has been a staple of Shrine and local parades for years. If you have a classic car or an interest in cars and want to join them they will be happy to include you in the group. This unit hosts an annual car show in the early summer each year with lots of prizes.  

Racing Shriners
Steve Steven R. McNally Jr., President
 
The Racing Shriners (Little 500) love to parade. This group can be found in the parade lineups by listening for the squalling tires. They love the tight turns. Most of them replace tires every two years because the others have no tread left.  

Radio Unit
Erik Stirratt, President
 
The Mizpah Radio Unit is a group promoting the use of wireless communications for the benefit of Mizpah. Our mission is to offer communication capabilities to Mizpah Units/Clubs and Shrine philanthropies. Unit is here to serve area communities, by providing public service communications, (emergency or domestic) when asked by government or private authorities (i.e. Home-Land-Security/EMA, Law Enforcement, etc).  

Steel Riders
Richard Rohr, President
 
The Steel Riders Club are a group of nobels that like to ride motorcycles. They are our newest club in Mizpah.  

YOSHI
Mark Baker, President
The YOSHI is one of the groups within Mizpah. The Young Shriners consist of members young and young-at-heart. This active group is responsible for our Children's activities including the Easter Party, the Kids' Fishing Derby, and the Childrens' Christmas Party. They host Cocktail Tasting the first weekend in March every year. They are one of the most active units within the Shrine.

Club Units

Adams County Calliopers
John M. Grimm, President
 
Adams County is the home of the Calliope. The Calliope makes several Shrine and local parades throughout the year.  

Eel River Shrine Club
Jeff A. Hire, President
 
Eel River Shrine Club is based in the North Manchester area.  This group makes a substantial donation every year to help the Shrine and the Hospitals.  

Elkhart Shrine Club
Arthur Kentgen, Secretary
 
The Elkhart Shrine Club is one of the most active clubs within Mizpah. They host several social and fundraising activities throughout the year.  

Hapzim Shrine Club
John Jackson, President
Hapzim Shrine Club is based in Huntington County. The members of this club are very active within Mizpah and the many units and clubs at the Shrine Center. Many of them are a part of the Racing Shriners. The Racing Shriners have Indy car style go carts that are a crowd favorite wherever they go.

Kosciusko Shrine Club
Todd Speicher, President
 
The Kosciusko Club is one of the largest of the county clubs. They help park cars at the county fair, have a annual Turkey Shoot, and bring almost 1500 children to the Mizpah Circus each year. This club also helps host an annual Christmas Party for underprivileged children.  

Lagrange Shrine Club
Andrew P. Marshall, President
 
The Lagrange club covers one of the northern territories of Mizpah. They keep busy with trips to and from the hospitals. One of our six Mizpah vans is housed within their boundaries and it makes several trips each month. They work very closely with the Amish population that has a large presence within the area.  

Mizmur Shrine Club (Grant County)
David Pyle, President
 
The Mizmur Club includes those Nobles in and around Grant County. The club shares a van with Blackford and helps make trips to the hospitals with the children. They also help transport children from Wabash County.

Pokagon Shrine Club
John J. Tchinski Jr., Secretary
 
The Pokagon club is based in Angola and includes all of Steuben County. They are one of the larger groups bringing children to the Shrine Circus. The club is proud of the Pokagon Princess and have been active in getting the Princess into the Shrine and other local parades. This club is also the home club of many Past Potentates.

Wabash County Shrine Club
Lawrence E. Smith, President
 
The Wabash County Shrine Club is  the main force behind the GLSA Salmon Derby. Many of the active members of the Shiners hail from Wabash County. This club has been one of the strongest county clubs throughout the years and still maintains that standing.  

Whitley County Giant Fez
William Auer, President
 
The Whitley County Club is one of the most active groups within Mizpah. They have a traveling elephant ear trailer that makes the rounds at many of the local fairs in the summer. They are also sponsors of the Giant Fez. This group participates in all of the local parades and the Shrine parades.