Submitted Photo This statue is being commemorated on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Minot Masonic Center.

The Minot Masonic Center, located at 2524 E. Burdick Expressway, will hold a Statue Dedication Ceremony on Saturday at 1 p.m. Minot president and Noble of the KEM Shriners – Minot Shrine Club, John Young, will be conducting the ceremony.

A pancake breakfast will precede the ceremony from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The pancake breakfast fundraiser is being hosted by the Acacia Lodge of Prince Hall Masons, is open to the public and is a cash only event.

Freemasonry is a fraternal order, deeply rooted in facilitating programs and services to make life better for masons, their families and their communities, continuing to uphold their motto “Making good men better.” Young said the Shrine Club is an appendant organization of the Masons. To be a Shriner you must first be a member of the Masons.

Over a year ago the KEM Shrine in Grand Forks was looking to replace its statue, which had been damaged. The crutches were sheared off and the statue of a Shriner carrying a child had been worn by the weather. Young said the Minot Shrine Club was given what remained of that statue.

Noble Marcus Darty of Minot repaired the statue, coated it and resealed it against the weather. After a pedestal was built by a contractor, Darty and his crew erected and secured the statue to its current state.

The statue is a depiction of Shriner Al Hortman carrying a Shrine Hospital patient named Bobbi Jo Wright. Young said the little girl who was the inspiration for the statue is quoted as saying, “I have many wonderful memories of the years I was a patient at the St. Louis Shriners Hospital and remember all the fun activities. I was born with cerebral palsy, which resulted in many orthopedic problems that made walking difficult. I had many surgeries at the St. Louis Hospital. They greatly improved my ability to walk.”

“This year we Shriners celebrate the opening of the first Shrine Hospital for Children 100 years ago, back in 1922. This pediatric healthcare system under our guidance and funded by our philanthropy has developed a reputation for finding answers and giving families hope,” Young said.

Young said Saturday’s program will include a speech, after which the regional head of the Shrine organization will dedicate the statue and the Minot Chamber of Commerce/EDC will follow up with a ribbon cutting.