CHICAGO, May 22 -- On this first day of the 2009 International Convention in Chicago, and the day before Commencement Exercises for the Mooseheart High School Class of 2009, the Chicago Tribune--the Midwest's leading daily newspaper--ran a full-page story spotlighting two of Saturday's 25 graduates from the Class of 2009, Heather Hensley of Arkansas and Kimbery Phillips of Texas.  Enjoy this fascinating story either on the Tribune's website or on this PDF from the print edition. 

Nearly 5,000 members of the Loyal Order of Moose and the Women of the Moose have converged on both the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel for registration and to gather information during the first day of departmental displays.  Roughly 2,000 attended the 2 p.m. Mooseheart Fifth and Eighth Grade Promotion Exercises in the Sheraton Chicago Ballroom. 

The entire Convention attendance was expected to attend this evening's Joint Grand Opening session in the same ballroom begining at 8 p.m.

Nearly 4,000 are expected to make the one-hour drive west on Saturday morning, May 23 to the 1,000-acre Mooseheart campus; they will pack the Fieldhouse for the 9 a.m. High School Commencement Exercises.  Also scheduled for Saturday at Mooseheart is the 11 a.m. meeting of the College of Regents of the Women of the Moose, and the 11:30 a.m. parade of Pilgrim candidates into the House of God for the 12 noon conferral of the Pilgrim Degree of Merit.