NORTH DAKOTA

NORTH DAKOTA

 Our visitation to North Dakota started in the capitol city of Bismarck.  We were greeted at the airport by State Sponsor, PGER Jack Traynor as well as Convention Coordinator Carey Backstrand, State President-Elect Pat Hatlestad and his wife, Durrel, Trustee Larry Larson and his wife, Phyllis, Steve Davis, Grand Lodge Activities Committee, Roger Haut, President of the NDEA Past Presidents Association and State Vice President Frank DeBolt and his wife, Ada.

After checking into our hotel and a short walk around downtown Bismarck, Larry and Phyllis Larson escorted us to the Bismarck-Mandan Elks Lodge #1199.  This lodge is the largest in the United States, with over 4,600 members at this time.  They have a beautiful facility that provides a variety of services for its members.  We were treated to a wonderful steak dinner in their main dining room, which was full of members and their guests.

The next morning, we took a moment to stop at the North Dakota State Capitol, one of the few capitol buildings in the United States that is not dome-shaped.  Their grounds are beautiful, and the lawn that leads to the capitol building itself is used throughout the summer for recreational picnics and impromptu Frisbee and touch football games.

Our next stop on Friday morning was the major project for North Dakota Elks, Camp Grassick.  Located just outside Dawson, North Dakota on Lake Isabel, Camp Grassick serves children and adults with special needs.  Camp Grassick holds six sessions throughout the summer, ranging from a three-week Therapy Camp to a focused “Techno Camp” where children who are very involved with their disabilities are given more one-on-one assistance with their daily living skills and have a chance to use technology to enhance their interactions with others.  We were told about one young lady who was struggling to learn to cut her pancake at breakfast.  The last day of camp, she was trying to cut her pancake and was heard to say, “I can’t, I can’t, I’m doing it, I’m doing it, I did it!”  As the counselors said, that’s what keeps you inspired to work with these special people.  Before the summer is finished, they will provide approximately 130 children and 80 adults with a camp experience where they are on equal footing with their peers.

The camp Director, Dan Mimnaugh, has been with the camp for 40 years and is passionate about what he does.  The children clearly adore him and we thought “Saint Dan” would be a more appropriate title for him.  When we arrived, the camp was just completing its third of six sessions that it holds throughout the summer, the three-week Therapy Camp. Even though the children were preparing to go home that day, they were excited to see us and made sure we felt welcomed.  One 9-year-old young lady, Chloe, took it upon herself to be our official “tour guide” and did an excellent job of showing us around her camp.  Of special note were the Therapy Labs including reading, speech and occupational.  Once our tour was complete, we were treated to lunch with the counselors in the main dining hall.  This was a morning we will not soon forget.

After leaving Camp Grassick, we proceeded to Fargo, where we checked into our hotel and then headed for the Fargo Elks Lodge #260.  We were greeted by State President Beverley Koshney and enjoyed dinner with the North Dakota Elks Association Past Presidents.

The next morning, we were escorted to the lodge by David Bailly, current member of the Grand Lodge Committee on Judiciary.  Tom attended the Association business meeting at the Fargo Lodge during the morning and Venita attended the Ladies Luncheon at The Fine Arts Club of Fargo, a local women’s organization with over 100 years dedicated to philanthropy, education, cultural enrichment and community service.

We wanted to thank State Sponsor Jack Traynor and his wife, Jane as well as Larry and Phyllis Larson and David and Jan Bailly for their gracious hospitality and wonderful escort services while we were in North Dakota.

MONTEREY LODGE - 100th ANNIVERSARY

MONTEREY ELKS LODGE #1285 – 100TH ANNIVERSARY

 One of the greatest achievements of an Elks Lodge is to celebrate a 100^th Anniversary.  We had the privilege to attend that celebration this weekend at Monterey Lodge #1285 in Monterey, California.  What made it even more special is this is Venita’s home lodge where she is a Past Exalted Ruler.

Monterey Lodge was instituted in downtown Monterey at the old Hotel Del Monte on July 24, 1912.  Under the leadership of their first Exalted Ruler, William H. McConnel, the Lodge began its long and fruitful participation in community affairs and its outstanding charitable programs.  They built their own building downtown in 1916 and held their meetings there until after World War II.  In 1952, Exalted Ruler Murray Vout purchased the current land parcel with his own money and the first shovel of dirt was turned in 1962.  The Lodge continues in that location to this day and has boasted an increase in membership for the past 14 years, with a current membership of over 800.

The Anniversary festivities started Friday evening, July 20^th with a cocktail party for the local mayors, members of congress and dignitaries from throughout the community.  The officers from Monterey Lodge were also there, as well as many other members from the West Central District and beyond. 

Saturday evening began with drinks and appetizers with 160 guests in attendance.   Several Past Association Presidents from the California-Hawaii Elks Association were there, as well as a group of eleven who joined us from the San Francisco Elks Lodge #3.  After dinner, our current DDGER, Dr. Carroll “Bud” Hall from Monterey Lodge gave a brief presentation about the history of the Lodge with special recognition to Venita’s mother, Laura Helgeson, who is not only a member of the lodge, but was born only two year after the lodge was instituted.  Tom then spoke about the significance of achieving 100 years as a lodge and their impact on the community over the years.  He thanked the committee who had worked so hard to plan the event, and gave a special toast to PER Kitty Tufford who chaired the committee until her passing last year.  Tom then presented the 100^th Anniversary plaque to Exalted Ruler William “Beau” Finklang and congratulated the lodge on this significant milestone.

This was a wonderful weekend with many good friends.  We want to thank Monterey Lodge for their gracious hospitality and for making us feel so special.  Congratulations, Monterey Lodge, and may your next 100 years be as successful and prosperous as your first!

FAMILY PHOTO - Grand Lodge

The Family

We just saw this neat photo of the family, taken in Austin.  Venita, me and granddaughter Alice are seated with Mom Helgeson.  Standing are son Scott, daughter-in-law Moira, daughter Randi with grandson Harry ("The Tank") and grandson Patrick.  Our son-in-law, Erick, was unable to attend.  We are blessed with a great family.

MONTANA

MONTANA - First Visitation

It was the first state visit.  And what a visit it was!  We arrived in Great Falls, Montana on Thursday, July 12^th and were greeted at the airport by many of the officers of the Montana State Elks Association, including Bob and Julie Hilliard, Bob and Candy Stephens, Steve and Denise Riggins, Jake and Hallie Jacobs, Marcus Burnham and Nancy Anderson, Dennis and Karen Cooper, John Stewart, Gene Murray and the Montana state sponsor, PGER Jack Traynor.  We were also greeted by unseasonably warm weather in the mid-90s.

Jack Traynor, Tom and Venita

As we exited baggage claim, we received ur first of many surprises for the weekend.  Our transportation to the hotel was a mint condition 1935 Packard Touring Car.  What a beautiful piece of machinery!  Tom remembered learning to drive on a similar car when he was growing up.  And as the doors closed with a solid sound of quality, our first visitation began.

President Bob Hilliard

Thursday evening we had dinner with the Past State Presidents of the MSEA at the Meadow Lark Country Club on the banks of the Missouri River.  It was a beautiful venue and we enjoyed having time to talk with the leadership of the Association in this intimate setting.

Friday morning began early with the State Presidents' breakfast.  Tom attended the business sessions for MSEA while Venita had a chance to spend time with the ladies over morning refreshments and then lunch.  Svend Larsen presented Venita with a handcrafted Norwegian "Bentwood Box", a very special gift for her since her family heritage is Norwegian.  During the afternoon, the ladies took a walk through downtown with stops at a local tea shop and a quilt store.  Tom had a chance to visit the Lewis & Clerk National Historic Trail Interpretive Center as well as one of the water falls on the Missouri River that gives Great Falls its name.  It is here that Lewis & Clark had to port their boats and goods around the falls on their journey up the Missouri, a significant feat in any day.

Friday evening was the awards dinner for the Association, including special awards for ENF contribution achievement.  Tom had the privilege of presenting these awards to the winning lodges, including the GER Per-Capita Award.  The Association presented Tom with a beautiful handcrafted gavel to use during his year.  They also presented us with a framed print of the famous painting by Charles M. Russell, "The Exalted Ruler", as well as a handmade stone plaque bearing his name, year, motto and an elk scene.  (See more about Charlie Russell below.) 

There were some interesting numbers regarding their charity.  Sidney Lodge #1782 was the highest per-capita ENF Lodge in the state, with Lewistown #456 and Bitterroot Valley  #1651 right behind!  Way to go Montana!  We found that Montana had contributed $4,500 to provide nine children from Montana with a week at Camp "Make a Dream", an oncology camp for children.  They provided $20,830 in grants to local rural hospitals for the purchase of equipment.  And their annual statistics for 2011 showed cash contribution of $340,000 and non-cash contributions of $578,000 for a whopping total of $918,000.  Some believe that a bad economy makes it difficult to raise charitable funds.  Montanans don't think so.

Saturday continued with the business meetings of the Association.  The ladies took Venita to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center after breakfast and then all reconvened at the Great Falls Lodge #214 for lunch and the installation of the new Association officers for 2012-2013. During the afternoon, we were treated to a tour of the C. M. Russell Museum. 

Charlie Russell was called "The Cowboy Artist" and lived from 1864-1926.  He was a prolific artist in watercolor and oil and based his work on Western history and his own experience, including cowboys, Plains Indians and wildlife.  Part of the Museum also includes the home that he and his family lived in as well as his log cabin studio.  It was an amazing exhibit and one we will not soon forget.

Saturday evening, all relaxed and celebrated with a casual dinner at the Lodge to conclude the weekend.  We headed home early Sunday morning, thoroughly spoiled by the Montana Elks and marveling at this wonderful journey we have undertaken.

2012 GRAND LODGE

GRAND LODGE CONVENTION - Austin, TX

We arrived in Austin on June 26^th to fulfill our final obligations for the Grand Forum and to attend the 148^th session of the Grand Lodge. During the first week, Tom had meetings with the Advisory Committee and his Grand Lodge Committeemen for the fraternal year 2012-2013. Venita attended Penny Carr's luncheon for the wives of the Advisory Committee and managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing as well.

On Friday and Saturday, our family and friends arrived and the fun started. Opening Session took place on Sunday afternoon with all in attendance. It was the first time our family and friends had attended an opening of the Grand Lodge and they were all impressed with the ceremony.

Monday morning was the nomination, election and rally. Long time friend, Grand Trustee Anthony Mauro did a wonderful nomination followed by a very personal seconding speech from our motorcycle buddy from Arizona, Mike Weishan. Our rally chairman, PER Michele Wilson and her assistant, PER Bill Cassidy, both from San Jose Lodge #522 did an absolutely amazing job of organizing and implementing our rally. Michele's attention to detail was evident. The balloon drop, the throws, the participation by all of Area 7 (and some from beyond) was impressive, to say the least. Tom delivered his acceptance speech and many Elks throughout the balance of the week commented on how much his thoughts struck a chord with them.

Monday evening was the Area 7 Pacific Southwest Buffet. We were privileged to shake hands and visit with a great number of our area Elks as well as others from the Order who were in attendance. Our two hour event actually ran closer to three hours before we finished. We then made a visit to the New England dinner.

On Tuesday, Tom was involved in meetings throughout the day followed by visitations to the Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, West Virginia/Pennsylvania and New Jersey dinners. Wednesday evening we attended the Exalted Ruler's Ball, where we visited with the ERs from throughout the United States, signed cards, had pictures taken and raised $2,260 for the Elks Disaster Relief fund.

Thursday was the installation ceremony for the incoming Grand Lodge officers. It was beautiful, as always. We will say, however, that it takes on a whole new perspective when you are the one being installed versus viewing it from the audience. That evening we had the pleasure of visiting with and saying thank you to the volunteers who made the entire convention run smoothly. It was a privilege to have been associated with all of them.

All that being said, we had a wonderful convention, one for the memory books. And now we are on our way.