OHIO

OHIO - Or As The Cheer Goes “O – HI – O”

We arrived at the San Jose airport for our usual early morning flight only to find that there was some severe weather passing through Chicago, delaying all air traffic for approximately two hours.  We were lucky enough that our connecting flight was also delayed and we finally arrived in Columbus only an hour and a half late.  We were greeted at the airport with big smiles and hugs from Jim and Mary Carolyn Nichelson and the day was back on track.  We were whisked away to the Dublin Marriott where we received a warm welcome from all the State Officers and their spouses and the State President from Michigan, Ron Zimmerman and his wife Jean.  We were also treated to a fabulous steak dinner that the hotel had managed to hold for our late arrival, only one of many superb meals we experienced throughout the weekend.

Friday morning Tom had breakfast with the State President, Dan Beaston as well as other State Officers and then worked throughout the day with the Past State Presidents and the District Deputies and Designates.  Venita attended a wonderful brunch with the wives of the Past State President hosted by the First Lady of Ohio, Mary Beaston.  Dan, Jim and Tom did take a moment for a photo with the ladies.

After brunch, the ladies headed out for a tour of the American Whistle Company which is the only company in the United States that makes metal whistles.  They make several whistles of note, among them the gold whistles for the referees of the Super Bowl.  We were guided through the manufacturing process, including how they get the little cork ball in the whistle after it is made. When the tour was complete, we all received our own whistle as a souvenier.

Upon leaving the American Whistle Company, some of the ladies went to historic downtown Worthington where they wandered the streets and then stopped for ice cream at Graeter’s.  Started in 1870 by the Graeter family in Cincinnati, they have maintained the tradition of making high quality ice cream in small batches to this day.  And Venita did agree that it was some of the creamiest and best ice cream she had ever tasted.

Friday evening, we had a get-together in our suite for the State Officers and wives.  We were presented with unique gifts made in each of the six Districts in the Ohio State Association, including a quilted wall hanging with the “Ohio Star” pattern and an Ohio State Football.  The gifts were all carefully thought out and will be constant reminders of our time with these wonderful Elks.  The evening continued with “Fun Night,” a casual buffet dinner and dance where we had the privilege of meeting many of the dedicated Ohio Elks personally.  We also hooked up with an old friend from Tom’s days on the Government Relations Committee, Marion Owens.  It was a pleasure to see him again.

Saturday morning opened with the business session of the Association where we were treated to a visit by one of the Cerebral Palsy children that received assistance from the Ohio State Major Project, Megan Hoersten and her parents.  Told she would never walk, the family turned to the Elks for assistance and that morning she proudly walked down the center aisle of the meeting along with her parents.  Her rehabilitation was partly due to the donation of a specialized piece of equipment, the LifeGait, to St. Rita’s, a local rehabilitation center in Columbus.  Now, rather than having to travel to Johns Hopkins for her therapy, she was able to stay close to home and receive the same treatment.  During her mother’s thank you speech, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The morning session was followed by the Youth Luncheon where the Ohio Elks presented awards for Hoop Shoot, Scouting and Scholarship to the youth of their state.  It was inspiring to see these young people and witness their achievements.  As Tom told them, “You are our future and we know we will be in good hands.”  Saturday afternoon, Mary Carolyn Nichelson did a presentation on how to apply for ENF Grants.  Her session was well attended and enthusiasm is growing within Ohio for ENF projects.  The evening concluded with a small, casual dinner with the Nichelsons, the Beastons, the Zimmermans, Roger and Julie Crowe and Jeff and Rose Durant.  As we traveled home Sunday morning, Tom and I reflected on this marvelous Association, the wonderful people we met throughout the weekend and the gracious hospitality we experienced.  We both agreed that Elkdom is in good hands in Ohio.  Go Buckeyes!

WEST VIRGINIA

WEST “By God” VIRGINIA – The Mountaineer State

We arrived in Charleston, West Virginia, the state capitol in the late afternoon and were greeted by the familiar faces of PGER Ted Hess, State President Carl Mooney and his wife, Ann, Grand Lodge Judiciary Committeeman Jeff Miller and his wife, Debbie, DDGER Daniel Goheen and his wife, Paulette and Charleston Lodge #202 Exalted Ruler Walter Ice and his wife, Jennifer.  A transportation surprise awaited us as we left the airport – a beautiful Class A motor coach courtesy of Past Grand Esteemed Lecturing Knight, Dick Harris.  We all piled into the coach, sank down into plush leather chairs and thoroughly enjoyed the air-conditioned ride “down the mountain” to the hotel.  That evening, we had a very enjoyable dinner with the Past State Presidents for the West Virginia Elks State Association.

The next morning, we were treated to a tour of the Governor’s Mansion and the State Capitol Building.  The Governor’s Mansion is a beautiful 30-room Georgian structure set on the Capitol grounds.  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it was completed in 1925 and has been the ongoing home for the Governor and First Lady ever since.   What impressed us was the openness of the facility to all the citizens of West Virginia.  Even though the Governor lives there, most of the mansion was available to us for a tour.  You felt like you could sit down in any room, pick up a book and read or converse, just like you were in your own home. What a fabulously decorated and maintained shrine to the people of the state!

Upon exiting the Governor’s Mansion, we strolled across the lawn toward the Capitol building.  In the early days of West Virginia, the capitol moved back and forth between Wheeling and Charleston four times due to fires that destroyed their building.  Both sides adamantly deny any knowledge of what caused the fires in the other city.  The present capitol in Charleston is built of limestone and marble (no more fires) and boasts a 293-foot gold dome, five feet higher than the dome of the U.S. Capitol.  The interior is truly magnificent, with the Rotunda being the centerpiece of the building.  The central chandelier is made of 10,080 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal and weighs 4,000 pounds.  The Senate and House chambers showcase hand-carved black walnut desks for each member and more Check crystal .  West Virginians are justifiably proud of their Capitol Building, open almost every day of the year, and we were told that it is frequently used for weddings, prom and graduation pictures.  It is truly the people’s building and they make every effort to demonstrate that to the citizens.

After leaving the Capitol, the group took a moment to stop and see a quilt exhibit in the foyer of the Culture Center for Venita’s benefit.  The quilts were varied and inspiring and included all manner of quilting.

Friday afternoon, Tom attended the opening business session for the association while Venita joined the ladies for refreshments and the “Thieves Christmas” gift exchange.  Tom met with his DDs and Ted.  That evening, we had a chance to attend the PER dinner at the Charleston Elks Lodge #202.  The members of the Lodge had put a great deal of thought and effort into the decorations and the event and an excellent dinner was had by all.  We felt like we had been out to a fancy supper club for the evening.  Great job, Charleston Elks!

The highlight of the weekend, for us,  came Saturday afternoon when the West Virginia Elks hosted all of their youth scholarship winners to a luncheon and an awards ceremony.  Tom and I had the privilege of sitting with two of the award winners at our table, Timothy Beavers (TJ) and Kristen Chaffins.  We had a great time talking with them and learning about their plans and dreams for the future.  TJ had already completed and published a work on antibiotic sensitive of bacteria in local water supplies (as a high school student) and was off to earn an “honest living” by majoring in political science followed by law school.    Kristen was off to study mechanical engineering and we were impressed by her speech and her focus.  We are in good hands when we turn over this country to these future leaders.  After the lunch, each award winner came up to the dais to receive their scholarship award and then gave a short presentation about their college plans. 

Saturday evening was the closing banquet for the weekend.  We were presented with some lovely remembrances of our time in West Virginia including a West Virginia Elks shirt, a “do rag”, several books about the state, a blown-glass water pitcher and an engraved, framed photo of Tom with Ted Hess.  Tom also received a remembrance of Marshall University “green” in the form of a bottle of bright green Prell hair shampoo.  He commented that with his hair style the shampoo may be the gift that lasts forever.  We are so grateful to all of the West Virginia Elks for everything you all did for us this weekend and we truly appreciate your gracious and overwhelming hospitality.  We look forward to spending some more time in your state in the future – maybe on the motorcycles with the “do-rag” this time!

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY - The Bluegrass State

Kentucky was one of the states that Tom and I had not been to before, so we were very much looking forward to seeing this part of our country.  We were greeted at the airport by State Sponsor, PGER Ted Hess along with the State President Ray Highley and his companion, Nancy Estes and Special Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for Kentucky, Greg Willis.

Kentucky’s fall convention was hosted by Ashland Lodge #350.  As we drove into the parking lot, we were greeted with a sign on their marquis and a wonderful banner on the side of their building welcoming us to their convention and that evening enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner at the lodge.

Friday morning many of the Kentucky Elks treated us to what we believe to be a first in the history of GER travels – a motorcycle ride for the Grand Exalted Ruler and First Lady.  The ER from Ashland Lodge, Jack Brown had arranged for two Harley Davidson motorcycles to be available for our use that day.  (Thanks so much, Jack!)  After a wonderful breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant, we headed out into the beautiful back roads of eastern Kentucky in typical summer weather – warm and muggy.  Our first stop was at the Jesse Stewart Lodge in Greenbo Lake State Park. 

While we were there, PGER Ted Hess thought he might try out the back seat of Tom’s motorcycle, but decided to continue on in the comfort of an air-conditioned, 4-wheel vehicle. 

Our second stop was the Oldtown Covered Bridge built around 1880.  Since the road was narrow here, the leaders decided they would just ride out through a field to make the turnaround.  So we dutifully followed, all the time thinking “This is not my bike!  Please don’t drop it, please don’t drop it!”

Our last stop for the day was the Rock Springs Winery outside Grayson, Kentucky.  This beautiful winery is one of the first in the area since it is located in what used to be a dry county.  We were greeted by Dr. John and Sue Bond, the proprietors who provided us with a wonderful lunch and an educational wine tasting experience.  We all enjoyed sitting out on the patio, relaxing and enjoying the panoramic view of the countryside.  Was that thunder?

Our run back to Ashland was done in "less than ideal" weather, but not anything that we have not previously experienced in our days of riding. After a quick sprint down the hill from the winery, we pulled over under the relative protection of a gas station to wait out some of the more torrential downpours.  At that point, I learned a new weather term.  One of the ladies told me this was a “frog strangling rain!”  We will be sure to use that technical description during our rainy season in California.

Once things let up a little, we continued on with various groups breaking off to go to their hotels and we arrived back at the Ashland Lodge safe and sound.  By the evening, we had emptied out our boots, wrung out our clothes and were back at the Lodge for the Past State Presidents’ reception and dinner with a grin from ear to ear on our faces.  What a great day!

Saturday morning, started with the Business meeting of the Kentucky State Elks Association.  Tom was presented with a “Key to the City” from Ashland Mayor, Thomas E. Kelley and a certificate proclaiming August 4^th as “Thomas S. Brazier, Grand Exalted Ruler” day in the city of Ashland.  We were also privileged to hear from the young man who represented Kentucky at the Elks National Hoop Shoot in the age 12-13 bracket, Nick Woolridge.  One of the other highlights of the morning was the Kentucky State Major Project, Kids with Cancer.  The Association presented checks to the directors of the two children’s camps, Camp Quality and Camp Indian Summer to assist with their ongoing programs in the state.  One of their goals this year is to institute a “siblings” camp where they can begin to address the needs of the entire family of a child with cancer.  After the meeting, Venita attended a lunch and ENF/Major Project auction sponsored by the Kentucky State Ladies Auxiliary while Tom held a session with his Kentucky District Deputies.

Saturday evening was the President’s Reception and Dinner at the lodge.  It was a wonderful celebratory evening enjoyed by all.  In a very generous gesture, the Kentucky Elks provided us with framed certificates from the Governor of Kentucky appointing us as official “Kentucky Colonels.”  We hear that entitles us to attend a special party during the Kentucky Derby!  

Congratulations are in order to the officers and members of the Ashland Elks Lodge #350 for all of the hard work and dedication they put in to making the weekend a success.   It is not an easy task to host a state convention, but they made everyone feel welcome and made the weekend a memorable event.

Finally, our sincere appreciation goes to Kentucky State Sponsor, PGER Ted Hess, State President, Ray Highley and Nancy Estes and Special Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Greg Willis and his lady, Geri for their gracious hospitality and for putting on such a great convention.  It is a trip that will be a wonderful memory for years to come.