MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN - Herr and Frau for the Weekend, October 18-21

 

Our Thursday morning travel to Saginaw, Michigan was uneventful and we arrived to the smiling faces of the Michigan Elks.  We were pleased to see PGER and State Sponsor Jim Varenhorst again who had been unable to attend our installation in Austin.  We were also greeted by State President Ron Zimmerman and First Lady Jean.  Our long-time friends from the Committee on Judiciary, Jim and Tina Deamud were there beaming as were we.  Long time friends Grand Trustee Eric Mulholland and Barbara were there too.  We then turned to find a large welcome banner held by the rest of the Michigan Elks who had come to greet us, First Vice President George and Shelley Sermon, Second Vice President Chris and Loretta Ferguson and Public Relations Chairman Mary and Dean Reid.

After a short drive from the airport, we arrived at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.  The town of Frankenmuth is a notable Michigan tourist destination boasting a German heritage and the Bavarian theme is prevalent throughout the area.  After checking into our room, we joined Ron and Jean for a social hour in their hospitality suite prior to heading for Sullivan's Steak House for dinner to finish the evening.

Friday morning, Tom attended the Advisory meetings followed by lunch.  In the afternoon, he attended the working session of the Michigan Elks Gold Key Charitable Grant Fund.  This fund is designed to provide post-secondary education scholarships for special needs students.  It started as two friends put $100 each into a fund and began soliciting private donations that lead tothe $300,000 program it is today.  Great work! Tom was very impressed with the program and congratulated the Michigan Elks on their significant work in this area.  Meanwhile, Venita attended a ladies coffee in the hospitality suite where she visited with the ladies and shared her pin.  Much to her delight, Venita was presented with a denim shirt embroidered with a picture of her 2007 Harley Sportster.  After coffee, several of the ladies took Venita to Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store.  Started in 1945, their facility holds over 50,000 ornaments and is the size of one and a half football fields.  Needless to say, Venita was in seventh heaven and did support the local economy.

Friday evening, we attended a dinner with the Michigan Past State Presidents.  Judy Zehnder, one of the third generation owners of the Bavarian Inn, spoke to us before dinner about their family and the history of the Inn.  She was a funny and gracious hostess and we enjoyed her very much.  The buffet dinner included some of the best fried chicken we have ever had.  We came to find out that apparently it is their specialty.  After dinner, we visited the Michigan hospitality suite to meet and talk with the members who had arrived that day.

Saturday morning, Tom attended the opening business session for the State Association.  Venita went to the Ladies Brunch and thanked the attendees for all of their support of the Elks and encouraging them to join as members whenever possible.  One of the special guests at the brunch was a young lady named Brooke who was sponsored to camp through the Michigan Elks Major Project and then went on to receive a scholarship through the Gold Key Charitable Grant Fund mentioned above.

After brunch, several of the ladies took Venita to downtown Frankenmuth where they visited a local fudge shop, a cheese factory, the woolen mill and a local quilt shop.  After finishing their shopping, they took an afternoon break at a lovely local tea house, enjoying not only tea, cider and hot chocolate but delicious cookies and desserts.

Saturday evening was the closing banquet for the Fall Convention.  Judy Zehnder spoke to the group again and we had the privilege of meeting her mother, Dorothy, 91-years-young still working six days a week running the kitchen at the Inn.  The tradition of excellent food continued and everyone had a great time. The Association presented Tom with a denim shirt to match Venita's, only his was done with a replica of his BMW R1150RT. They also presented us with a beautiful Waterford crystal clock which will occupy a place of honor in Tom's office. After dinner, we stayed for photos, signed cards and gave out pins. All together, the Michigan Elks donated $1,100 to the Disaster Relief Fund throughout the weekend.

Sunday morning we met Jim, Tina, Cassie, George, Shelly, Chris and Loretta for breakfast. After checking out, we took a tour of the Michigan’s own Military and Space Museum.  This museum features more than 500 uniforms and related artifacts of Michigan men and women who served our nation in seven foreign wars, plus the largest collection of original Medals of Honor on display in the United States.  Each display tells the story of that soldier and their extraordinary experience of war.  It was a unique experience and we found it fascinating.  After lunch we headed home, with heartfelt thanks to all of the wonderful Michigan Elks for the wonderful time we had at their fall meeting.

One footnote:  As of the posting of this write-up, the San Francisco Giants will be facing the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.  Rumor has it that ENF will benefit from a serious bet on this match up.  We know we're a little biased but . . . Go Giants!