NEVADA

NEVADA – The Silver State, November 15-17

 
The Nevada visitation offered us the rare luxury of being able to drive instead of fly to the Convention since our destination was just south of Reno in Minden, Nevada.  We arrived on Thursday afternoon and were greeted by State President Bill Cooke and First Lady Sydney and our escorts Max and Rhonda Shen.  That evening we met up with State Sponsor PGER Jim Grillo and Lucia for a casual taco dinner at the Tahoe-Douglas Elks Lodge #2670, the host lodge for the Convention weekend.

Friday morning, Tom headed out to breakfast at the Lodge with Jim and Max, followed by meetings of the Advisory Council and the State Trustees.  Venita had breakfast at the hotel with Lucia, and then the ladies (and three gentlemen) all met at the hotel for the spouses’ luncheon.  After lunch, they were treated to the comedy genius of Kat Simmons, a professional comedienne who is local to the Gardnerville area.  She explained the pros and cons of aging, raising children, being married and traveling as a professional entertainer.  By the time she finished her final skit demonstrating the difference between the television commercials showing how to put on panty hose and the actual reality of struggling into these nylon nightmares, everyone in the room was laughing hysterically and had tears rolling down their cheeks.  That evening was the State President’s Dinner sporting a patriotic theme.  Tom had the privilege of handing out Grand Lodge awards for web site design to both the Henderson-Green Valley Lodge#2802 and to the Nevada State Elks Association.  He also presented the Golden Mike Award for Public Relations to Sabina Bye, Carson City Lodge #2177.

Saturday we went to the luncheon for the Nevada Elks Major Project, Safe Haven, a program that provides emergency care for battered and abused children.  The Association had solicited gift baskets from throughout the state to be raffled off as well as numerous silent auction items.  We were very impressed by the generosity of the Lodges and individuals and the number of items donated.  All together, they raised $3,000 in support of their Project. 

The final evening was the GER Dinner at the Lodge.   As had been our experience for every meal we enjoyed at the Lodge, the dinner was excellent.  After dinner, Tom shared his vision for Elkdom with the attendees.  Several people took the time to let him know they appreciated his comments and that they thought his suggestions were right on target.  We finished the evening signing cards and handing out pins before heading back to our hotel.

We want to thank the Nevada State Elks for their gracious hospitality during our visit.  As we told them all, we truly felt comfortable and at home in this, our sister state in Area 7.  Special thanks to Jim, Lucia, Bill, Sydney, Max and Rhonda for their companionship during our time with them.  We look forward to seeing all of you again soon!

MAINE

MAINE - Lobster and Snow, November 4-8

We arrived in Bangor, Maine to cold temperatures and warm hugs.  We were greeted at the airport by PGER and State Sponsor Amos and Barbara McCallum, State President John and Tina May Nicholson, Past Grand Inner Guard Andy Constantine, Past Aide to the GER Ralph Sicard and Marcia Bouchard and Past State President Mike and Freddie Powers.  After settling into our hotel, the group went to dinner at the Lucerne Inn, a beautiful historic inn just outside of Bangor.

After breakfast on Monday morning, we headed out for a tour of Acadia National Park and a breathtaking trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain.  Even though the weather was a little overcast, the views from the top of this 1,530 foot peak (the second highest in Maine) were beautiful.  After a couple of photos and a quick movie clip, we hustled back to the cars to get out of the wind and 32 degree temperature.  Our lunch stop was at the Ellsworth Elks Lodge #2743.  These gracious Elks hosted us to seafood "chowdah" and lobster rolls.  Many of those in attendance had come from work to spend their lunch hour with us.  While we were there we were told that they will be celebrating both their 25th anniversary next year as well as a mortgage burning ceremony.  We congratulated them on this significant achievement.

After lunch, we returned to the hotel for some rest and relaxation.  Much to Venita's delight, it began to snow in the late afternoon, but the storm did not amount to much.  Only enough for one good snowball.  Dinner that evening was at a wonderful riverside restaurant called Schooners.  Once Tom saw that the menu featured a one and a half pound lobster, his choice was made.  We also could not resist the steamer clams and the seafood experience was complete.  We returned to the hotel after dinner, barely able to keep our eyes open.  What a wonderful first day in Maine!

Tuesday morning we were taken to the Challenger Learning Center of Maine.  One of 48 centers around the United States serving 400,000 students annually, these hands-on facilities were started by the families of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew that were lost when their shuttle exploded after takeoff.  The Center features both a Mission Control and a Space Station mock-up, allowing students to experience real applications for science, technology, engineering and math and to promote awareness of potential careers choices that might not have occurred to students previously.  This was a fascinating experience and one we very much enjoyed.

Following the Challenger Learning Center, we took a driving tour of Bangor.  Andy Constantine, a Bangor native, took us by the home of author Stephen King, to the Thomas Hill Standpipe and through the Hope Cemetery, the final resting place for Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin.  We also visited the monument to Chamberlain, a noted abolitionist during the civil war whose home was a documented site of the Underground Railroad.  After completing our tour, we made our way to the Sea Dog Brewery for lunch.

After lunch, the group toured the Cole Land Transportation Museum.  While we have toured numerous auto and motorcycle museums, we have never seen a collection with this much variety in our tours.  The museum features snow plows, buggies, wagons, tractors, cement trucks, cars, trains, motorcycles, bicycles, military vehicles and most of the freight trucks used in their family's company, Cole's Express.  We also had the chance to meet and talk with Galan Cole, a WW II Purple Heart recipient and the owner of the museum.

Tuesday evening, we attended a reception and dinner at the Bangor Elks Lodge #244.  It was a wonderful evening, made even more special by the many Maine Elks who made the effort to attend on what was a work night for most of them.  At the end of the evening, the Exalted Rulers from each Lodge presented us with a gift from their Lodge.  Many of them made generous donations to the Elks National Foundation in our name.  We also received a handmade lobster trap coffee table from the Biddeford-Saco Lodge and a wonderful gift basket from John and Tina May with assorted Maine items as well as a Maine quilt block for Venita's quilt.  We were stunned by the generosity of these gracious Elks.

Wednesday morning, Andy Constantine treated to a tour of the press facilities at the local newspaper, the Bangor Daily News.  Andy works for the paper and was able to give us insider information on how all those advertising inserts get into our hometown papers.  It was a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the paper.

Our final afternoon, we headed for "deer camp."  Our hosts, Arnold and Ann Byers welcomed the eleven of us to their one-room cabin at the back of their property.The rest of the afternoon was all about kicking back, relaxing, eating and drinking.

The afternoon started with drinks and appetizers, followed shortly by ten pounds of steamed clams.  Meanwhile, the kettles were coming to a boil in preparation for the twenty-two (yes . . . count them . . . 22!) live lobsters that they had brought for dinner.  As a special honor for Tom, his main course would be the GER of lobsters - a three pound champion!  It was quite an adventure to see these guys coming in on the plates.  While we can't believe we are going to say this, we actually had our fill of lobster.  At least for one sitting!  Thinking we had survived, we leaned back from the table only to find that Ann had baked three pies for dessert.  We rolled home late that evening marveling at the hospitality of these generous folks.

Thursday morning, we awoke to three inches of fresh snow on the ground.  Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the airport was equipped to handle the flurry and our plane was on time.  While we were supposed to be heading for New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy had changed those plans and we turned our faces homeward a little early . . . with wonderful memories of Maine, its Elks and a vow to return again.

IOWA

IOWA - Food Capital of the World, October 31 - November 4

We came into Iowa a day early and were greeted at the airport by State Sponsor PGER Ted and Betsy Callicott,  SDGER Ralph and Barbara Buster and Chief Justice Mark Huegel.  Upon arriving at our hotel, we were greeted by Mark's wife, Kim Birch and Grand Trustee Pete Nelson and Sue.  After checking in, , we had a bite to eat and then retired for the night.

Wednesday, the gentlemen headed out to tour the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum.  Located on Camp Dodge, an active National Guard post, the museum features displays of Iowans serving in all branches of the military and the Iowa State Patrol.  Included in the exhibits were uniforms, artifacts, equipment, aircraft, equipment and ordnance.  After their tour, they stopped by the local Harley Davidson shop.

Meanwhile, the ladies took Venita to a historic shopping area of Des Moines called Valley Junction where their stops included a store featuring nothing but things made in Iowa.  They also stopped in a quilt shop down the street.  After lunch, they drove by Terrace Hill, the Governor's mansion and then did a loop through downtown to see the capitol building and the sculpture garden.

Wednesday evening, we drove over to Grinnell, Iowa to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Grinnell Lodge #1266.  Grinnell is the home lodge of current State President Larry and Sandy Manning.  We were given a warm welcome by everyone and after an excellent dinner, Tom presented the Exalted Ruler with the 100th Anniversary plaque.

Thursday morning, Tom was interviewed on the Van and Bonnie Show at WHO Radio, clear channel 50,000 watts.  He spoke about the charitable work we do and the strength of our organization.  Those who heard the interview said it was excellent and they were proud of being Elks.  That morning, the ladies went shopping for the day and came away with some great bargains, thus saving their husbands lots of money!  Thursday evening we went to Johnny's, a local steakhouse with an Italian flair.  Dinner was excellent and the company matched the meal.

Friday morning we were greeted with a Convention Newsletter under our hotel door, compliments of Carl and Sue Jacob.  We almost felt like we were at Grand Lodge! Tom headed out to attend the Advisory business sessions of the Association while Venita went with the ladies to tour the Iowa State Historic Museum.  After a terrific lunch at the museum, the ladies returned to the hotel for some relaxation and socializing prior to dinner.  Friday's dinner was at the hotel in the company of the Iowa Past State Presidents and their spouses.  That evening, we went down to the courtyard area of the hotel to socialize with the Iowa Elks, share our pins and dance to their great DJ.  A wonderful time was had by all.

Saturday morning was the opening session of the Iowa State Association, followed by lunch and afternoon group meetings.  Venita went to the ladies brunch, where they were entertained by Jackie Schmillen, a local TV traffic personality.  With a heavy background in theater, Jackie had us all laughing in very short order.  She told us about her charity work and we noticed that she had an application to join the Elks with her when she left. That afternoon, Venita, Betsy and Barbara went to Betsy's favorite needlepoint store where we browsed through the canvases and supplies for a good hour prior to making our purchases.

Saturday evening was the closing banquet of the conference.  Tom spoke to the attendees, sharing his vision for Elkdom and offering concrete suggestions for how to grow their membership and reminding them to be sure to make application for the ENF grants that are available to their lodges.  After dinner, we were presented with a goodie basket, along with notification that at the end of our year of traveling, the Iowa Elks will be sending a box of beef to our home for us to enjoy.  We were so appreciative of this generous gift and thanked them from the bottom of our hearts.

We truly had a great time in Iowa.  Our thanks to Ted, Betsy, Mark, Kim, Larry, Sandy, Ralph, Barbara, Pete, Sue and all of the Iowa Elks for making our stay so memorable.  We'll look forward to seeing you again soon.