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.