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!