This weekend, Denise and I attended the New England Regional Hoop Shoot contest in Portland, Maine. It was a spectacular event. We drove out of a blizzard in the county and into a sunny but blustery day in Portland on Friday. On Friday, we attended a banquet with other Maine Elks who were instrumental in our Hoop Shoot.
On Saturday, we attended the “Breakfast of Champions” at the Portland Lodge. I must say, they really outdid themselves. Following breakfast, we were bused with the kids and families to South Portland, where the shooting venue was located. I will leave the announcement of winners to the Hoop Shoot committee, but I am pleased to report that Maine will have two representative shooters at the national competition in Chicago in April. The awards banquet on Saturday evening featured an excellent meal, and seeing the kids excited about the day was quite refreshing.
Sunday morning, we packed up and drove over to the Bath Lodge to participate in the 11th Hour Toast contest as well as the 
Flag Charge contest. I am happy to report that we have again increased participation in these contests this year, although we are still short of all 20 Lodges participating. I was extremely pleased that we had a competitor in the open division. Hopefully, next year these contests will grow even more. Again, I will leave reporting the winners to the committee, but I would add that I improved my score for the Flag Presentation contest.
Next week is my final Lodge visit, and it will be to Rockland. Keep checking this site for a detailed report