NEWS
News from the Maine Elks AssociationEveryone Loves a Parade!
Denise and I arrived in Bangor on Friday, September 27th, and were promptly shuttled to the Old Town Lodge by E.R. Randy. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by numerous members of the Old Town Lodge. We had a delightful time catching up with friends and were thrilled to see Mindy and Jeff waiting for us as well. Debbie presented us with a lovely monogrammed tote filled with T-shirts for the parade and other thoughtful gifts.
After enjoying a few drinks at the Lodge, we ventured downtown to a rooftop bar and grill where we indulged in a delicious meal. Following dinner, we gathered around the fireplace on the roof and were captivated by the stunning Riverfest fireworks. All of us—Randy, Debbie, Jeff, Mindy, Denise, and myself—had a truly memorable evening. Eventually, we were escorted back to the hotel.
The next day, Denise and I arose and drove to Old Town to participate in the Riverfest parade alongside the Old Town Lodge. We parked at the end of the parade route and Debbi took us to the starting point. The float was beautifully decorated with an Americana theme and featured a large flag that had flown on the USS Saratoga. Jeff provided the music, Elroy joined us, and we set off through the streets and downtown of Old Town. As we marched along, we waved to the cheering crowd and distributed small flag-decorated frisbees. By the end of the parade Denise had become quite adept at throwing the frisbees directly to her intended targets.
Although we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Old Town, we immediately headed down to Gardiner for our visit on Saturday evening. I’ll share more details about that in my upcoming report.
On Saturday, September 28, Denise and I were treated to a wonderful experience at the Gardiner Lodge. Upon arrival, we were greeted by numerous friends and Lodge members. We caught up with Claris and Roberta, Anthony and Linda, and our good friends Mike and Maureen from Gardiner. All the Gardiner officers and their spouses were also present.
We then proceeded to the “cafe murder” (named after a group of crows, as the chef’s specialty was black bird pie). We were greeted by a slightly frazzled but thoroughly entertaining maître d’, who directed our waiter to our table.
Shortly after 7:00 PM, when all tables were seated, the show began. A murder was quickly reported, and we were tasked with questioning the potential suspects and determining the culprit. Our table made our best guess, but unfortunately, we didn’t listen to the right people and collectively chose the wrong suspect. A few of the 12 tables did manage to correctly identify the murderer. It was a wonderful time, and Gardiner hopes to make this a regular event at their Lodge. If you ever hear of a similar event in the area, I highly recommend participating.
After a delicious meal and some wonderful homemade desserts, we went to the lounge to talk with cast members, Lodge members, officers, and others. It was a genuinely great evening of entertainment, music, and conversation. We returned to our hotel and had a great night’s sleep.
The next morning, the Lodge officers treated us to breakfast at a local restaurant, and we were on our way back north. Next weekend is the State Soccer shoot, and I will file a report early next week. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Farmington and sharing a new reel of pictures for everyone to enjoy
Veterans Bowl a Big Success!
Thank You to everyone that came out for the Maine Elks Association Bowling Fundraiser Night! “STRIKE” we raised $2,260.00, tonight! What an incredible evening.
Congratulations, to Norm Grasse, Augusta Lodge #964 for raising the most funds at this event. You Rock! Several other Augusta Elks, joined the fun, too. Thank You for your support!President Mike heads up North
This weekend, Denise and I were treated to an exciting adventure by the Ellsworth Lodge. We arrived in town around 5 o’clock on Friday to our accommodations, known as Under Canvas. After signing a waiver and receiving instructions on how to start the wood stove, we were escorted to our tent.
This was no ordinary family camping tent. It was a large, semi-permanent structure with a bed, sleeper sofa, full bathroom, and the aforementioned wood stove. The tent itself was a spacious canvas-walled structure erected on a hardwood floor platform, modeled after an African safari style. While there was no electricity, the tent was supplied with numerous rechargeable battery-operated lights and power packs for personal devices. These were truly excellent accommodations that we enjoyed throughout the weekend.
After unpacking, we were transported to the Lodge for a delightful Friday night brisket meal, accompanied by a great duo playing a wide range of classic rock and country music. We had a wonderful time catching up with Donnie and Sue, Jonah and Christine, Eric and Leanne, and everyone else at the Lodge. I even met a couple visiting from Pennsylvania.
Later, we retired back to “Under Canvas” and met a friend who turned out to be a regular near our site. As we walked up the pathway to the tent, Denise spotted a small black object that seemed to be moving about. Fearing it might be a skunk, she shone her phone flashlight onto it and we were relieved to see it was not. however, it was a porcupine!
I assured her that porcupines are slow and lumbering creatures that generally want nothing to do with humans as they are strict vegetarians. To prove my point, I walked around it, only having to give it a slight berth. Denise wasn’t convinced and suggested we go down to the on-site restaurant common area to enjoy the evening shore and campfires while the porcupine had time to move on. So, I went back around it, and we did.
After enjoying some drinks and a wonderful campfire, and doing some research on porcupine habits, we made our way back to the tent site. To our surprise, our friend was still there, enjoying the green shoots of grass in the path to the tent. This time, I assured Denise that the person on Google who suggested a 20-foot berth around these animals was being overly cautious, and we both passed the porcupine without incident.
The next day, we were treated to an excellent breakfast in downtown Ellsworth, visited the world-famous Momo’s cheesecake shop and returned to camp to relax and explore the shoreline. Around noon, we drove over to the Lodge to participate in their monthly cribbage tournament. The format for the tournament was new to us, and we both found it quite enjoyable. In fact, we plan to try it at our Lodge.
There was a scoring system (beyond wins and losses), and everyone played five games. In the end, the scores were tallied, and the winners announced. Congratulations to Chip, Jonah, and Rick for first, second, and third place. By then,it was time for supper, so we headed back to “Under Canvas.”
That evening, we explored the shore even more, saw more wildlife including loons on the bay and a large green crab frolicking just offshore. Supper from the resort restaurant was wonderful, and we topped it off with s’mores we prepared on their campfires. We headed back to the tent, and our good friend the porcupine was awaiting.
Having been assured by the staff as well as myself, Denise stopped and took some pictures and then passed the porcupine without incident to reach our tent.
On Sunday, we had breakfast again at the resort and headed off to Bangor for the North District Soccer shoot. Thank you, Ellsworth, for a memorable, fun-filled, and exciting weekend. Our next visits will be in Old Town and Gardiner next weekend. I’ll file my detailed reports here upon our return.
Sanford MCCP Surpasses a Milestone
Our 31st year of fundraising in support of the MCCP culminated with our Golf Tournament on September 7th. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who supported and volunteered at our events this year including our Arnie’s Ride, Fishing Derby, 500 Wish Club, Ray’s Day, Pub Night, and the golf event!
The winning foursome are (L to R) Curt Walker, Jay Moore, Tig Smith and Mark Gonneville.
Soccer Returns to the Bath Lodge
It’s been a while since the Bath Elks fielded a Soccer Shoot event, but the 934 Youth Activities chairman Jason Rhorer has been working toward it’s re-institution since he took the position, and the morning of September 15th, 2024 seven Bath area kids returned to the pitch at McMann Field to compete in their age groups.
It was a gorgeous morning on the field with four area youth advancing to the district. Both the participants, and the lodge team are really looking forward to doing it up bigger next year!
Another Year of Soccer at the Presque Isle Elks
On Sunday, September 15, 2024, the Presque Isle Elks, Lodge #1954, held their annual Soccer Shoot at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Craig MacFarline, Presque Isle Elks Soccer Shoot director, reported that the winners in the under-8 age division were Eli Ireland, son of Staci and Lucas Ireland, and Kenzie Hickey, daughter of Stacy and Ben Hickey.
In the under-10 age division, Kooper Griffeth, daughter of Joel Griffeth, and Oakley Stetson, son of Rachel and Spencer Stetson, were winners.
Aaron Cloukey, son of Shawn Cunningham and AJ Cloukey, was the winner in the under-12 age category.
Delanie Cyr, daughter of Danielle and Derrick Cyr, was the winner in the under-14 age category.
According to MacFarline, these winners will be eligible to compete in the competition for the Northern District of Maine championships to be held at Husson University in Bangor on Sunday, September 22, 2024.
First Couple’s Travels Continue in the South
On Sunday, September 8th, Denise and I had the pleasure of visiting the Wells Lodge. In the morning, we met Dick, Melinda, and Tom at the Lodge, exchanged pins, received a tour of the Lodge, and learned about its fascinating history. We were entertained with stories, examined photos, and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the lodge’s past.
We were then taken to Hobbs seafood restaurant where Tom’s wife Carol joined us for a delicious lunch. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend trying their homemade potato chips. The seasoning reminded me a bit of Humpty Dumpty barbecue chips.
During lunch, Dick presented us with a check for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and a gift for Denise and me. We then had to leave and make the long journey back to the county, but we had a fantastic time with wonderful company during our swing through the South. Our next scheduled visit will be to Ellsworth. Stay tuned for that report.
Calendar Winners for August
First Couple’s Golf Date in Sanford
Another fantastic visit to another fantastic Lodge is behind us. On Friday, September 6th, we arrived in Sanford and enjoyed a lively pub night at the Sanford Lodge. We feasted on delicious food, danced to great music, caught up with old friends, and made some new ones. The Lodge presented me with their renowned State Pin Plaque and everyone seemed to have a blast throughout the evening. Afterward we retired to Trish and Andy’s lakeside cottage for a peaceful evening.
On Saturday morning we gathered at the Sanford Country Club for the lodge’s 31st annual golf tournament to raise funds for MCCP. The tournament this year featured 164 golfers (or, more accurately 161 and myself, Denise and Mike P). The shotgun start sent us off at approximately 9 AM and we played 18 holes in a 4-person scramble format. Joining our foursome was Denise Labbe, completing our team of two Mikes and two Denises. I must admit that having two Mikes in one cart and two Denises in another could lead to some communication mix-ups. I’m convinced that the golfers in Sanford believe I’m a scratch golfer based on the way they scratch their heads every time I approach the ball. While I did manage some impressive drives for my standards, Denise L. always outdrove me. In fact, Denise L. won the longest drive contest for the day. The entire team was amazed by my almost-astounding putts as the ball frequently came tantalizingly close to the hole but just missed going in. In the end, despite a valiant effort from Denise H, Mike P, and myself, Denise L carried the team all day. We enjoyed hotdogs on hole 6, took advantage of unique stations at all the par 3 holes and overall had a fantastic time.
Saturday evening, we embarked on a boat tour of Bauneg Beg Lake, where several Sanford Elks reside. We spotted a replica of the famous green monster on the face of one camp, and upon reaching Corey and Joleen’s camp found the lake had a balanced American League representation, as Corey has a short right porch. We met up with other boats and had a thoroughly relaxing evening after a long day on the course. At sunset, Denise, Mike, and I gathered around a campfire at the cottage to cap off the evening.
Drug Awareness Program 2024-25 Introduction
State Association DAP letter for Lodge Chairmen to introduce your program to your local Schools.
20240828093919