Greetings, everyone.
Welcome to the county seat of Aroostook, the Shiretown. Since our last meeting Denise and I visited Millinocket for a great comedy show, been to the State Hoop shoot, the Skowhegan-Madison Lodge for a toast to ENF, and the Augusta Lodge for a wonderful variety show as well as the State Ritual contest in Waterville. As always, detailed reports on these visits can be found on maineelks.org and I encourage you to go and check them out.

During homecoming festivities at the Houlton ELks, MEA President Michael Hannigan eschews his customary Yankees attire for a stylish Red Sox pullover, thanks to an ENF donation by Shawn Stacey.

Well, I am rapidly approaching the end of my term. I have just one visit left to complete and am look forward to Rockland in a couple of weeks. Many of you exalted rulers are also winding down your year. Some of the people here however, are looking forward to taking over the reins of your Lodge. Some will even be new E.R.s and beginning next month you’ll start a journey you should never forget. I know you’ll greet Corey and Jolene with the same enthusiasm your predecessors met Denise and I. It is to you incoming E.R.s that I have some leadership advice for this morning. In late March or early April you will be placed into the role of the captain of the ship which is your Lodge. Your installer will remind you to be the able mariner steering your vessel as calmly in storm as in fair weather. I would like to share with you advice that may help you as guide your vessel. That advice is to always remember, you can’t change the wind, but you can adjust your sails to reach your destination. Use your local, state, and national resources to both find your way and achieve your ultimate goals for your Lodge. A great place to start is your contest A checklist.
Finally, some advice for not only new E.R.s but for everyone. Recently at a school workshop I heard some good advice for Elks. As we left the workshop the presenter suggested that we come up with an elevator speech to give to colleagues when we went back to our schools. An elevator speech is a brief explanation of something, short enough that you could give in on a ride in elevator but informative enough that it explains your point. I want to suggest to you come up with an elevator speech explaining what the Elks are. Inevitably, someone this year is going to ask you, so what are the Elks. If your caught of guard you may struggle to give a quick answer and you’ll likely miss some important details. Plan ahead, have your speech ready and promote this great organization. Thank you very much, and continue to show Maine in thought word and deed, that Elkdom is the heart of America.

On Saturday, February 22nd, Denise, Heather, and I visited the Augusta Elks Lodge #964. We arrived in the early afternoon and were greeted by Lisa and Tony. The Lodge had provided us with a wonderful welcome basket, filled with Maine-made treats.

At suppertime, Lisa and Tony took us to a very exquisite restaurant, where we met Claris, Roberta, Kip, Bob, and Myra. The restaurant, Otto’s on the River, is one I would highly recommend.  After supper, we went to the Lodge to see their variety show. The show was amazing; the crew had obviously put a tremendous amount of efforts into preparation for it. In addition to the preparations, enthusiasm was exuding from the stage. I even had a chance to go on stage and help one of the acts with some dancing. After the show, we talked with many people at the Lodge for a while and then returned to the hotel for a peaceful night’s sleep.  Augusta was the last Lodge in the central district that I visited this year, and I had a great time.

The next day, we went a short distance to Waterville Lodge #905 for the State team ritual contest. This year’s competitors were Sanford Lodge #1470 and Waterville #905. Both teams were very impressive. I won’t reveal the outcome, but I will share that the teams were very close. This weekend, I look forward to the homecoming celebration in Houlton and hope to see you all. My next visit will be to Rockland in mid-March. Spring is coming; take heart, the weather will improve!

On Saturday, February 1st, Denise and I visited the Skowegan-Madison Lodge. We arrived at our Madison Ave hotel mid-afternoon and were very quickly greeted by E.R. Gregory and his wife, Barbara. They presented us with a wonderful fruit tray and promised to pick us up as soon as we were ready to go to the Lodge.

After dressing for the evening, we arrived at the Lodge and were greeted by many old friends, including Claris and Roberta. After some time reminiscing, it was time to settle down for a great meal. The Lodge did a wonderful job with Bourbon steak tips, cooked to perfection, and some excellent homemade pies for dessert.

After the meal, it was time to raise funds for the Elks National Foundation (ENF). They began with their 150 Club raffle. Many winners were crowned, but the real winner was the Lodge ENF fund. Following that, donations to ENF were accepted, and a lot of money was raised. The last part was a presentation of a beautiful round cribbage board made of cherry colored wood, personalized with Denise’s and my names. Along with the board was a wonderful hardcover book about the history of the New York Yankees.

The evening ended with a wonderful band playing classic rock music. We talked and danced the night away. Eventually, it came time for the 11 o’clock toast, and the evening was over. We were driven back to the hotel and enjoyed a good night’s sleep. We are going to be going to Rockland around Valentine’s Day; keep checking here for that report.”

On Saturday January 18th Denise and I paid a visit to the Millinocket Elks Lodge #1521. Upon arrival we were met by Ronnie and some of his officers at the hotel. We treated to a wonderful welcome gift and then taken to a local brewery. At the brewery, along with Mindy and State Sergeant at Arms Jeff, we had lunch and tasted a few of the local brews. Even on a cloudy day the views of the Katahdin region from Knife’s Edge brewery were fantastic. Next we trekked down the Golden Road to another venue overlooking two local lakes. Here we caught up on old stories, it turns out that Ronnie and his crew were actually neighborhood childhood friends of myself and my brothers. I had lived in Millinocket from about 1970 to about 1977. Many of us had attended grade school together and we all had some stories about the old neighborhood. In fact, on the way back to the Lodge Ronnie drove us by my old house.
In the evening, we were taken to the Lodge and met up with State Chaplain Mike. We had a wonderful meal and then were treated to a group of three stand up comedians. They were very amusing and everyone had a wonderful time. I was presented with a check to the Maine Children’s Cancer program, gave the 11 o’clock toast and we returned to our hotel.
The next day we returned to Houlton only to meet with Ronnie, Shelly, Mindy and Jeff who were in town for a motorcycle riders meeting. All in all it was a great weekend, full of fun stories and lots of cheer. Next weekend we are off to Skowhegan-Madison Lodge #2531. My report will be posted soon afterwards.