NEWS

What a different weather scenario from last year!  This year, while Denise and I visited the 4th annual Maine Elks in The Forks for MCCP, the sun was shining brightly.  Fundraising was also in full swing, although the rain didn’t hinder fundraising efforts last year.  It was a fantastic couple of days filled with fun and successful fundraising.
On Friday, the philanthropy group from the Maine Children’s Cancer Program visited the Lodges, which were already present and working hard to have fun and raise funds.  They were also visited by WABI TV news.  I think it truly showcases the Elks, especially the Maine Elks, doing what they do best!
We arrived around 6 pm, just before the live auction began.  For the auction, we brought a stand-up cooler to represent the State President position.  The cooler contained various picnic items, including Houlton Farms butter, fresh corn, Houlton Farms lemonade, fresh baked bread from the Brookside Inn, and other goodies.  Denise served as the auctioneer for this item, and it sold for $200.00.  Thank you to everyone who bid on it!  After the auction, we caught up with old friends, made some new ones, and browsed the many Lodges’ fundraising silent auction items.  We then retired to the Inn by The River for a delicious meal and a good night’s sleep.
Bright and early Saturday morning we set up Doc’s hospitality canopy and displayed the memorabilia I had crafted to sell, as well as the murder mystery that Denise has become famous for hosting.  The state president’s tree for the Festival of Trees was also set up.  This tree was designed to be an all-season tree, decorated with an ornament for each of the 20 lodges. These ornaments were created using my laser etcher and featured a rendering of the pin for that Lodge, along with the lodge’s name and number.  There were also decorations for Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentine’s Day.  Under the tree was one of my cribbage boards.
Most of the day I spent playing corn hole.  I was randomly paired with Liz Grant, DDGER for Maine North.  We didn’t win or place, but we had a decent showing.  I also spent some time in “Jail” and bid on several items in the silent auction.  While I was doing this, Denise and Heather ran the murder mystery.  They guided participants to clues, answered questions (cryptically, I’m told), and generally kept the excitement going.  All in all, it was a fantastic day and I’m happy to report that Denise and I raised $500.00 between the tree, sales of memorabilia, and the murder mystery.
I look forward to hearing the total amount raised at our October meeting.  Thank you to all the Lodges that participated.  Our next visit will be to Sanford in a couple of weeks.”