Trustee’s Corner – May 2018

Happy May to all members,

The transition from past to present has been smooth sailing. I would like to introduce and welcome new Trustee’s members Bob Gish and Terry "Terrance" Long to the Board.

At the Lodge meeting on April 18th, we voted on the proposed budget for 2018/2019 which passed. The Trustees are asking for volunteers to do lawn mowing and weed eating around the lodge grounds in hope’s to put a crew of 4-6 or more persons to do the lawns on a regular basis at least until Fall. Anyone interested please contact myself Kevin Christie 707-498-7312, E.R. Dennis Hunter or Nina at the Lodge. Looking forward to another Great Year.

The Lodge is planning a Work Day in June/July around the Lodge, Date to be announced later in the June Herd Talk. Enjoy the warmer days in May.

Thank you.
Kevin Christie
Trustee Chairman

Veterans’ Committee – May 2018

Greetings, my name is Casey Stephens and I am happy to be the Chair for the Eureka Elks #652 Veterans Committee this year. I served in the US Army from 2005-2009 when I was medically re-tired after an unforeseen combat injury in Iraq in 2009.

We have lots of plans for our Veterans Committee this year. To start, we have been working with the Eureka VA Clinic to be part of the 2nd Annual Car and Motorcycle Show. The Veterans Committee is happy to report that we will be participating in this event scheduled for June 28th, 2018 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are a Veteran and would like to be part of this car and motorcycle show please pick up an application at the Lodge. If you know any Veteran that would also be interested and that is not an Elk, what a fantastic opportunity to invite them to the event. The afternoon will be full of fun cars and motorcycles, Vet-eran Services, popcorn and ice cream. Also, this year the Veterans Committee has volunteered to put on and host a dinner for our Veterans (plus one guest) that same evening starting at 5:30. If anyone is interested in being part of the Veterans Committee, all are welcome at our Veterans Committee meetings on the first and third Wednesday of the month from 6:30-7:05 p.m. Our committee looks forward to serving the community and our Veterans this year.

Exalted Ruler’s Column – April 2018

Planning is well under way for the next year at Eureka Elks Lodge #652! Thank you for the opportunity you have given me to lead the lodge in 2018-2019. It is a most humbling experience to become an Exalted Ruler and I promise to fulfill your trust in me to the best of my ability. The theme for this next year is: "Together, We’re Elks."It takes all of us pulling together in the same direction to make our lodge enjoyable for our members, their families and friends.

Thank you to my fellow chair officers who have stepped up to the plate to serve you: Gwen Carroll, Esteemed Leading Knight; Kathy Payne, Esteemed Loyal Knight; Scott Reinsmith, Esteemed Lecturing Knight; Jim Kloss, Lodge Es-quire; Casey Stephens, Lodge Chaplain; Eddie Morgan, Lodge Inner Guard; Dennis Doty, Lodge Tiler; and Dale Colson, Lodge Organist. Of course, my spe-cial thanks go to Ernie Nunes, Lodge Secretary; Gary Payne, Lodge Treasurer; and Nina Strang, Lodge Clerk. I’m looking forward to working with Nina, who is also the new President of the Emblems Club. Welcome to Terry Long and Bob Gish as they join Mark Householter, Marta Martinez and Kevin Christie on our Board of Trustees.

My heart-felt thanks go out to Sherie and Kurt Bialous, PERs and our Lodge Ritual Team’s coaches. With their guidance and encouragement, your Ritual Team will be competing in the District’s competition in Ukiah at the end of this month and we have a chance to bring home the gold!

We all owe a great big thank you to all our volunteers, because they are the back-bone of the Lodge. Without our volunteer bartenders, volunteer kitchen crews, servers, cashiers, ticket-takers and tilers, this Lodge could not function. When you’re at the Lodge, please take the time to thank these hard-working volunteers. Of course, you can also volunteer. We need you!

Please enjoy your Lodge. The Exalted Ruler’s suggestion box will continue to be placed in the hallway and I would appreciate any suggestions you may have to make this Lodge even better!

Finally, a very special thank you to my wife, Karen, who will be by my side as we progress through the year. Thanks again for the opportunity to serve you!

Dennis Hunter, Exalted Ruler

Message from the Secretary – April 2018

Welcome to new members Chase Blackman, Glenn Brooks, William Warwick, Alexa Taylor, Kaylee Townsend, Wendy Smith, Glen Stromstad, John Presley, Eric Schatz, Joyce Hill, Carrie Norris, Brad Fite, Miguel Garcia, please make them feel at home.

Don’t forget Big 4 Dinner and Auction on April 14th — get your tickets now.

If you have pre-paid your Membership Dues for 2018-19, your cards are in the process of being mailed to you over the next week. If we have missed any stickers on your card, please come see me or Nina in the front office and one of us will take care of it for you.

Ernie Nunes, PER, Secretary

Exalted Ruler’s Column – March 2018

Greetings all! It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Herd Talk article as Exalted Ruler. This year has been an amazing journey and I am so thankful for all the wonderful people that I encountered along the way. There are so many individuals within our lodge that supported me and guided me through this last year. I am forever grateful for all the memories, Good Times, smiles, and laughter.

Please remember to sign up for the volunteer dinner on March 10th. This is a fabulous opportunity to be recognized for all the hard work that you have done within our lodge. Even if you haven’t volunteered you can come out and show your support to those that do. Another one of my final events is the children’s Easter party also on March 10th. I’m looking forward to both of these events. I spent 7 years going through all the officer chairs and now I get to look forward to being a Past Exalted Ruler and enjoying continue camaraderie with all of you! Thank you all again for a fulfilling and blest year!

Jennifer Cory, Exalted Ruler

Message from the Leading Knight – March 2018

There are many events coming up in March, including some great dinners! So be sure to check your calendar in this month’s Herd Talk.

Foremost on my radar is Step-up Night on Wednesday, March 21st where Chair Officers advance to their new Chairs and initiate new members. We’re all a little nervous about our new roles and could use your support. The Installation of Officers and dinner takes place on Saturday, March 24th. All of these events provide an opportune time to come to the Lodge and meet fellow members and your Lodge officers. Details on both of these events appear elsewhere in this Herd Talk.

Since this is my final article as your Leading Knight, I want to thank you for all your support throughout our year. Our Purple Pig dinner, held on February 11th, was a great success! We all raised over $1,600 which will go toward the California-Hawaii Elks’ Major Project. These funds go to the aid of children with disabilities throughout both states. Kathy Payne, her kitchen crew, and servers provided us with a delicious pork dinner. A special thanks goes out to Dan, Shelley and crew from Rendezvous Music for counting up the cash! In fact, Dan put in an extra $30 to get us over the $1,600 plateau.

Dennis Hunter, Leading Knight

Trustees Corner – March 2018

The Trustees have been working on the budget for next fiscal year, which begins April 1, 2018. The budget will be posted on the lodge bulletin board for your review.

March is a very busy month at the lodge. Kevin and crew will be in the kitchen for the Wild Game Feed on Sunday, March 4th. The Children’s Easter Party, which is a little early this year, will be on March 10th begin-ning at 10 AM. The Easter bunny has promised to visit and there will be fun, games and treats. The Volunteer Appreciation dinner is also on March 10th with cocktails at 5 and dinner, which I believe is CYOS, at 6 PM. I, and other lodge officers, will be working in the kitchen so our volunteers can relax and enjoy dinner. We often forget to let volunteer know how much we appreciate their service to the lodge. Please remember to say “Thank You For Your Service” next time you encounter a volunteer. Remember, we would not exist without our volunteers.

The Installation of Officers will occur on Saturday, March 24th. Please show your support for our incoming Exalted Ruler Dennis Hunter and his officers by attending this event. My term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees ends on March 31, 2018. I would like to thank all of those who offered advice and guidance during my term.

Fraternally yours,
Mark Householter, Chairman, Board of Trustees

Exalted Ruler’s Column – February 2018

Greetings All!

The weather is chilly and we are clearly in the midst of winter. I want to thank all those individuals who traveled from near and far to participate in the Weekend in the Redwoods. We had a jammed packed Friday night Cook Your Own Steak and a wonderful turnout for the Crab Feed on Saturday. Unfortunately, due to extreme weather conditions we were unable to provide whole crab, fresh from our waters. Kevin Christie did a great job in providing a fabulous seafood dinner as an alternative which included, pick and peel prawns, bay shrimp, oysters and picked crab. It was a wonderful event and we received nothing but positive feedback. I also want to thank Vickie Matthews for her fabulous decorations. Our entryway looked like the gateway to an amazing beachside adventure. The decorations throughout the lodge were amazing. I want to also thank Donna Jordan and Linda Nunes for the beautiful paintings that were raffled off. We had a very successful weekend and so many people need to be thanked for their time, energy and effort to make this a success! THANK YOU!

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Children’s Easter Party as well as the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. The Lodge Officers will be cooking dinner for all the volunteers as a way to say “Thank you” for all you do! Stay warm and well during these Winter months!