Randy Logan, District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler, pictured with Kathy Payne, Exalted Ruler of Eureka Elks Lodge No. 652, made his annual visit to the lodge to inspect the lodge financial books, records, membership development, lodge activities and charitable works. His district is from the Golden Gate bridge to the Oregon border and east to I-5. He complimented Kathy, her officers and committee workers on their fine work and ranks it as one of the top lodges in his district.
Exalted Ruler’s Column – September 2020
Hello everyone! We are having dinners on Wednesday and Friday nights. There are Sit-Down outside or To Go meals available. We are able to seat 110 people on our two decks. Reservations MUST be made by 5 pm the night before; call 834-6612. Please remember that the Lodge is open to Elk Members in Good Standing
ONLY and we can not accept GUESTS (non members) at this time. The best way you, as a member, can help to support your Lodge is to purchase a meal. We have four heaters on the decks now to help keep us warm. Thank you Kevin Jenkins from McKinleyville Ace Hardware and Kevin Christie from Eureka Ace
Hardware for the donation of two heaters. We have 217 Members that have not paid their Member Dues yet. Please try to have your current year’s Dues paid as quickly as possible. We will be sending out past-due notices soon. We don’t want to drop anyone for non-payment!
We will be having our DDGER Randy Logan visit our Lodge on Wednesday, September 16th. All Officers and the Chairmen of all committees must write their
reports and have them available at the 5 pm meeting on September 16th. We will be having a Pot Roast dinner that night. Please be sure to make reservations at 834-6612. This is a great opportunity for members to meet visiting dignitaries. Please join us! Stay healthy and happy!
Kathy Payne, Exalted Ruler
“Get ’er Done and Let’s Have Fun.”
Trustees – September 2020
I was pondering about what to write for our Herd Talk this
month. A member suggested writing about what the Trustees do
in the Lodge.
The Trustees job is to maintain the land, oversee the facilities,
contracts, approve funds, and create a budget for the Lodge.
There are five Trustees on the board. The Chairman, Secretary
and Safety Officer are chosen within those five. Being a Trustee is a five-year
commitment. We meet the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 o’clock.
Our meetings are open to Elks in good standing.
Marta Martinez, Trustee Chairperson
Leading Knight – September 2020
The Golf Tournament was a great success! Everyone had fun and lunch was great. I
want to thank everyone that helped and all the generous sponsors and local businesses that
helped put it all together. Sponsors include: Leon’s Car Care, Hilltop Builders, Johnston
Construction, Bindel Real Estate, Straight Flush Plumbing, Carbonneau Tile, J.Z. Contracting,
Scott Construction, and Lodge Officer Ward Mengel. Our community is strong and our local
businesses really gave a lot, THANK Y OU!
I have a sign-up sheet at the bar if anyone (Elks only) is interested in entering their vehicle (car, truck, bike,
trike) in the Support Elks #652 Car Show fundraiser. Cars will be spaced six feet apart with lots of room for
social distancing. A lunch will be provided afterward out on the deck for a donation. The fee to sign up a
vehicle for the event is $25.00. We will have judging and some prizes will be given.
We had another fun five hour Zoom meeting with the District leaders and other lodges. I learn more about
Elkdom every time. I want to thank everyone that participated. In the meeting we learned that we are getting
a visit from our DDGER on September 16th so save the date and come on out.
Scott Reinsmith, Leading Knight, Major Projects
Redwood Roamers – September 2020
The Roamers have not been able to meet as a group due to pandemic restrictions. Roamers meet the first
Wednesday of every month at the Lodge. Our attendance for each meeting is around 50 which is more than
the recommended 10. Therefore, we are communicating and planning by email.
Daniel and Crystal Arbutnot, August Trailblazers, lead ten rigs to Joe Creek Waterfalls RV Resort (KOA) on
August 13-16 in Grants Pass, Oregon. The Roamers had a wonderful time despite the triple digit heat (107).
Hors-d’oeuvres were served Thursday night. Friday afternoon we took a jet boat ride down the Rogue River
through “Hells Canyon”. A delicious dinner was served halfway through the trip. Saturday, we had the
famous cinnamon rolls from Heaven on Earth for breakfast. We explored the area and returned for a pot-luck
dinner that included BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs. Sunday, we returned to cooler weather on the coast.
Charlie Blunk, in place of Hank and Mitzi Beck, will be the September Trailblazer for our outing to McCloud
and the Blue Grass Festival on September 17-20.
Please stay safe, wear your mask, and practice social distancing. Happy Trails to You!
Dale A. Stockly, Wagon Master
Secretary – September 2020
Welcome to our new members who were initiated on August 19: Kerri Hart, Dave Olson,
Rourke Soulis and Jeffrey Sterling. Bonnie Petersen participated in the ritual because she was
one of the members who had taken the oath via the mail during our total closure. Now that we
are holding regular meeting in-person I encourage all of our members who had taken their oath
via mail to attend the ritual and participate for the experience.
Please remember that we are open for meal service, but social distancing is necessary. That
means face masks when moving about or ordering food and drinks, and staying six feet apart
regardless of what you are doing. We have no known active cases of COVID-19 among our members, and
we want to keep it that way! I suspect the current restrictions will remain in place throughout the year, or
until we get a vaccine.
There are a lot of things happening at the Lodge in spite of the COVID-19
restrictions. The RV park is full or almost full every night. The meal service
has been getting bigger and bigger every week, especially with take-out
dinners. The Lodge Office is closed except for Fridays; however, someone is
here usually from about 8:00 am to noon weekdays.
Brad Smith , PDDGER, Lodge Secretary
Drug Awareness – September 2020
One of the Lodge goals for this year is to familiarize membership with benefits and resources available
both on the local and national levels. One of these programs is the Elks National Drug Awareness
Program the largest volunteer drug awareness program in the United States.
Since 1982 working in partnership with multiple federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Agency
and national organizations such as Pride Youth Programs, the Elks provides an effective, community-based
drug prevention program ensuring it addresses the leading drug abuse issues facing communities today.
The program’s Drug Awareness Program Resource Center provides parents, teachers and kids’ access to
educational materials including anti-drug literature, videos, coloring books, posters, public service announce-
ments and prevention tools for parents along with information on the annual poster, essay and video contests.
The importance of educating our youth on the impact of drugs and alcohol use is even more important today
as it was in 1982. Take advantage of the resources available. You can access to The Elks National Drug
Awareness Program directly at www.elks.org/dap or under Programs on the Elk’s Home Page, www.elks.org.
Jack Harris, Drug Awareness Chairman
We are going to get open again. We will be serving dinners
starting August 5th. We will have “Outside Dining” under canopies or “To
Go” dinners. Meals will consist of salad, main dish with pasta/rice/or
potato, vegetable, roll/bread, and dessert. Currently meal prices are $15 on
Wednesdays and $20 on Fridays, with tax being included. NOTE:
Reservations must be made by 5:00 pm the night before! NOTE: No
shows will be charged! This is to keep the costs down and not waste food.
I want to thank the many people who attended our Flag Day event. It was
a great success!
I hope you will come and support the Lodge by enjoying our delicious
meals, volunteering, and attending meetings and events. We plan to have
meetings on the first and third Wednesday nights, August 5th and 19th.
Masks must be worn, temperatures will be taken, and we ask you to
practice social distancing.
Kathy Payne, Exalted Ruler
“Get ’er Done and Let’s Have Fun.”
Northern California Community Blood Bank
In 1949 our then Exalted Ruler, Carl Hansen, was at a social event
when he overheard some doctors talking about how half the blood that
was being sent by Greyhound Bus from Santa Rosa was tainted by the time the
hospital received it in Eureka. He got busy and put together a phone bank that
the hospitals could use to call Elk members to go and give fresh blood.
Carl Hansen, PER and MDs Dr. Jarvis, Dr. Dalm, Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Watson
decided to form the community blood bank. Our Elks Lodge #652 raised the
money to start the Humboldt-Del Norte Blood Bank. In 1951 the blood bank
was incorporated.
Let’s make PER Hansen proud by the Eureka Elks Lodge #652 members giving
“The Gift of Life”! Please come donate Wednesday, September 2 either at the
Blood Mobile in our Lodge parking lot from 12-6 pm or at the Northern CA
Community Blood Bank (2524 Harrison Ave.) from 4-7 pm.
Leading Knight – August 2020
Welcome back everyone! The Lodge will be opening back up for outdoor dining for our
regular Wednesday and Friday night dinners. Your temperature will be checked at the door
and hand sanitizer will be used before entering. Masks will be worn until you are seated
outside. We have set up five large tents and some heaters out on the deck, so come on down
for some good food and drink and help support your Lodge.
My fundraiser Golf Tournament is still on for Saturday, August 22nd. I already have sponsors for all nine
holes and many prizes. Some teams have already signed up and there are limited spaces, so get your team
signed up before spaces fill up. I will be putting a flyer and sign-up sheet up in the Lodge.
I am also planning a “Support Elks #652” Car Show for Saturday, September 26th. Vehicles (cars, trucks,
bikes and trikes) will be spaced at least six feet apart with lots of room for viewing while social distancing.
A lunch will be provided afterwards out on the deck for a donation. The fee to sign up a vehicle for the event
is $25.00. We will have judging and some prizes given. Sign-up sheet and information will be posted at the
Lodge so come down or call in. Hope to see you there.
Oktoberfest should still go on as planned, but may be outside. Unless things change and everything opens
back up, I think I will have to cancel the Halloween Party and the Men’s Fashion show… maybe next year
these can return.
Marta, Kathy and I participated in a Zoom Meeting with the District Leaders and members of the eight lodges
in our district. We are all in the same boat together, (with some lodges doing better than others) trying to
keep it all afloat. We are all learning to provide service to our members while following the COVID
guidelines. Every Lodge is only as strong as its members, so come out to the dinners and fundraisers.
Volunteer once in a while and stay active in your Lodge. Together we can beat this.
Scott Reinsmith, Leading Knight, Major Projects