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Drug Awareness Essay Winner

The Eureka Elks drug awareness program had received essays for the 2018/19 contest and we are proud to announce our winner, Sierra Larson age 13 from Winship middle school. She is our $100 dollar winning entry. Thanks to all who made this year a success. We hope to have a great coming year with more activities for the kids regarding this wonderful program. Here’s the winning essay:

Life is made of many things—our feelings, our pain, our family and friends, our health and our pets! Drugs take that away in one way or another.

Drugs take away from family and friends. In certain situa-ons, drug users will lie to their family and friends to continue their use of drugs and make them untrustworthy. Family and friends would not want to hang out with someone who lies to them. Drugs that are illegal and parents who use them and are caught can have their kids taken away. Their kids get taken to foster homes and can get adopted to people who aren’t the best parents for them.

Drugs can take away our health or worst our life! Drugs have been scientifically proven to be bad for our health whether people argue or not. Drugs chemically change our brains and change how we act. I would like to accentuate how drugs can change our outward appearance. It can make us ugly and older and give us sores and breakouts on our faces. I have seen some pretty scary tweakers in Humboldt. Drugs can take our most valuable thing: our life. We could take drugs one -me and die. We could take it eleven times and die. Why take the chance?

People on drugs are only thinking of themselves when doing drugs and being selfish. Remember, family is always thinking of your best interests, so think of them and don’t do drugs. Drugs only take away pain temporarily. Do sports!

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Secretary’s Note – April 2019

Well, we had another big initiation group for step-up night. Welcome to new members: Jon Adams, Ken Akana, Laura Avila, Glenn Bayless, Janis Bendle, Janis Branscomb, Brian Bynum, James Christiansen, Erica Farnum, Dylan Forbes, Carolyn Ford, Jon Gagnon, Scott Hicks, Jeral Johnson, Donna Landry-Rehling, Ashley Lehman, Jesse Nolan, and Willie Shiwaika.

Also, it should be noted there is a by-laws amendment in process. Article X, Sections 3 & 4 Dues and Fees. Reinstatement is $50.00. Due to a misprint, it is listed at $30.00.

I would also like to take this time to congratulate the officers for a great job at step-up night and to thank ER Dennis Hunter for a fantastic year and Mark Householter for five years of service on the Board of Trustees.

Ernie Nunes, PER, Lodge Secretary

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Elks Installation of Officers

Gwen Carroll will be Installed Exalted Ruler of Eureka Elks Lodge on Saturday, March 30th. Gwen is a member of the pioneer families of Mars Kjer from Arcata bottom and the Pohler family from Ferndale. She was raised in Arcata and attended St. Bernard High School. She is a graduate of College of the Redwoods Nursing program and is a registry nurse, traveling to hospitals in Northern California. Installation will be at 6:00pm with social and dinner to follow. For reservations phone 707-442-6652.

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RCMF Donation

Eureka Elks Lodge No. 652 donated $2,500.00 to the Redwood Coast Music Festival (RCMF). The festival will be May 9-12. Four days of music and dance with 85 stages, over 30 bands and 100 plus sets. Advance tickets available at web site rcmfest.com. Pictured from left to right: RCMF Board Member, Matt Niesen; RCMF Vice President, Yvonne Cooney; Elks Exalted Ruler, Dennis Hunter; RCMF President, Carol Lotentzen and Elks Board of Trustee Member Kevin Christie.

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Elks Host Annual Awards Night

Eureka Elks Lodge held their annual awards night on Sunday, March 3rd. The awards are presented to members, who in the past year have volunteered extra time, energy and effort to make the lodge one of the most active and successful in the state. Pictured; new member Howard Ritter, Rookie of the Year; Jan Belarde, Elk of The Year; Scott Reinsmith, Officer of the Year; Donna Jordan, received the Presidential Award and Joe Toroni, Volunteer of the Year.

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Exalted Ruler’s Column

It’s hard to believe that we’re Marching into the end of one year and into another in the world of Elkdom. My thanks goes out to so many that it would fill this Herd Talk. At the beginning of the year, my theme was “Together, we’re Elks.” My hope was that we would form a lodge-wide team to provide the best Elks Lodge for our members. From our chair officers, the Board of Trustees, our House Committee and many other member-volunteers, I feel this was accomplished. The dedication, time and energy spent by all these volunteers has been unbelievable! Volunteers will be honored at our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Sunday, March 3rd, at 5:00 pm. I hope you’ll join us.

To keep our lodge running at full efficiency, we need to constantly watch our income and expenses while remaining fair and competitive. To this end, there will be slight increases in certain wines, champagnes and well drinks. The last time any price increases occurred at the bar was eight years ago. This will go into effect on Sunday, March 31st. Thank you for your patience.
Finally, it has been a pleasure serving as your Exalted Ruler this past year. A big thanks goes out to my wife and your first lady, Karen. Her patience and perseverance has been unsurpassed.

Dennis Hunter, Exalted Ruler

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Leading Knight’s Corner – March 2019

I would like to thank everyone who supported the Valentine’s Dinner and all the wonderful people who helped make the evening so special. Linda Nunes and Vickie Botkin Kjer Matthews helped me with the decorations, we spent a few days making the centerpieces. My son, Sam Morris and my husband, Dennis Carroll helped with the set up and take down. The kitchen crew, Kathy, Joe, and Dan & Angie Jenkins. The wonderful servers were Marta Martinez, Jim Kloss, Michelle Haskins, Heidi McCarthy and my husband, Dennis Carroll.

Bring your Purple Pigs on March 17th, St. Patty’s Day and if you can’t make it then, bring them in to the lodge before the 17th. On the 17th you can join us for corned beef and cabbage with all the fixings.
Installation of officers is scheduled for March 30th at 6:00 pm with cocktails and dinner to follow. On the menu that night is Veal Scaloppini, Duchess Potatoes, fresh veggies, Spinach Salad, fresh homemade bread and Tiramisu— all this for $20.00 per person. RSVP! Sign up now!!

Speaking of officers, we have an opening for Esquire and Organist. If anyone is interested in joining the Officer Corp, give me a call, 707-498-3101 or call the Lodge.
Gwen Carrol, Leading Knight

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Redwood Roamers – March 2019

The Redwood Roamer met on February 6th. We welcomed new members Dave/Marie Eberhardt, Charles/Donna Pace and David/Jayme Turner. The major portion of our meeting was deciding where to roam. We planned an outing for each month. First will be the Winter Retreat at our own Elks RV Park March 22nd-24th. There will be Swap Meet, Saturday 23rd at 1:00 pm inside the dining hall. April we will travel to Angels Camp in the Gold Country. May 3-4 we will host the Redding RV Club here. On May 16-20th we travel to Fort Bragg. Shortly after we return, we head for Lewiston on May 30th. June brings Reedsport/Winchester Bay on June 13th-17th. July is open and August we head to Florence and Gold Beach. Labor Day weekend will be spent at Klamath RV Park. October is open and November we travel to Benbow RV Park to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration together.

The next meeting will be March 6th at 4:30 pm at the Lodge. Any Elk members interested in joining the Roamers are welcomed to attend the meeting. Also be sure to join us at the next Jenga Challenge on March 27 at 7:30 pm in the bar area of the lodge.

Dale A Stockly, Wagon Master

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Trustees Corner – March 2019

Greeting to all of you,

It’s time to prepare for next year’s budget. The Board Trustees, E.R Dennis Hunter, PER/Lodge Audit Chairman Brad Smith, Lodge Officers, House Committee, and the RV Roamers Committee have been working on this and should have a draft to be presented to the Lodge Floor for Posting and Review in March, before approval.

We have some new additions to our Elk Herd in the Lodge Room: two new Elk mounts. One is above the Treasure (Gary Payne’s) desk and the other over the Secretary’s (Ernie Nunes’s) desk. These were donated to the Lodge by Berti Schaafsma in Memory of her late husband, John Schaafsma. They are a very nice and much appreciated addition. Thank you Lecturing Knight, Scott Reinsmith, for his assistance in placement of the mounts, Terry Long for meeting with Berti and delivering the items to the lodge, and Mike and Bruce Heddinger for fabricating the mounting brackets for the wall to hold the mounts.
Thanks to all our members/volunteers that make this Lodge shine!!

Fraternally yours,
Kevin Christie, Chairman, Board of Trustees

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Veteran’s Corner – March 2019

Salutations Elks, the Veterans Committee has still been very busy. In the month of February, we had one Veteran join; welcome Herman Eager.

Looking ahead, mark your calendars fellow Veteran! June 27th, 2019 will be our 3rd Annual Car and Motorcycle Show from 11-3 pm. If you are a Veteran and have a car, truck, or motorcycle that you would like to enter in this year’s car show, registration forms will be available at the bar in Eureka Elks Lodge and at the Eureka VA Clinic located at 930 W. Harris Street in Eureka. This year’s car and motorcycle show is put on by the Eureka VA Clinic and the Eureka Elks Lodge Veterans Committee and is sure to be a good one.

The Veterans Committee is looking for all Korean War Veterans. If you are a Korean War Veteran or know of a Korean War Veteran (that is not deceased) who served between the dates of June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953, please provide the Eureka Veterans Committee with your information. You can obtain an information card from the Eureka Elks Lodge or the Eureka VA Clinic at 930 W. Harris Street, or have one mailed to you by calling the Eureka VA Clinic Member Services Rep Kelly Stephens at (707) 269-7549. If you would like to join the Eureka Elks Lodge Veterans Committee, please contact me at (707) 599-0483.

Casey Stephens, US Army, Retired
Veterans’ Committee Chairman