Category: News

We had a visit from the DDGER Randy Logan and his wife Jackie. He said he felt we were doing a great job trying to keep things going during the COVID-19 disaster.

The Blood Drive on September 2nd was very successful. We had 26 people donate blood. Good job everyone!

I appreciate the members that paid their dues after the last Herd Talk. I am asking again to please pay them if you can as it would help your Lodge out. We will be cooking a Prime Rib dinner on October 9th. This dinner will be $25.00. We are limited to 50% of our seating so please call early for your reservations. On Sunday, October 18th I will be cooking a Fried Chicken dinner. The cost will be $15.00. I hope to see you there.

A great big Thank You is warranted to all the volunteers who have helped to keep our Lodge open—this includes cooks, waiters, bartenders, cleaning and set up crews, and all who contribute to the Herd Talk. Thank you! Thank you!

If you would like to help in any way, call Kathy at 834-6612.

When you come to the Lodge, please use hand sanitizer. We check temperatures. You must wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Finally stay healthy; we will get through this together. I hope to see you soon.

Kathy Payne, Exalted Ruler
“Get ’er Done and Let’s Have Fun.”

September has come and gone. We had a great visit from our DDGER Randy Logan and the Car Show fundraiser was a lot of fun. I want to thank everyone who came out and participated or helped at the event. I want to thank all the volunteers. We can’t put on all these dinners and events without your help and support. I and your lodge thank you VERY MUCH! Some of our long-time helpers are “retiring” or stepping down from volunteering, and rightfully so, as they have worked many long hard hours for our lodge. If you feel you can help the lodge in any way please sign up to be part of a fun team of volunteers that support the lodge and contribute to making #652 the amazing lodge that it is. October is E.N.F. month and we will be having our big Oktoberfest on Saturday the 24th, so come on down and enjoy the fun and food. There will be a costume contest, 50/50 raffle and prizes. Jim Kloss, our Loyal Knight, is our new E.N.F. chairman. If you want to help him or have any ideas for E.N.F. fundraising please reach out to him. 2020 has been hard on everyone with Covid-19 and all the fires, but our community is strong and resilient. Together we can get through this. The lodge is coming back strong. We have more and more people coming back for dinners and events. We are a big lodge and have plenty of room for social distancing so come out for dinner and drinks, spend a little money, or better yet volunteer and get a complimentary dinner.

Scott Reinsmith, Leading Knight, Major Projects

I am proud to announce that Troop 54 has 5 new Eagle Scouts!!! This is the highest rank that can be achieved in the Boy Scouts and has only been earned by about 4% of scouts since 1911 when scouting began. On August 31, we were able to have an Eagle Court of Honor to celebrate their awesome achievements using standard Covid precautions. Due to restrictions, we had to make this a family only event, but it was still a wonderful ceremony to recognize these exceptional young men. Our distinguished guest speaker was 4th District Supervisor, Virginia Bass. Mr Akana was able to present each of the Eagle Scouts with an American Flag procured through the office of Congressman Jared Huffman and flown over the United States Capitol.

There was a wonderful slide show narrated by Scoutmaster Frank Jager showing the progression of each of these boys transitioning to young men along their journey through Scouts. The Eagle awards were presented to the scouts by Jack Haase, Troop Committee Chairman. Our 5 new Eagle Scouts, from left to right are Cody Cook, Dimitri Stefanakis, John Rydz, Morgan Harper, and Kevin Akana.
Thomas Rydz, Scouting Chairman

The pandemic has not slowed the spirit of the Roamers. We have not been able to meet in person on the first Wednesday of each month, but communication is strong through emails and phone calls. Charlie Blunk, is headed the outing to McCloud on September 17-20; more about that in the next Herd Talk. Hopefully, the Roamers will be able to start in person meetings on the first Wednesday in November if CDC Guidelines have been lifted for large meetings.

Please stay safe, wear your mask, and practice social distancing. Happy Trails to You!
Dale A. Stockly, Wagon Master

I like to welcome our two newest members, Sebastian Morgan and James Hinrichs, who were initiated on September 16th. A lot of things have been happening in spite of the COVID closure. We are holding our own financially but need member support. Please come by for dinner on Friday and Wednesday nights, or order take home. These meals are helping our Lodge out a lot. Naturally, social distancing and face masks are required any time you come by for a visit. The card tables and pool tables are open for use as well with proper spacing.

We had our annual District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler inspection on September 16. We did well according to all reports. He spoke at our meeting, congratulating us on a good job and for staying as open as possible during the COVID crisis. There are a lot of prospective members in a holding pattern for various reasons, mostly related to COVID. We are processing them through the system to become members as fast as we can. There are a number of delinquent members, who are just now paying their dues. There are some mistakes being made on my part as far as billing those who have paid or not billing those that should have been billed for membership. Forgive me as I am new to this job. I want to thank those who are remaining members in spite of the COVID. It’s important to remember that this COVOD crisis will end sometime in the not too far off future, and maintaining an active membership is important for you and the Lodge.

Brad Smith , PER, PDDGER, Lodge Secretary

We would like to thank DDGER Randy Logan for his visit to our lodge on Wednesday September 16. We would also like to thank all the members for coming to the lodge sit down or “Take out” meals on Wednesdays and Fridays. Thank you to all who volunteer, our membership makes our lodge great! Keep up the good work of social distancing and wearing masks. Stay safe and God bless.

Marta Martinez, Trustee Chairperson

by Heather Shelton, Times-Standard Newspaper, portions of the article were copied with permission

“The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks brings much more to our communities than just a building. We provide a place where neighbors come together, families share meals and children grow up,” said Past Exalted Ruler Dennis Hunter.

“We invest in our communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free, meet the needs of today’s veterans and improve the quality of life,” Hunter said. “One of the ways we can save lives is to become directly involved with the blood bank. Since the onset of the COVID-19 virus, there has been a tremendous shortage of blood and the need for local blood donations.”

New donors are always needed, (Kate) Witthaus noted, especially now during the COVID-19 health crisis. “Locally, 38% of blood donations normally come from people 65 and older, but many seniors are now quarantining. Twenty-five percent of donations normally come from high school and college campus blood drives, but most of these schools are closed or partially closed,” she said. “We need new healthy, eligible donors to step in and fill these gaps, and we need new businesses and organizations to help us hold community blood drives to replace the ones that have been canceled.” Dozens of Elks and community members donated (at our Elks Blood Drive).