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Exalted Ruler's Message

      I cannot believe it is already February, where did January go? As you may know I have been volunteering for double duty around the Lodge for the past two months. Of course I have been performing my duties as the Exalted Ruler and I have also been a dedicated volunteer in our catering office, helping in the rental of our facilities and the catering of our events until we hire a general manager. The Hiring Committee and I have been busy sorting through resumes and interviewing qualified candidates in order to find the best possible manager for our  Lodge going forward. Leading Knight Joe Lusher has been very helpful in sorting through the applicants and I am very thankful for Joe’s assistance in the hiring process as well as his support and assistance this past year. Joe is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the Lodge as Exalted Ruler in the coming year and I know from working with him that he will do an excellent job. Trustees Al Smith, Vern  Andreasen and Rick Fortier have also been instrumental in the hiring process, and the general manager position should be filled by the time you are reading this so be sure to welcome our new manager the next time you are in the Lodge.
     In December we had a terrific New Years Eve celebration which was hosted by Warren and Susan Kayser. Warren and Susan did a wonderful job planning and decorating the hall. Their band Rewind played all evening and it had been awhile since I saw an Elks dance floor packed as much as it was on New Years Eve, they had us dancing all night long. At the January 13th Lodge Night dinner we recognized two citizens for outstanding achievements. The first was Kyle Aguiar who has been chosen to be a Congressional Page in Washington D.C.; the second was Linda Nassie who was chosen as California Teacher of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The evening was hosted by our Americanism Chairman John Shulz and his wife Joan. Our annual Western Night hosted by PER Terry Horne was well attended and guests were treated to great country music and a wonderful Barbeque Dinner.
     Coming up in February we will have a Super Bowl Party on the 7th and on the 5th we will be having our members only crab feed, be sure to call in and purchase your tickets for both.
     February is the month for officer nominations and our Past Exalted Rulers /”Oldtimers Night”. Some of our PERs will be standing in for the regular officers at the Lodge meeting. At “Oldtimers Night” we will be honoring our members who have continuously held their membership for over 20 years. Please come down to the Lodge and see our PER’s in action and visit with some old friends at “Old Timers” night this month.


Come on down to the Lodge and I will see you there.
Russ Fortier, Exalted Ruler