Hello again everybody. We are quickly approaching our busy season, which is good. Now that our summer break is over, meetings are back to regular schedule, the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Please make a point of attending as we are conducting the business of the Lodge, and with 900 plus members, we have roughly 20 to 30 of them making decisions. Please attend because they are not all initiation nights and I see that they go rather quickly.

There have also been some changes around the Lodge. Evan Billman has decided to take his talents into the wine industry and we wish him much success and hope to see him around the Lodge when he has time.

The bar improvements are continuing with new wood below and above the bar. A big thanks to Terry Horne for donating the wood and Rick Schmid, Al Smith, Bill Dixon, Kevin Ahlswede, Scott Bechhold, Jan Bratcher, Mike Efford and Don Schumacher for demo and installation of the new wood.

The long awaited Elk is here! The generous donation from an anonymous member of the amazing Elk statue is in its place and looks amazing! Rick Schmid, Duane Fosdick and Andy Wood have cleared, formed and placed the statue in front of the Lodge and if you haven’t seen it, please come down and have a look.

Football season is under way! So come on down to the Lodge and support your favorite team and support your Lodge. There is also Monday Night Dinners at the Lodge. Elks and their guests only at these events, so please call ahead if you plan on attending.

As we all know our Deputy District Grand Exalted Ruler is our very own Wade Thorpe (PER, Trustee, PVP.) With our new Grand Lodge rules not requiring us to perform an initiation for him, we will not. So please attend the meeting ton October 26th to get the background and message from our Grand Exalted Ruler, David R. Carr.

Lots of Activities at Our Lodge I have not been a member of this Lodge as long as many of you have, but in my time I’ve made some really great friends and been able to work with several of you. Jim Fowler, a friend and brother has recently passed. His dedication and leadership to this Lodge and the Order will forever be missed. My deepest condolences to the Fowler family.