HASTINGS LODGE #1965
FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

May – June 2000

Dear Members,

Please take the time to read the "What’s an Elk?" brochure. It is quite informative.

A New Year is upon us again. I would like to thank all of you for your support in electing me as your Exalted Ruler. With your help we can make this a very successful year. I will do my best to see that our Lodge keeps moving in a positive direction.

I want to thank everyone for their support for the last three years while I was on the house committee. We have four new members on the house committee for the upcoming year, Dave Wilcox – Chairman, Don Nevins, Sue DelCotto and Pat Loftus. If you have any requests or suggestions for the club please take them to the house committee. If you don’t make your suggestions or complaints, we won’t know how to improve. Keep in mind, we can not please everyone, even though we try. Please give them your support and help.

Here is a partial little list of goals for my term as ER:

• • Finish with the remodeling of the clubroom.

• • Hang the Past Exalted Rulers pictures.

• • Do a better job on publicity in the paper to promote our lodge. We need to get the message to the public Elks Care and Elks Share.

• • Try to get the Vivians active again. Please help.

• • Further the remodeling on the kitchen by updating some equipment. Replacing a little each year is slowly reducing our overall cost for the new kitchen.

• • We need to address some outside building repairs.

• • We have some repair work to do on the cabin at the Y-Camp.

• • Finish the deck project we started over a year age. We still don’t have enough funds for this project at this time but we are working on this.

I have several more things but I won’t list them all. As you can tell most of these items are going to require some help from members. It’s time that all who can become active members again. We really need to carry the message that Elks Care, Elks Share. Whatever help you can give on a project will be appreciated.

On the Lodge side we have some first time officers filling chairs.

Charles Converse Jr. - Inner-Guard

Warren Steele – Trustee

Gayle Marsh – Secretary

The rest of us have held chairs before but most of us are in a new position.

Mark Brisboe - Leading Knight

Mike Garrett - Loyal Knight

Dave Flood - Lecturing Knight

Dave Wren, PER - Chaplain

Bob Byington - Treasurer

Butch Waldron - Tiler

Vacant - Esquire

Trustee – Rod Newton II

Trustee – Warren Steele

Trustee – Tom Krul

I need someone to please step forward for the position of Esquire.

Report on upcoming events for the Lodge:

Spring State Convention in Midland – May 19th thru 21^st: The South Central District is hosting the State President’s Hospitality Room. All are invited to attend for the weekend or just drop by the hospitality room one day to meet some fellow Elks and have a great time. If you can attend, you need to make your reservations as soon as possible. It would be great to see some new faces from the Hastings Lodge at these conventions. There is no pressure for you to attend the meeting but you certainly may if you desire.

Veteran’s Picnic June17th: This will be at the VA Hospital in Battle Creek. This is a very heart warming day and a great opportunity for you to support some of the people who have defended our Country.

South Central District Golf Outing July 29th at 8 am: The Battle Creek Lodge will host the outing. The golf will be at Ellyn Downs Golf Club by Marshall. The meal and festivities will be held at the Battle Creek Lodge. This is a member guest outing and the cost is $45 per person. Please bring a guest and attend. A flyer will be posted in the clubroom.

In closing, remember to be "Just & Kind" to your follow man. Let’s all pitch in and make this a year to remember at the Hastings Elks Lodge.

Sincerely,

your Exalted Ruler

Tom Hildreth, (TJ)

SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

The support I have received from the members as the new secretary has been very gratifying. Thank you.

If you have any questions regarding your membership card, or you wish to request a spouse card, please leave a message at the bar. I am looking forward to an exciting year at the Hastings lodge.

Gayle Marsh, Secretary

TREASURER’S MESSAGE

The budget for the year 2000-2001 has been presented to the Lodge and will be approved at the first meeting in May.

There is, however, still room in the operation of the Lodge for special projects and improvements that the members may wish to explore.

Thanks to the House Committee and the Trustees, the Lodge is still in stable financial condition. There are many regular financial commitments to be met, which you, as members support through your dues, participation in the Club, Summerfest and the other activities around the Lodge and Club. Without your support, this would not be possible.

Bob Byington, Treasurer

Trustees …

Welcome to our new Officers and House Committee. A huge thanks goes to Gayle Marsh for stepping in as our new Secretary.

We are hoping for this year to be as prosperous as last year. Thanks to everyone that has paid their dues promptly. It helps make our planning efforts easier.

We have the Veterans ‘T’ shirts for sale for $10.00. Anyone interested, please see the bartender. If you are planning to attend the Veterans Picnic at the V.A. Medical Center in Battle Creek on June 17^th, it would be nice to have a veterans shirt to wear. We hope a lot of you will volunteer to help.

Rod Newton II, Chmn., Trustees.

HOUSE COMMITTEE

Welcome to the new House Committee. Dave Wilcox, Chairman, Pat Loftus, Sue Delcotto, Don Nevins and Bob Byington are the newest members of this hard working committee. Meetings are set for the second and last Monday of the month. All members are welcome to these meetings and your input and comments are appreciated.

The Club is running along smoothly and the dinners are planned for the next couple of months. See the schedule on the calendar in this bulletin. There is also something going on at the Club and the lodge nearly every night from now until spring. Check the calendar to see what you might be interested in. All members are welcome at these events. If you want to come up and just hang around and fellowship with a few of the members, just stop by.

Thank you, in advance, to those members who have agreed to host a Friday night dinner. The effort that these members are willing to put forth is greatly appreciated.

BINGO

Bingo is still alive and kicking at the Lodge every Wednesday night. The number of players has increased over the last few months, as has the financial benefit to the Lodge. Helpers are still needed and are always appreciated. The learning curve is quite short and there is always someone available to assist you.

The Elks Government Relations Report Items of Interest from the Congress, State Legislatures and the Courts.

April, 2000 Contents:

(1) Elks Asked to Help ‘Reconnect’ The Public with Today’s Military

(2) Retail Alcohol Tax Repeal Effort in Limbo as Congress Takes Break

(1) Elks Asked to Help ‘Reconnect’ The Public with Today’s Military

Secretary of Defense William Cohen is asking the Elks to help "reconnect America with its military," to help inform the people in their communities about contributions, service and sacrifice being made by the men and women on active duty.

Today, with less than six percent of the population under the age of 60 having served in the military, the vast majority of Americans have little basis for understanding what military men and women do and accomplish each day.

To broaden the base of public understanding about those in uniform and the challenges they face, the Pentagon is asking the Elks to join with other civic groups in a coordinated communications outreach effort, with added emphasis leading up to the 50th Anniversary of Armed Services Day on May 20, 2000. In coming weeks, Elks can tie this message into their promotion and participation in other patriotic holidays-Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July.

In his recent visit to Washington, Elks National President Jim Varenhorst was briefed on the Pentagon effort by Deputy Secretary John Hamre and other officials.

Through organizations like the Elks, the Defense Department hopes to familiarize youth and those who influence this generation about the positive aspects of the military, emphasize the military’s positive role in securing peace and prosperity, humanize the qualities and accomplishments of individual service members and their connection to the community, and to publicize military contributions to national and international security.

To find out if an official Armed Forces Day event is planned in your community, you can log onto the Armed Forces Day web site: www.defenselink.mil/afd/

(2) Retail Alcohol Tax Repeal Effort In Limbo As Congress Takes Break

A move to repeal the onerous special occupational tax (SOT) on retailers who sell alcoholic beverages is caught up in election-year political maneuvering over how to handle a Senate-House conference on legislation to increase the minimum wage.

As Congress started its Easter break, leaders had not appointed conferees to work out differences in two radically different bills. SOT repeal is included in the House-passed bill that would gives tax breaks to small businesses as compensation for the minimum wage boost.

In the Senate, a minimum wage increase was tacked onto the bankruptcy reform bill. The Senate bill does not contain language repealing the SOT.

The tax costs every Elks lodge $250 a year.

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