The view from the corner.

What in heaven’s name will this blog be about?  Truth be told, I am not entirely certain myself.  Will it be a place to look to see what is happening at the Lodge?  Definitely.  Will it be a place to hear what is being planned and MIGHT be upcoming?  Probably.  Will it be a place for me to drone on about what I notice from my perch at the corner of the bar?  Possibly.  I invite you, my dear readers, to jump onto the train as it pulls out of the station and take the ride with me and see just where it takes us.

2019 began, as I hope you all are aware, on January 1st of this year.  Our Elk Year, however, runs from April to April, and as such, I had planned to start this journey with you once our new Elk Year had started.  Had I done that, though, I would have missed the opportunity to thank the 2018-2019 Lodge 1291 Officers for the outstanding work that they have done for our Lodge over the past year.

On March 31 2019, at our Lodge Installation Dinner, we will be bidding farewell to some officers, seeing others move from one position to another, and welcoming in fresh new faces.  Leaving office will be Exalted Ruler Vicki Baker, (though she WILL be moving on to a lifelong position of PER!  So much for retirement Vicki, enjoy that Orange Jacket!), Loyal Knight Bob Lutz, Lodge Esquire John McArthur (why does that name sound so familiar?), Tiler Joyce Zachary, Inner Guard Michelle Coffey, Secretary Gary Malone PER, and Treasurer Sandy Fuschetti.  Rick Burton will be moving from Leading Knight to Exalted Ruler, John Mathison will be moving from Lecturing Knight to Leading Knight, and Jim Crosby PER will be moving from 1 Year Trustee to Lodge Treasurer.  Incoming Officers are Charles Wolfe as our new Loyal Knight, Phillip Lawson as our new Lecturing Knight, Chris Porshe as our new Lodge Esquire, Michael Butler as our new Tiler, Rob Swann as our new Inner Guard, John McArthur (there is that name again!) as our Outer Guard, and Rick LIttlejohn as our new interim Secretary.  All four of our Trustees will be moving up a year, and we welcome our new Five Year Trustee Jim Mosier.  Not to be forgotten, Sandy Bates will be continuing to save our souls as Lodge Chaplain.  Please join with me in thanking our outgoing officers for their work over the past year, and offering our condolences, no, not that, welcoming, yes, WELCOMING our new officers.

Now, dear readers, I would be remiss in not addressing the elephant in the room.  This past election cycle was, shall we say, cantankerous.  Members took to their feet and expressed opinions.  Other Members offered differing opinions.  Discussions were civil but emotions ran high.  Ultimately, votes were cast and tallied, results were announced.  Some Members walked away feeling victorious, others felt disappointment.  The end result was that our Members used their right of franchise to make their voices heard.  I hope each and every one of you will join me in putting aside any personal feeling regarding the election and give our new officers our full and unwavering support.

Holding Office within the Lodge is, I think, one of the most selfless things an Elk can strive for.  It takes a very special kind of person (and a certain amount of craziness) to want to serve.  The responsibilities are great; the rewards few.  Please, when you run across a past officer in the Lodge, thank them for the service they gave to our Lodge, and when you see a current officer, thank them for the services they are currently giving.  Trust me, a little acknowledgement goes a LONG way.

Well, that is the view from the end of the bar for now.  Bartender, a Rolling Rock please, and don’t forget the slice of lime.