Maine Elks Association

Public Relations Committee Newsbriefs-3/10/05

Maine Elks Association Newsbriefs

Maine Elks Announce Winning License Plate Design

At its March meeting, the Maine Elks Association (MEA) announced the winning design for its new license plate. The design above was a combination of the top two designs submitted by MEA Public Relations Director Wayne Cotterly and Rockland artist Chris Van Dusen. The design prominently features the Elks logo as well as the logo of the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

According to Robert Drisko, Government Relations Director for the Maine Elks Association, the plate design will be forwarded to the Secretary of State’s office for initial approval, followed by official adoption by the Maine State Legislature. The new plate will take approximately a 1 ½ years to go through the entire legislative and manufacturing process before it is made available to the members and the public.

In order for this to License Plate to become reality, it will be necessary for members of the Maine Elks Association to purchase a minimum of 2000 plates. The first year, each plate would cost $20.00, with an annual renewal cost of $15.00. During subsequent years, the renewal fee would be $15.00 each, with a return to the state association of $10.00 per plate. The proceeds from the initial sale and renewal of the license plates would be donated to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program through the Maine Elks Association.

Here is your opportunity to show that you belong to one of the greatest Fraternal Organizations in the USA and at the same time be a contributor the Maine Elks Association major project - the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. If the association is successful in obtaining the minimum number of 2000 orders, it will receive a begin receiving a minimum of $20,000 each year that would be donated to MCCP. However, this will not happen without the support of the membership.


MEA State President Luis Morales is encouraging all members of the Maine Elks Association to participate in this program. To do so, each member will be required to complete the form below, along with a check made out “MEA Specialty Plate” and send it to:

Roger Normandeau
MEA Treasurer
1 Russell Drive
Springvale, ME 04083-1692

Posters showing the new design will be mailed to the Lodges shortly. These posters will contain a tear off sheet of the license plate application, which can be used to place your order. If you wish to place your order sooner, the form below can be printed out and mailed to the address above. The sooner we obtain the 2000 license plate requests, the sooner the process can be completed. Please support this project, and show that Elks Care—Elks Share. 

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Vehicle 1:

Name: _________________________   Present Vehicle Registration No. __  __________

Mailing address: Street__________________________, City;_____________________

State:__________  Zip: _______________________                       Amount enclosed $20.00

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Vehicle 2.

Name: _________________________   Present Vehicle Registration No. __  __________

Mailing address: Street__________________________, City;_____________________

State:__________  Zip: _______________________                      Amount enclosed $20.00

Maine Elks Motorcycle Riders Meet

(from the Farmington Elks Newsletter)

At our last meeting we discussed the routes for the Owie Box run and times. Also talked about poker runs for lodges and the importance of letting us know in advance so they can get on the calendar and not conflict with another lodge’s motorcycle event. The Bath Lodge has a Lodge run to benefit MCCP. More later on that run. The following Wed. after last meeting, Skip Gay, Rod Bauer, and myself met with Jim Bouchard regarding our t-shirts and possibilities for the design. He liked our ideas and he will be working on the design for us. He has a supplier that has low cost shirts and we will probably buy them through MCCP.

We also finally got the go ahead on the patches. We are ordering 80 patches based on the number we had in the past, and an update from those in attendance at the last meeting. Thanks for coming.

Mike Hory
Chairman, MEMR

Elks National Youth Week Announced

In a recent letter to Youth Activities Chairmen, Grand Exalted Ruler James McQuillan has set aside the week beginning with the first Sunday in May 2005 as Elks National Youth Week. McQuillan urges all Lodges to sponsor programs throughout the week dedicated to the youth of our country. These events should be attractive, interesting, and beneficial to our young people. In addition, the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Committee has asked that each Exalted Ruler to appoint a committee to conduct appropriate programs for Elks Youth Week.

The Youth Week promotion will be conducted on a contest level with recognition and awards to the Subordinate Lodges who present written evidence of the best and most constructive Youth Week Program. This year’s contest is based on the week of May 1st through May 7th, 2005. Contest details are on pages 17-18, and 20-21 of the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Manual.

The deadline for contest entry will be May 29, 2005, and brochures are to be sent to James R. Pilgrim, 4922 Glen Coe Point, Gainesville, GA 30506. This brochure must also include a letter from the Lodge Secretary that includes the current Lodge membership total.

Some ideas for Youth Week include:

  1. Have the mayor of your city or town, or your Board of Selectmen issue a Youth Week Proclamation. It is suggested that the request be made by the Exalted Ruler or the Lodge Youth Activities Chairperson.
  2. Hold a Youth Week Parade in your community, with all high schools, public, parochial, and private within the jurisdiction of the Lodge invited to participate with their bands, drill teams, and cheerleaders. An invitation to all Boy and Girl Scout Troops and any other organized groups, such as church groups, to march in uniform. Prizes should be awarded to the school or troop with the best drill team, for the greatest number in line of march, for the best band, and the best in appearance. Every media should be requested to give your Lodge the coverage that such a promotion deserves.
  3. Suggest to your city officials for a Student Government Day. The boys and girls could take over the offices of the elected officials for one day
  4. Arrange with your Chief of Police to engage and swear in high school seniors to work on school patrols, ride with police in police cars, observe the handling of cases at headquarters and spend an entire day in the police department to observe its various functions, and in that way learn about what goes on in this department of government.
  5. Sporting events are another project that creates public interest and in which boys and girls are eager to participate, such as track and field meets, basketball, baseball, boxing, fishing tournaments, and road races.
  6. There are many other suggestions as to how Youth Week can be served in the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Manual.

State Legislature Eyes Banning Smoking in Maine Elk Lodges

The Maine State Legislature is currently eyeing the possibility of banning smoking in all facilities that sell food or alcohol. Though not specifically identified, this bill would affect all Elk Lodges across the State of Maine.

Current law prohibits smoking in the enclosed areas of restaurants and most other public places, but does not prohibit smoking in bingo halls, off-track betting facilities and private clubs that are licensed for the sale of food and alcohol.  This bill would change that to prohibit smoking in the enclosed areas of all places licensed for the sale of food and alcohol while those places are open for such purposes.

Below is the text of the proposed legislation LD #160:

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

       Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §1542, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 342, §1 and affected by §9, is amended to read:

       1.  Prohibition.  Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas of public places, all enclosed areas of places licensed for the sale of food or alcohol and all rest rooms made available to the public.

       Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §1542, sub-§2, ¶K, as amended by PL 2003, c. 379, §1, is repealed.

       Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §1542, sub-§2, ¶N, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 493, §5 and affected by §14, is repealed.

At the spring meeting of the Maine Elks Association this past weekend, the issue was brought to the floor by MEA Government Relations Director Robert Drisko. It was requested that the state association provide some direction as to whether it wanted to support or oppose this legislation as it would affect every Subordinate Lodge in Maine. Speaking words of caution, MEA 1st Vice-President Elmer Berry pointed out that this would be a very controversial issue for everyone involved as we do not want to alienate any particular group of members. However, in a split vote, the association voted to oppose the bill.

A Public Hearing on LD 160 will be held on March 17, 2005 at the Cross State Office Building in Room 209 at 1:00 PM. All members who are concerned with this legislation are encouraged to attend the hearing or contact their local representative. For more information on the legislation, contact Government Relations Director Robert Drisko .

Missing: State President’s Coat

At the homecoming celebration for MEA State President Luis Morales and First Lady Dottie on Saturday Night, someone inadvertently took Luis Morales coat, and left theirs in its place. The coat is described as a Hip Length-Army Green Woolrich Coat. The one left at the Lodge was a Beige Hip Length Coat. The missing coat contains some of Luis personal belongings, including a Cross Pen, with Luis name engraved on it, along with a money clip from the Minneapolis Convention. Please pass this on to anyone you know from your Lodge who may have attended that night. If you find this coat, please contact Luis Morales at dmlibrary@hotmail.com .

If you have news or information of interest to the members of the Maine Elks Association, please send your articles to Public Relations Director Wayne Cotterly at cotterly@pivot.net for inclusion in the MEA Calendar, Newsbriefs, and/or Website. Also, if you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please send an e-mail to Public Relations Director Wayne Cotterly at cotterly@pivot.net. In addition, if you know of someone who would like to be added to this list, please have them forward their e-mail address to the same address. All information provided has been read and approved by the MEA State President.