Maine Elks
Association
Public Relations Committee
Newsbriefs -06/08/08
Maine
Elks Association Newsbriefs
Request for
Official Timer & 5k Course Certifier
The Biddeford-Saco Elks Lodge will
be holding a 5k run at the beginning of October 2008 to benefit Haley
Desjardin’s, the granddaughter of Past District Deputy Harry Desjardins who has
been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. The Lodge is currently looking for someone with
qualifications to certify a 5 Kilometer course, and another to serve as the
official timer for the event. This request is going out to the Maine Elks
Association to see if there is anyone that meets these qualifications, and are
willing to volunteer their time to help out on this event. If you are qualified
to do this, or know of someone who would be willing to do this, please contact
Roger Sicard at 207-282-2288 or 207-423-5330.
Maine to host Regional
Hoop Shoot for 2009 & 2010
Richard Blinn, Grand Lodge Regional Hoop
Shoot Director announces that the State of Maine will be the host for the Elks Regional
Hoop Shoot Competition for the next two years. The events will be held in the
Portland area, with participants staying at the
Wyndham Hotel in South
Portland. The events will be held on March 27-29, 2009,
and March 26-28, 2010. This past year was the first time that the State of
Maine had
hosted this event.
York Elks March in
Memorial Day Parade
From
Bob Carr, York
Elks Public Relations
Members of the York
Elks Lodge recently marched in the Memorial Day Parade. For several years, the
Lodge has used a large 10’ x 20’ Flag that requires six people to carry in the
parade. The officers dress in Tuxedo and white gloves during the march. The
officers get a lot of complements and applause each time they walk down the
parade route. The Lodge also passes out flag lapel pins as well. At the end of
the parade, the officers take great care in folding the Flag; many times, people
can be found watching the officers fold the flag “by the book.”
Pictured
above are officers of the York Elks Lodge carrying the flag at a local
cemetery.
Reminder for
Elks—Flag Day is Special!
From the GL Government Relations
Newsletter
Flag Day—June 14—is a special day in Elks
history and tradition. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the
Stars and Strips as the new nation’s flag. There were individuals and
organizations that promoted the idea of observing that anniversary each year,
but the idea really took off when the Elks decided in 1907 to have each of its
lodges mark the date. A decade later, as hundreds of thousands of their brothers
fought in Europe, the Elks persuaded President
Woodrow Wilson to recognize Flag Day with a proclamation. With the armistice
ending World
War I, the June 14 celebrations took
on a new importance for returning veterans. One who was especially impressed by
the ceremonies in his Elks Lodge in Independence,
Missouri, was Harry Truman, who had commanded
an infantry company in France. When he became President,
Truman issued proclamations for Flag Day as veterans returned from another war,
but he also felt that the occasion should have legal sanction. Congress
responded by passing a joint resolution and the practice of setting aside June
14 of each year as a special day to honor the flag was codified into
law.
Flag Day falls on Saturday this year, a great time for a public
ceremony at the lodge. It is also a time to remind business owners to fly the
Flag. Contact your local TV stations and cable systems and furnish them with a
photo or slide of Old Glory, flying over the Elks lodge or a local landmark. Ask
them to remind viewers during station breaks that June 14 is a time to honor
America and her troops by honoring
the Flag.
August State
Meeting Hotel Information
From Don Dow,
Central District PR
A block of 30 rooms has been
reserved at Lovely's Motel in Newport 368-4311 for the evening of Saturday
August 9, 2008. The rooms will be held until July 3rd at which time they will
be released for the General Public. The standard rates are $89 Queen, $79
Double, $54 Single. If 15 rooms are rented out, the cost will be reduced $5 per
each double and Queen. If 30 rooms are rented out the cost will be reduced $10
for each double and queen. Please mention you are with the Elks to get the
agreed upon rate if enough rooms are rented out. The Maine Elks State President
will be visiting the Sebasticook Valley Lodge on August 9th; an itinerary of the
evening will be published at a later date. The Maine Elks Association Trustees
Meeting and General Meeting will be held on Sunday August
10th.
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
meapr@fairpoint.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
meapr@fairpoint.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