Flat Rock Lodge 1731 Formed-May 31,1947 69 PER's have dedicated their time and leadership to keep this Lodge for all to enjoy. We have 35 PER’s still living today of which 17 are pictured in this photo taken at the Inaugural Ball April 2016. Ken Cesta currently our 70th Exalted Ruler.
Charles D. Hays PER 1997/1998
I had the honor of being The 50th Exalted Ruler and with that came The 50th Anniversary Party which was a great time. In attendance was our Elk State Dignitaries and Charter Members Etc. We also had a couple of Big Votes my term 1.) Voted on our First Female Member to join our Great Lodge 2.) We had to decide to put money into our Lodge or there was opposition who wanted to sell our corner lot and relocate somewhere else. So the Vote was if we wanted to remodel the Kitchen and it Passed by I believe One Vote. I did my best to carry on with Elk Traditions from several talks and guidance from our PERS at the time. We had a Function once a month for the members and Fridays in the Lounge was Standing Room only if you got there late. What I`m most proud of is that if I was in the building Lounge or Hall it didn`t matter at 11:00 pm I would give the 11 Hour Toast and pay tribute to our Absent Members.
James Van Horn PER 2000/2001
When I was an Officer for our Lodge each chair taught me about Elkdom. In my year as ER 2000-2001 the bar up in the hall was re-done and the floor in our meeting room was re-done. I enjoy going down to the lodge every weekend to visit with all the members and their families.
Jeff Click PER 2012/2013
What being an Elk means to me are many different things? The biggest of course is being able to serve the needs of the community and Elkdom. When I first joined the Elks it was because one of my Grandfathers, Robert Watt, was an Elk and very active in his Sarasota Florida Lodge. It was a big part of his life and he impressed upon me the value in it and I knew that at some point of my life I wanted to do the same. When I first joined I never dreamed I would have had the privilege to serve as your ER, it is something that I will always be proud of. That said, I believe that the value of being an Elk is serving others and the satisfaction that it brings. Every member has something of value to contribute whether its time, a special skill or talent, donations, a helping hand, or as simple as a kind word or a listening ear to one of our Veterans or Special Needs citizen’s. As I asked, as your ER “Be active!” There is something for everyone and I encourage you to volunteer for at least one event every year. If you are unsure of how to get involved just ask. We need willing and interested members to serve on committees and be willing to serve as officers of your Lodge. Who knows, that person might just be you?
Jeff Recker PER 2013/2014
Luckily your year as ER is the easiest of all 4 years served in the chairs. One thing you learn really fast is you are a figure-head and don’t really control anything. The lodge is controlled by the membership. As ER you are just a voice for the lodge. I was very proud to be allowed to be the voice of all the members. It is a great experience and you meet a lot of people. If you ever have the time, I would suggest that you get involved with the events going on at the lodge, learn what it takes to go through the chairs and then give it a try. Be ready to give a lot of your personal time for all the events you will be expected to attend.