Good day my fellow Elks brothers and sisters, I hope this newsletter finds you all well.
I hope everyone is enjoying spring and ready to get out of the house to enjoy some activities. We have many activities coming up and planned for the year, so watch your calendars and come join us when you can. This month we will have pizza night on the 11th and have invited the students of the month for this past school year, wing night on the 15th, Darryl and Darryl’s Thirsty Thursday game night on the 23th, and the second annual Poker Run put on by Rich Kyle on June 25th to list a few. Darryl (Kevin Curran) and Darryl (Doug Bagby) are making some changes to this night. It will no longer just be a pitch tournament. They will be expanding it to more card games and other games like close the box, etc. so the non-pitch players can also come enjoy the evening. This is guaranteed to offer a fun time with these two running the event.
The board decided that we should all go have a fun night at a ball game. We have reserved seats at Principal Park in Des Moines for a picnic and watch The Iowa Cubs play the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) on September 17th. The cost is only $28 per person and includes all you can eat hamburgers, hotdogs, potato chips, potato salad, water, and soda. This will also include a promo prize choice of a t-shirt, hat, baseball, mini bat, or a seat cushion, and your ticket to watch the game. The picnic starts at 5:08 pm and lasts until the game starts at 6:08 pm. We will be seated together in Section 8, rows 1-6. We would love to see as many ELKS and their families as possible to share this fun evening. Please RSVP me right away with a call or text to 319-931-7745, or email me at fairfieldelksrsvp@gmail.com. Seats are limited but if we get more people wanting to go, we may be able to get more tickets if we act fast.
Last month the lodge officers, 3 trustees, and some lodge members attended the Iowa State Elks spring convention. We had a good time and learned a good deal. Some of the takeaways that out Grand Exalter Ruler T. Keith Mills and our new State President Judy Graff would like us to focus on is getting our members active and increasing membership. I share the same goals. These are very important to keep our lodges viable to be able to continue all of the good things we do for our communities. So come on up and join us for activities and bring a friend. Let’s get others involved in our lodge and make this a great experience for all. There is plenty of fun to be had, and plenty of heartwarming events we do throughout the year helping those in need. Watch your calendars and jump in.
I hope to have a chance to get to know each and every one of you throughout my year as Exalted Ruler. If you have questions, comments, or ideas for me, please reach out to me. I want to make sure everyone has a voice to make this a lodge that makes everyone proud while having a great time. We are very willing to accommodate new ideas. See you all soon.
Fraternally yours,
Ryan Ford, Exalted Ruler
Stagettes is done for this spring and will resume in September. Enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing everyone soon. Dayna Ford