BPOElks

Kenai Elks lodge gets a makeover By Joseph Robertia | Peninsula Clarion Driving around Kenai it is quite common to see a moose, while seeing a bear is a little more rare, but motorists driving down Barnacle Way have been taking in an even more unusual spectacle: an 8-foot tall, 700-pound bull elk. "This past weekend we had people stopping and taking pictures of it," said Joel Macrander, exalted ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 2425.

he Longmont Elks last month distributed about $8,000 in scholarships to local graduating students. It was the latest of the lodge's contributions to the community, which follow from the four virtues the Elks embrace: charity, justice, fidelity and brotherly love.

The Somerville Elks Lodge Scholarship Committee supports the students of local high schools by providing financial scholarships to outstanding kids, based on their academic achievements and moral character. The administration of each school is charged with selecting the students to receive our awards.

After a year off, a longtime Santa Maria Elks Rodeo tradition - the queen contest - rides back into town for 2009, when a first-time event from 2008 also will return. The 66th annual rodeo begins Friday, June 5, and ends Sunday, June 7, at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center, east of Highway 101 at Santa Maria Way.

The 66th annual Santa Maria Elks rodeo is in full swing. But, so far not as many people seem to be swinging by this year. So far, through two nights at the rodeo, everything has been pretty typical with one exception. The attendance is definitely down this year.

Their stories are legion. The stress behind their stories, stress that combat veterans often hold tight inside, can be painful and destructive. There was the Marine in Afghanistan who told me he has post-traumatic stress disorder so bad he can't stand to be safe at home, where he sometimes drops to the floor, thinking a loud noise is an incoming mortar. He keeps volunteering to return to combat, where his hair-trigger reflexes make sense. Where he's comfortable. For veterans, telling their stories can be helpful. Having someone listen? Priceless.

PAW PAW - The Paw Paw Elks Lodge 2511 will hold a free youth archery shoot, Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the lodge, 41816 N. M-40. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Bows and targets will be provided. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., an all-you-can-eat wild game luncheon will be served.

Have you ever entered a business establishment, observed a purple pig on the counter and wondered what the significance was?

CHICAGO, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier this month, 18 high school seniors from across the country received phone calls that changed their lives. "I was thrilled to learn about my scholarship," said Mai Chi Tran of Troutdale, Ore., one of the 18 top winners in the Elks National Foundation's Most Valuable Student scholarship contest. "It will affect me not only for the next four years, but for the rest of my life."

The Simi Valley Elks and the Emblem Club joined together and sponsored Parks & Recreation Alternative Bowlers. This event is held yearly. This year there were 94 bowlers. The bowlers all had a wonderful time and everyone was a winner.

Jordyn Schara makes grown men cry. The 14-year-old feels guilty, because every time veterans read her national prize-winning essay on freedom, they break down in tears. Merle Alt, chairman of the Baraboo Elks Club's essay program, can hardly discuss Schara's piece without choking up. And he's not alone. "This essay brought everybody at the Elks convention to their knees," Alt said.

The nearly 2,000 Ada County seniors who count on meals delivered to their homes through Meals on Wheels, or served at local senior centers, will have a new provider June 1. The Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital is taking over nutrition services.

Getting an 8 a.m. start for moving Thomas Race's belongings into storage wasn't a big deal for the seven Elks and military veterans who took on the task Friday morning. But it was a big deal for Race, who spent the past four weeks packing up his and his wife's possessions so he could check himself into the Veterans Administration hospital in Walla Walla next week. Race has used a wheelchair since January, but he has battled depression and drug abuse for about eight years. Now he hopes to get an upper hand on his mental struggles by addressing his physical disability, which was brought on by an anthrax vaccination nearly 20 years ago.

Catalina Mountain Elks Lodge #2815 has presented scholarships to eight Northwest students. Five students earned Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Contest scholarships. Justin Haley, who attends Ironwood Ridge High School, received a $4,000 scholarship and is competing as a national finalist. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy students Victoria Johnston, Jordan Thompson and Morgan Van Stelle each received $1,000 awards for use at the college of their choice, as did Russell Smith from Canyon del Oro High School. All students were selected based upon their academic achievements and leadership skills as well as their participation in community affairs, a release said.

The Arizona Elks Association state convention was held May 7-9 in Tempe. Of the 49 Elks lodges throughout the state, the top two from each of the four districts were on hand to compete for the final prize: the privilege of representing the state at the National Elks Convention scheduled July 5-9 in Portland, Ore.

Brazos Valley Elks Lodge No. 859 at 304 Mobile Ave. in Bryan will hold its fourth annual Veterans' Fish Fry at 12:30 p.m. It will feature a free catfish lunch. Kirk Storey, the Elks' state president, will present the Elks Medal of Valor to two families that have lost someone in Iraq or Afghanistan.

HOUMA - When someone enters the Elks Lodge in downtown Houma, the first thing that grabs your attention is two prominent rows of pictures overhead. The images feature the faces of every man who has ever held the highest post in the organization, known as exalted ruler.

n 2008, for example, folks at the Plymouth Elks Lodge 1780 raised over $4,500 to buy Christmas gifts for veterans in the Detroit, Ann Arbor and Battle Creek Veterans Administration hospitals, and at three homeless shelters; donated more than 230 bags of clothing to the Michigan Veterans Foundation; sponsored regular game days and ice cream socials for hospitalized and homeless veterans; hosted steak lunches for veterans who are bused to the Elks lodge from around the region; and donated deer hides used to make gloves given to veterans who use wheelchairs.

Mesquite Elks Lodge # 2811 held their Annual Law and Order Night on Saturday, honoring the silent heroes of our community.