The 2023-2024 Lodge year is drawing to a close, so this will be my last article as Exalted Ruler. The past two years have been a reward-ing experience. Keeping the Lodge running smoothly is no easy matter, it's a team effort which requires the dedication of many people.
I especially want to thank our Lodge Secretary Laurie Montag for keeping me on track the past two years. Laurie does a fantastic job managing the office, tracking all of the upcoming events and adding them to our electronic calendar, processing all our membership re-newals and records, handling room rentals, as well as being our Youth Activities Chairperson in charge of scholarships. This doesn’t even count all of the behind-the-scenes things that Laurie handles in the day-to-day operations of the Lodge. Thank you, Laurie, for your support and friendship.
I also want to thank Trustees Scott Schrage and Harry Montag for all of their time spent making trips to Omaha to pick up bar supplies to save the Lodge hundreds of dollars in delivery costs, as well as the large amount of time they spend at the Lodge doing anything and everything necessary to keep it functioning at peak efficiency. A huge thank you goes to the main kitchen crew, Harry & Laurie Montag, Scott & Jody Schrage, Larry & Vicky Jurgens, and Larry Bratt, who put in countless hours preparing our monthly dinners, cooking and serving for burger nights, and preparing food for the Corvette club. Milt & Linda Schmidt and Diane Dannelly & Dave Nelson have been kind enough to volunteer for setting up and decorating the tables for dinners during the past couple of years and have done a marvelous job. Your help and decorating expertise are always appreciated. For those of you who have stepped in from time to time to help with the food service, I thank you also.
Treasurer Jody Schrage has done an excellent job of making sure that our bills are paid promptly and that all accounts are properly bal-anced. Thank you to all of the committee chairpersons for making sure that our kids and Veterans programs have run so smoothly. We do so many good things in our community, and the guidance of our chairpersons and the volunteers who step up to help with our pro-grams makes our organization the best in Lincoln.
The new Lodge year will soon be here and I ask every member of the Lodge to give their full support to our new Exalted Ruler Troy Peder-sen and his team of officers. I will continue to make the Lodge a high priority in my life and do everything I can to help it continue to be a shining star in the community. We do great things as an organization, and I will do all that I can to keep this Lodge a vital part of our community.
Thank you all for your help and support for the past two years.
Larry
Grand Exalted Ruler
A Message from the Grand Exalted Ruler
Hon. Randy Shook
Previous Officers can assist the next generation
We did it. We finished.
The retiring Officers deserve the thanks of all the Members for the successful way in which they have handled their duties in the past year. The work that was accomplished is a tribute to their leadership and effort. It is our hope they will continue to assist the incoming Officers with the work in which our Order is engaged. The fact that each one was a member of the leadership team marks each of them as one of the Lodge’s most valuable Members. The experience and knowledge each of you possess has been, and will always be, invaluable to your Lodge.
Congratulations to the new Officers of every Lodge throughout our great Order. The Members of your Lodge placed their confidence and trust in you and your abilities; you should be very proud. You should consider it an honor to be chosen to be a leader within your Lodge. As the new leader of your Lodge, it is extremely important to put together a dedicated group of people, to create a plan and set the necessary goals for each committee to achieve success. The committee members are the people who work to make your Lodge a success in your community.
Never be afraid to ask questions. Your best source of information is the former Officers whose knowledge and experience is at your disposal, just for the asking. They have been there, done that, and can give you excellent advice.
March is also a time when many Lodges participate in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations such as parties or community parades. Please be safe during these celebrations.
Wanda and I want to wish everyone Happy Easter.
Finally, check your calendar for awards, citations, and contest deadlines.
Remember “Elks Care — Elks Share” and “We Are THE Elks.”
God bless our great Order, our troops, and the United States of America.
Secretary Laurie Montag
Two months down and ten to go! My goodness, time sure flies! As we enter the last month of our fraternal year, I want to thank all of you who have already paid your 2024/25 dues. It would be wonderful to enter the next fraternal year with 100% of our members paid up. It would certainly be one for the books!
March is a busy month at the Lodge, being the last month of the fraternal year. We have the delicious St. Paddy’s Day Dinner on March 16 to look forward to – this is always a winner, starting with the corned beef! Please be sure to call in your reservations by Thursday, March 14. Then, on March 23, we will be celebrating exceptional Middle School 8th Graders at our Teen of the Year reception at the lodge. We will have two sessions – one at 10 AM and one at 1 PM. Hearing about these outstanding students always makes me feel good about the future of our dear nation. Our new ER, Troy Pedersen, will have his installation on Sunday, March 24 – And don’t forget – Easter Sunday comes early this year, on March 31.
I recently fielded a question about why donation options appear on our dues statements. Mostly, we add these giving opportunities because it makes it easy for you to lend your support to several worthwhile causes, such as ENF. If you read the Elks Magazine, you will be familiar with the Elks National Foundation (ENF) and everything it does for our community. We give you the opportunity to donate - $5, $10, or more – because our lodge applies for and receives much more grant money than we donate to ENF. Some grants require that our lodge meet the per capita (per member) amount set by the Grand Exalted Ruler; other grants have bonuses based on the number of our members who give even a small amount, and also the number of our members who have signed up to be in the Fidelity Club and give an automatic amount monthly. This year, we used grant money for the Veteran’s Pantry, to support the Veterans Advisory Group, and to support holiday projects at We Can Do This, City Impact, and the Malone Center, all in the name of Lincoln Elks Lodge #80 and Elkdom.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need assistance with all things Elk. There is voicemail on the lodge phone, or you may contact me as below. See you at the Lodge!
Laurie Montag / secretary@elks80.org / 402.202.6673 by text or phone
Leading Knight Troy Pedersen
The Leading Knight message is not available at this time.
Loyal Knight Dr William Jackson
The Loyal Knight message is not available at this time.
Lecturing Knight Bryan Leavitt
The Lecturing Knight message is not available at this time.
Announcements
Jolly CorksHours
Tue
3~7
Thr
3~7
Fri
3~9
Sat
3~7
Saturday, February 10th, 2024 Valentimes Dinner Entertainment by Bert & Scott Steak, Baked Potato, Brpccoli & Dessert $20.00 per person RSVP by February 8th
Friday, February 16th, 2024 Karaoke In the Jolly Corks Pub. Fun starts at 6pm. Carry in munchies to share. Ken Cohn will KJ for us.
Saturday, March 16th St. Patrick's Day Dinner Traditional corned beef, buttered cabbage, new potatoes, finger carrots, rye bread & dessert. $15.00 per person RSVP by March 14th. Sponsored by Jen Giese & Rev. Dr. William Jackson
Saturday, April 6th Annual Fish Fry Fried pollock, homemade baked beans, coleslaw with pickle spears, rye bread. Homemade brownies and Ice cream for dessert. $12.00 per person RSVP by April 4th Sponsored by friends of the Jolly Cork
The lodge was informed that the Elk-O-Gram newsletter is available to current Elk members only.
With that in mind, it was decided to have members log on to the website to view the EOG.
In order to log on to the website, you will need to register a user id and password to obtain access.
To register, click on the words "Logon - Members only" in the upper right hand corner of a elks80.org web page. You will be taken to the logon page.
On logon page click on the "No password, please Register" words in the bottom right of the logon page. You wil be taken to the Registration form.
On the registration page, You will need to enter data in each field to create your password. This data must match the data that is on the CLMS (The Grand Elks Lodge database.) If you have problems with obtaining a password, please contact the webmaster (link at the bottom of every elks80 web page).
After you obtain your user credentials, return to the logon page and log on. You will then see a link to the newsletters on the menu on the left side of the screen.
Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
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To All Lodge #80 Membership
The Covid-19 pandemic has truly disrupted and changed our lives in unprecedented ways. Places we used to visit or frequent have changed as we have. We all need to adjust to the new norm.
If you look around Lincoln, you can see the economic impact that we are currently experiencing. For the first time in my life I was left with a very unsettling feeling going to the grocery store and discovering shelf's that had no product on them or please limit yourself to 1, signs.
Even our lodge is struggling to make ends meet. We were given an increase in our property valuation, we were closed for several months, we did not have meals or events scheduled. Revenue that used to flow was nonexistent.
We had to do something. Since we had very limited resources coming in, we had to find ways to reduce costs. One way was to ask the County Tax commissioners to grant us a tax exemption, I am very sure that you have heard the term Quid Pro Quo. (This for that) So in exchange for a considerable savings (to all of us) we had to give up some hours of operation. We did not have to lay off any current employees we simply did not replace, again saving us a large chunk of money. We changed supply companies, soon cable companies, pest control companies and other things just to name a few.
We are making these changes to stay within our financial constraints and to be good Stewards of your money.
I appreciate your understanding. I am looking forward to seeing you all soon