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Ohio Elks 80th Fall Reunion
August 20-23, 2009
The Ohio Elks 80th Fall Reunion was held on August 20th thru the 23rd. It was a distinct honor and privilege for Sharon and me to be invited. When we arrived, we were greeted by the Ohio State President, Dave Mix and his lovely wife, Becky. That evening we joined our GER, Jim Nichelson, PGER and State Sponsor, Jim Varenhorst, our very own Grand Lodge member of the Judiciary Committee, Jim Deamud and several other Ohio State officers and their wives for a wonderful dining experience at the Worthington Hills Country Club.
Friday it was meetings for me, a lovely luncheon for Sharon and then a special “Party with the Grand” night honoring our GER, Jim
Nichelson and his beautiful wife Mary Carolyn. The evening’s theme had a casual island flavor; with everyone dressed in island attire. The dinner was a buffet, highlighted by grilled burgers,
brats, chicken, numerous salads and Pineapple Upside Down cake for dessert!
A spectacular Jimmy Buffett type band (“Happy Mon”) provided the entertainment for
the evening. But, not to be out done………the Ohio State President put on a show of his own when he fell from the dance floor into a table hitting his head hard enough to require a trip
to the hospital for stitches. (And for those of you who are wondering……I was no where near him when this happened.) As we were all concerned for his welfare; after visiting the emergency room, he decided he was
well enough to visit just a couple of hospitality rooms before calling it a night……what an Elk!
Saturday morning brought more meetings; another learning curve for me. We all have the same goals but our means of
achieving those goals are different. Being able to see first hand what works in Ohio will help me further develop our programs in Michigan.
It was our greatest pleasure to be part of the Youth Awards Luncheon on Saturday. Ohio honors all of its State and National award winners in the various youth programs. The luncheon was highlighted by speeches from several of the winners and Erica Gelhaus, Miss Ohio (yup, I got my picture taken with her too…love this State President thing).
Then it was off to visit the highly acclaimed Jack Nicholas course,
Muirfield Village Golf Club, home of the PGA “Memorial Tournament”. Our sincere thanks to Jess McKee, PSP and his wife Michelle for giving us the grand tour; including the inside of the villas, pro shop and locker
room. It was a real thrill for Sharon and me to view all of this as only a select few ever have that opportunity.
We ended the evening with a delightful dining experience at the beautiful
upscale Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse; where a small group of us enjoyed wine, great food, and fellowship.
Oops, not quite done………..a short visit to the hospitality rooms was a must before calling it a night!
Thanks again to the great State of Ohio for making the weekend very special and memorable for Sharon and me.
Kevin and Sharon