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| Elk of the Month |
| The individual chosen as Elk of the Month may have brought unique contributions to our Lodge over the years or in a short period of time, is a newer or older member, has shown us what it really means to be an Elk or simply deserves some recognition for who they are and what they represent. If you believe that you know of someone who would be a good candidate for this special honor, please send us an email at info@hopkinselks.org |
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June, 2013 |
Clyde Ulku
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The Elk of the Month for June is Clyde Ulku. Clyde has been a member for just over 7 years and is our resident volunteer cook. He rarely turns down an opportunity to volunteer and cook for the many events our lodge hosts. He is part of a regular cooking team the first Thursday of the month as well as many other Thursdays when needed and/or special events. |
| Clyde grew up in the Glen Lake area and graduated from Lindbergh High in 1976. He attended college at Normandale and the University of Minnesota. He got into the construction business working for Republic Homes and has been a carpenter / handy man ever since.
He met his wife Teresa while working at Shakey's Pizza. He moved into management at Shakey's and ran the Falcon Shakeys where he met and hired Teresa. They've been married for 32 years and have 3 girls: Sarah (30), Annie (27) and Molly (25) with 1 grandson.
They enjoy their time up at their cottage on Lake Lamont between Luck and Cumberland, WI. Clyde loves to fish, smoke cigars and work in his vegetable garden.
He admits he's a quiet guy but he's always watching and listening :)
Thanks for all your volunteering Clyde—we hope you enjoy your month!
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May, 2013 |
Jim & Kathryn Zirbes
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Our Elk of the Month just happens to be a husband and wife team. Paul "James" and Kathryn Zirbes. You can see them frequently in the kitchen cooking for the Golden Chef's
Wednesday lunch. And if not cooking, they are among the regulars eating lunch. Lenny Korbel got Jim interested in cooking on Wednesdays. They at first they started with Simek's Lasagna, then got a little bolder and used an old |
| family recipe for Pork Chops that was well liked.
Kathryn was born in St. Paul, MN, graduated from St. Paul Central High School and the University of Minnesota. Jim (as he prefers) was born in Albany , MN, graduated from Washburn High school and furthered his education in the "school of hard knocks". This is a second marriage for both of them and in December they will have been married for 34 years. Between them they have 11 children. Jim's youngest, Dan, has also been seen cooking in our kitchen alongside his father. After High School, Jim joined his father and went into the furniture business. He started in Sioux Falls and in the early 60's moved to Las Vegas, came back and in the late 60's worked at Dayton's. After that he went on the road as a rep. Currently
he has taken a position with Ashley Home Store in Shakopee. One stipulation was that he could have his Wednesday's off…. Didn't want to miss the Golden Chef's lunch. Jim has been a member of the Elks for 25 years, following in his fathers footsteps again, who was a member for 50 years ( starting in
Sioux Falls and ending up in the Sacramento CA area Elks. ) Jim was sponsored by Mike Lott. What they really like about the Elks, (of course, the Wednesday Golden Chef's lunch), is the camaraderie and the friendships they have made there.
Congratulations, and enjoy your month Jim and Kathryn Zirbes.
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April, 2013 |
Dave Evans
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The Elk of the Month for April is Dave Evans. Dave was born in Minneapolis and was a graduate of Benilde in 1962. He went to the
U of M and started in Pre-Med but decided that wasn't for him and finished in Theater. Dave was married in 1965 and has one son,
Christopher. He went to work at |
| Northwest Camera Repair and then moved on to work for Life Touch where he worked for 22 years until 2004.
Dave has been a member of the Elks for 27 years. His sponsor was Herman Loeffler. Since Dave has been a Hopkins Elk, he was ER in 1997-1998, he was a House Committee Chairman, which at that time included managing the club and he has also been a Trustee for four years.
In 1998, Dave and the Hopkins Ritual Team went to the National Ritual Contest in Anaheim, California. Dave won All American at the ER position in the Western Division and also our Esquire and Chaplain won the All American Award. Dave is pretty proud about this accomplishment, and rightly so, as only five people in the history of the State of Minnesota have won the All American Award and four of them are from the Hopkins Elks Lodge! Dave is still very active with Ritual. He has been one of the ritual coaches since the year after he was the ER.
One other thing Dave really has enjoyed being involved in at the Elks is being part of the Mystery Theater. He has been an actor in the last six productions! Dave is a very dedicated and valued member of our Lodge. He is definitely someone that can be counted on to volunteer his help when needed.
In his spare time, Dave enjoys riding his 3 wheeler bicycle and he loves doing his yard work while riding around on his "little John Deere tractor". He said he also likes to play his X box 360.
Congratulations Dave and enjoy your month!
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March, 2013 |
Rai Berzins
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The Elk of the Month for March is Rai Berzins. Rai became interested in becoming an Elk when he came into the club with Dwight Koenen a few times. He liked what he saw and decided to
become a member. Since that time, Rai has been a very active member of the Hopkins Elks. He has gone through the chairs, became Exalted Ruler and is currently the President of our |
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Hopkins Elks PERS.
Rai loves to cook and help out wherever he can. Whenever help is needed you can always count on Rai to help out when he is asked, and it is really nice to see Rai around the club.
He always has a big smile on his face and is just a guy that is happy to do anything to help our Lodge prosper and grow! Rai is another one you see every year at the Rib Fest. He participates in the event and is a tough competitor! He has won the coveted "People's Choice Award" and also 2nd place one year. Of course, his goal is 1st place and he said he is already working on the perfect rib "secret" recipe and plans to walk away with the winning trophy this year! Rai has also been involved with the Mystery Dinner Theater every year which involves months of hard work and dedication.
Rai grew up in Minnetonka and went to Lindbergh High School. He graduated in 1975. He met and married Cathy Martini, his high school sweetheart, and they have been married for 32 years. He has two children; A.J. and Genna, and three grandchildren. Cathy and Genna have been involved with the Mystery Theater a few times too!
In his spare time Rai said he has been very busy re-building his cabin in Park Rapids which was destroyed by a tornado in 2008.
Congratulations Rai on being Elk of the Month! Take some time to relax and enjoy your month!
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February, 2013 |
Keith Prader
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The Elk of the month for February is Keith Prader. Keith has been a member of our lodge for 25 years. He came to the Elks looking for a job back in 1988 and started as a custodian.
After just a week as a custodian, Keith was promoted to the position of bartender. He was also the club manager from 1991 to1996 and then resigned from that position and returned
to bartending and is a great asset to the club as both an employee and a volunteer. |
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Keith is always willing to help out when needed whether it be cooking for special events,
Sunday breakfasts or helping to decorate the lodge for all of the different events and holidays. Keith can always be counted on when asked to help out with anything!
Keith was born in St. Louis Park and graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1984. During his younger years and all the way through high school, Keith was very involved in
sports. He played on the basketball and baseball teams and he said he really loved doing that.
After high school, Keith joined the military and was stationed in Bamberg, Germany from 1985 to1988. His job was field artillery. When he would get time off from the military, he said he was able to travel to different parts of the world like Italy, France and Yugoslavia and that he really loved that part of being in the Army. His favorite part of the world, however, is the Caribbean. He has been there about six times and he absolutely loves it!
Keith returned from the Army in 1988. That is when he started working at the Elks. He met his wife Jeanette at the St. Louis Park VFW and they have been married for 22 years. They live in St. Louis Park and have a dog named Mickey.
One of Keith's favorite hobbies is collecting beer cans. He has a huge beer can collection with some cans dating back to the 1900's. Keith is also an avid sports fan as is his wife Jeanette. He says he loves every sport there is except ping pong!
Congratulations Keith! Enjoy your month!
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January, 2013 |
Arliss Sandberg
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The Elk of the Month for January 2013 is Arliss Sandberg. Arliss has been coming to the Elks since her husband Harry joined in 1961. Harry was a volunteer for the Minnetonka Fire Department
for 20 years and during that time he met Virg Cathers. Arliss said that Harry really liked the Elks so Virg sponsored him and Harry was a |
| member until he passed away in 2002. While Harry was a member, he and Arliss used to come to the Elks quite often for old time dancing and to spend good times with fellow Elks.
Arliss was born and raised in North Minneapolis and graduated from North High. She married Harry in 1947 and they moved to Minnetonka. Arliss has three children, six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren! Harry was a baker at the Lincoln Del and Arliss was self-employed as a dressmaker while their children were growing up. Arliss lives in Hopkins now and is still a dressmaker on the side for family and friends.
Arliss volunteers at the Elks and helps out in many ways. She volunteered to sew all of the tablecloths for the dining room to fit each table perfectly! It was a big job! She also volunteers at the VFW putting together and serving the lunches for funerals.
You can always see Arliss up at the Elks on Tuesdays playing cards with the ladies. She says that is something that she really enjoys to do!
Congratulations Arliss on being the Elk of the Month for January!
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December, 2012 |
Chris Hazuka
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The Elk of the Month for December is Chris "Zukes" Hazuka. Chris has been a member for 16 years and you can often see him in the kitchen. He has cooked for steak fry's, breakfasts, Sunday Vikings games and many special events. You name it and Chris has probably cooked for it at some time or another! Chris has also been very involved with the club by being on the House Committee and Special Event |
| teams. He says he is always interested in finding ways to make the lodge more successful and helping it grow.
Chris is also a fierce competitor when the Rib Fest rolls around! You will always be able to see Chris and his team outside perfecting their ribs for the judges and the crowd. Just last August, Chris and his team won the coveted "People's Choice Award." He has also won 1st place once or twice before!
Chris has been a Hopkins guy all his life. He graduated from Hopkins High in 1984 and still lives in Hopkins with his girlfriend Cindy, another great Elks member, and his two dogs, Darla, a Sheepdog, and Run Run, a Blue Healer.
Two years ago, Chris started his own business, "Zukes Auto Detailing" located in Hopkins and his business is doing great!
During his free time, Chris says he loves to fish and plans on being able to do that soon. He and Cindy just bought a beautiful big new camper that they plan to bring to Green Lake in Spicer, MN and spend some time just relaxing and reeling in the big ones!
Thanks Chris for all you do for the Elks and enjoy your month!
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November, 2012 |
Daryl Derby
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Daryl Derby is November's Elk of the Month!
Three years ago, Daryl and his wife Sharon happened upon the bingo tent at the Elks during the Raspberry Festival. They decided to go in for a drink and Daryl said that he really liked the
people, so he filled out an application. A few days later he said he got a call from Jody Olson and she asked him who his |
| sponsor was. Daryl told her "no one" I just really liked it there! So Jody sponsored Daryl and he became a member of our Hopkins Lodge and has been an awesome addition to our membership! Daryl is always willing to help out and fill in whenever you ask him to. He is a wonderful volunteer to have around!
Daryl graduated in West Concord, Minnesota and went on to work at Control Data where he worked for 43 years! He married Sharon in 1989 and between them they have 5 children and 11 grandchildren. Daryl is now retired and he and Sharon are leaving for Arizona where they will live for the winter and return in May.
Congratulations Daryl for being Elk of the Month!!
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September, 2012 |
Marco Johnson
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Our Elk of the Month for September is none other than Marco Johnson!
Originally from Duluth, MN; raised and schooled in Waukegan, Il. After college he worked for the Illinois Dept. of Mental Health |
| teaching self-care skills to developmentally disabled adolescents. He then went into carpentry; working as a building renovator in Illinois, Texas, and California before returning to Minnesota, and settling in Hopkins 21 years ago.
Health issues forced him to give up his carpentry. He returned to school , studied and received his Culinary Specialist Certification. He worked as a Line Cook, Artisan Baker and Pastry Chef at various eateries in the west metro area, until , once again, health issues forced him into "retirement".
At the urging of John Kluge he joined the Hopkins Elks Lodge 3 years ago, and thus became our weekend cleaning person.
He gave me two of his favorite quotes:
"Work is life, you know without it there is only fear and insecurity." ----- John Lennon
"Call it the darkness or the light, the devil or the Lord. You'll have to serve somebody."----Bob Dylan
If you do not really know him, you should know he is an interesting person to speak with. He is someone who is always ready to tackle any project within his expertise and capabilities. Please say HELLO and wish him a great month as ELK OF THE MONTH!
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July, 2012 |
Libby Goeman
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The Elk of the Month for July is Libby Goeman. Her interest in the Elks came about when her son was leaving Little League and she was still interested in volunteering so she was looking for a way to continue. She had some friends suggest the Elks as an option.
Living in Hopkins most of her life she was familiar with the |
| organization and had spent time at the Elks as a young girl. Once she joined, 5 of her family members quickly followed. Since joining 6 years ago her involvement has steadily increased and she has participated in the following activities, Breakfast with Santa, Mexican Nights, Children's Halloween Party, Raspberry Festival weekend, The Rib Fest, waitressing for various events and most recently joining the House Committee.
The Elks has given her the ability to show her son the good that being a volunteer can bring as he has volunteered along with her on more than one occasion. She looks forward to her future activities as an Elk and will continue to share her enthusiasm with others as we watch our Lodge grow.
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June, 2012 |
Ray Johnson
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There are no doubt some people who may not know who Ray is, but this 80 year old active person deserves recognition. Born in Omaha, Neb. May 25th, 1932 -- U.S. Navy veteran serving from 1950 to 1954 as an aviation storekeeper along the East Coast / Atlantic fleet. Note: anyone who served in the military knows the code word
for storekeeper |
| should be "procurer" (his term). He spent 35 years as a bartender, stating his most memorable were at King's Inn, and Jenning's Red Coach.
With extra time on his hands he was drawn to the Elk's to volunteer, and after a period of time T. Wright told him he "had to join". He has now been a member for 10 years; he is a regular volunteer at what he calls "pearl diving" (aka dishwashing) for the Golden Chefs and for special events. He is a regular volunteer for highway clean-up, and a member of the Hopline crew ensuring the letter gets out on time.
Most people don't know he is an aspiring Rembrandt; enjoys oil painting (if you ask nicely he may even help you with your home painting projects). Enjoy your month Ray! |
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May, 2012 |
Jim Stanley
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The Elk of the Month for May is Jim Stanley.
I have to say getting information from Jim for this article was difficult—to the extent that he was of the thought that "Everyone knows me!" He was born
and raised in Chicago and thus is an avid Cubs and Bears fan. He was married for 40 years until his wife was tragically taken. He is an Air |
| Force veteran,
also a retired postal worker. He is a 36 year member of the Elks and is currently on the club staff often cleaning up after special events and just generally
being a helping hand. Little known fact about Jim—He can cook! Enjoy your month Jim!
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April, 2012 |
Kristi Halverson
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The Elk of the Month for April is Kristi Halverson. Kristi was introduced to the Elks by Gary Ekstame and has been a member for 13 years. She was born and
raised in Iowa and visits her parents often. Kristi originally moved to Hopkins 29 years ago to work as a youth director for |
| Shepherd of the Hills church.
She is a tremendous promoter of the Elks through her presence at the lodge, participating on the House Committee, volunteering at events as well as in her
role as a Councilwoman for the City of Hopkins.
Kristi was initially drawn to the Elks because of the work the Elks does with youth and community activities. She has also worked with the veteran's
committee sending care packages to our servicemen and women. Kristi is interested in continuing to grow our presence by getting the Elks involved with
the families of returning veterans. Kristi will be involved in a joint meeting of all the service clubs to help to provide services to the family while a
service person is deployed (e.g. cleaning gutters, lawn service, etc.). And when the service member returns from active duty.
Most people don't know this about Kristi, but she throws a wicked dart!
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March, 2012 |
Rick Peterson
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The Elk of the Month for March is Rick Peterson. He was born and raised in Owatonna, MN and has been a member of the Elks for 19 years. He was initiated into
the Owatonna Lodge and then transferred his membership to the Hopkins Lodge in 2009. Rick has been an active recruiter for the lodge, twice
winning the Grand | Lodge
pin for membership. His wife Gretchen and son Aaron are both Elks members. He is actively involved in a host of events and activities including:
- Planning, designing and implementing the new sound system
- Planning, designing and building out the new office
- Volunteering for the Raspberry Festival, Ribfest and several special events such as the Newlywed Game each year
- Coordinating a Tornado relief effort for our fellow Elks Lodge in Tuscalossa Alabama as well as North Minneapolis
- Contributing the “Random Historian” Hopline articles
- Co-chaired promotion and publications for several key lodge events this past year such as the State Convention and 50th Anniversary.
- Providing audio support for the lodges activities such as the annual Mystery Theaterplays and events such as "The Newlywed Game".
He was drawn to the Elks through his family as well as the Elks role in sponsoring his youth hockey program. After out of town tournaments his teams would visit the local Elks lodge.
He's active in the Elks because of the Elks involvement in youth activities and other charitable causes. Rick is a big proponent of the Youth Camp and supports its efforts to make a difference in a child's life. Rick believes it is important that the Elks give back to the community - particularly the youth.
Thanks for everything you do for the lodge. Enjoy your month!
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February, 2012 |
Dave Evans
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The Elk of the Month for February is Past Exalted Ruler Dave Evans. Dave has been a member for (not sure) years and has held many positions in the lodge during that
time. He had a successful ritual career as an officer, even winning | | an All American Award for highest score in the country at the position of Exalted Ruler.
He continues in ritual to this day in a coaching capacity.
He also still puts his performance chops on display as a regular cast member of our mystery dinner theater play every year, this year filling the role of Chief Kwiki Wiki. He ran our Elks Training program for several years, educating many officers and members on the procedures and statutes of the order.
When you see Dave, make sure to congratulate him on his latest Elks achievement, Elk of the Month! Enjoy your month Dave!
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January, 2012 |
Tom Wright
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The Elk of the Month for January is none other than Tom Wright. Tom has been a fixture behind the bar for years, heckling us all to his heart's content. His personality and "charm" have amused us all at some point while having a drink in the club. He definitely adds to the character of our lodge!
He has also served as chairman of our ENF | | fundraiser, raising thousands of dollars for the national foundation. His teams are always ranked at or near the top of our annual golf tournament.
So next time you see him behind the bar, tell him hello and congratulations for being Elk of the Month! Enjoy your month Tom!
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December, 2011 |
John Miller
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The Elk of the Month for December is John Miller. Not everyone knows that we have one of the most active members in the state right here in Hopkins. He
currently is the chairman of the Minnesota Elks Youth Camp, as well as the Accident Prevention board for the state of Minnesota, as well as at our lodge.
He is also our Penny-a-Day Chair for Hopkins. |
| His two sons Adrian and Brandon, as well as his brother Mark, are also members.
John joined the Elks in 1977 and pretty much hit the ground running. He became an officer, went through the chairs, and became Exalted Ruler of the Bloomington
Lodge in 1983. He joined the Elks Youth Camp board in the early 90's and has served as the chairman of that board for 16 years. During the time as chairman,
the camp has seen countless improvements and upgrades.
You can find him representing the camp at the Grand Lodge Convention every year, helping to staff the exhibition booth for the state of Minnesota. If you attended the Banquet at the Hopkins convention this summer, you saw the final chapter of his career as the convention banquet MC, which started here in Hopkins many years ago. He was also the Minnesota State Elk of the Year in 1999.
We thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the Elks. Enjoy your month!
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November, 2011 |
Dedria Noll
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The Elk of the Month is Dedria "DeeDee" Noll who joined a few years ago hitting the ground running and hasn't stopped yet. She has been our ENF chairperson
for three years, bringing us two successful silent auctions, and the infamous "Somethingwed Game" last year. Her and her fiancée Ron are also active
throughout our community, last year they helped to raise the money and put together 200 care packages for homeless |
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She has also been active on the membership front. In the last few years she has gotten her sisters to join us. She is a fun character to be around, whether it is through wearing a toga at the Ribfest, hanging out at Youth Camp, or just spending time in the bar, she really lights up the room. This winter, keep your eye out for her acting skills on stage in the Murder Mystery Play. Thank you for all that you do!
Enjoy your month!
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October, 2011 |
Gretchen Peterson
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The Elk of the Month for October is Gretchen Peterson. As the ER of a lodge with a large membership, 641 and counting, it is sometimes a challenge to
keep members up to date and informed of last minute events and information that can arise. There is one member in our lodge that makes
that job a lot easier
for me. | | Gretchen is instrumental in our lodge communications. In Gretchen's time with the Elks, she has been a member of the House Committee, currently chairs our Ribfest, edits our award winning Hopline Newsletter along with her husband Rick, and she is also the webmaster for both the Hopkins Elks and the Minnesota State Elks Association web sites.
Born and raised in the Hopkins Minnetonka area, Gretchen wasn't familiar with the Elks until her husband Rick, a 19 year member, introduced her to the Elks 5 years ago. They've been a great team ever since. She and her husband donated several laptops to the lodge for use in the bar area and maintain the wireless network. She enjoys organizing special events such as the Oktoberfest and Veterans dinners last year and the Bake Sale in December that raised $1,000 for the local food shelf.
Gretchen's contributions to the Elks are usually seen, but are sometimes an afterthought. There are many things we do around here that would not be pulled off as smoothly without her help. She is an asset to both the lodge and our officers. Next time you see her, make sure to congratulate her and thank her for all that she does. Enjoy your month!
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September, 2011 |
Robin Kovach
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In thinking of candidates for Elk of the Month throughout this year, I have mainly been focusing on people who have been around for a long time. Now I would like to recognize one of our new members who has made an impact in her short time here.
Robin Kovach just joined us in March, but she has made a point to |
| get involved quickly! She could be seen all around town with fellow new member Christina in June collecting donation items and coordinating the raffle drawing for the Golf Tournament. She was also very active over raspberry weekend and sat in the heat on the parade float.
Robin grew up in the Hopkins area, and currently lives in Minnetonka with her sister KellyAnn, who she sponsored to become a member with us in May. Robin says her favorite thing about being an Elk thus far is being a part of a new family other than her own, and being able to help out in the community. We hope that continues.
Enjoy your month!
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August, 2011 |
Blaine and Arlene Fiveland
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The Elk(s) of the month for August are a package deal. Blaine and Arlene have been staples in our lodge for 41 years. Blaine joined the elks in 1970. Arlene joined up officially in 2000, but if you ask either one of them, she has been an Elk alongside Blaine for the entire journey!
Blaine has held just about every officer chair in his time |
| with the Elks, including two terms as Exalted Ruler, and a year as the District Deputy to the Grand Exalted Ruler. Arlene has been our Lodge Tiler for as long as I can remember. They are both very active in our lodge's Ritual activities. Arlene has been our Candidate during this fun stretch of ritual teams, and there haven't been very many officers in recent memory who haven't been coached by Blaine at some point in our careers.
The Fivelands are a common sight in our Murder Mystery plays, and have entertained us very much over the years. Most recently, they took on the big task of Co-Chairpeople for the State Convention that we hosted in June. They are both assets to our lodge, and we are all very lucky to have them around for help with anything that may come up. Thank you to both of you for all that you do.
Enjoy your month!
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July, 2011 |
Harlan Cook
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The Elk of the Month for July is Harlan Cook. Harlan spent his formative years growing up in Duluth with his four brothers and one sister.
Harlan has been a member for over 21 years and has been a very active member in our lodge. He can regularly be found representing Hopkins at the State Bowling and Golf Tournaments, and he also regularly attends State Conventions. |
| He is always a fun character to be around during those events, and has been responsible for keeping me out past my bedtime on several convention evenings over the years!
Harlan's contributions can't always be easily seen, as he is often helping in the kitchen during steak and fish fry nights and is a regular member of Dwight & Company Sunday Breakfast team. But one big contribution he has made is clearly visible, the new paint on the walls in the dining room, bar, and kitchen is Harlan's doing. He is always willing to help out with the big projects around the lodge, and I am glad to have him around.
Enjoy your month Harlan!
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June, 2011 |
Kurth Smith
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The Elk of the Month for June is Kurth Smth. Kurth has been a member of the Elks for 63 years. He joined the order back in 1948 when he was living in California. He later
moved to Minnesota and became a charter member of the Bloomington Elks lodge. He became a member of Hopkins when the two lodges merged in 1995.
Kurth has held many offices with the Elks in the Bloomington and Hopkins Lodges, |
| Minnesota State Association, and the Grand Lodge. At the Bloomington lodge he
served in every chair, and is a Past Exalted Ruler. He served on the State Board of Trustees for 5 years, and later served another 5 years in the office of State Treasurer,
which also included the responsibility of being the Treasurer for the Elks Youth Camp. He also served a year as District Deputy to the Grand Exalted Ruler.
Most recently, Kurth held the Hopkins Lodge Treasurer position until 2008, and is famous for his “Ballpark Reports”.
Kurth and his wife Shirley live in Eden Prairie. His two sons Gary and Dennis are also members of the Elks. Kurth and Dennis are one of two Father/Son Exalted Ruler duos that we have as members of our lodge. Kurth and Shirley can be seen at many lodge events and often come up for lunch on Wednesdays.
Kurth has contributed a lot of his time and effort to our Lodge and to the State Association over the years. I am proud to present him as Elk of the Month. Enjoy your month Kurth!
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May, 2011 |
Cori Plehal
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This month's Elk of the Month is Cori Plehal. Cori has been a member since 2000. She got her start in the beginning by selling pull tabs and helping with dinners and
events up at the lodge. When she saw more of what the Elks were all about she decided that she wanted to join. Cori worked with at risk youth for 18 years, and saw
great opportunities to help with kids in our community through the Elks. | | She was sponsored by her father, Chuck Lodermeier. She and her family are very proud of what
Chuck did in his time here at the Elks and they love that they can continue to honor his memory by participating in any way they can.
Cori is married to Scott Plehal, a 22 year member himself. They have 2 kids, Sara. 28, and Nick, 24. Cori and Scott are very active in coordinating our Mexican nights up at the lodge. As an Elk, she has also served on several House Committees during her time as a member. She likes being involved in the House Committee and getting to be involved in the events and running of the club.
She says that her favorite thing about being an Elk is mainly the people that we have up here on a daily basis. She loves coming up and having a good time, and can be heard singing a song on one of our many karaoke nights. Cori is a strong presence in our lodge, and we thank her for all she continues to do.
Congratulations Cori, enjoy your month!
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March, 2011 |
Jim Huttner
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This month's Elk of the Month is Jim Huttner. Jim has been a member for 25 years and has participated in a wide variety of ways within the Elks.
He started participating at the Elks at age 13 when his parents—Bill and Virginia Huttner—would bring him up to the lodge to share dishwashing duties in the kitchen.
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He has passed that tradition on to his son Will who can often be seen back in the kitchen doing the dishes on Steak Fry nights or other events.
Jim is a local boy who grew up in the Hopkins / Minnetonka area. After high school, he went on to graduate from college and then joined the Army where he served as an enlisted man for 4 years and as an officer for 10 years.
Jim's father Bill brought him into the Elks as a member back in 1987 and thus he is celebrating his 25th year as a member. He has spent 10 of his 25 years serving in the officer chairs in one capacity or another. He climbed through the Knight chairs before bowing out in what would have been his year at ER in order to start a family. He restarted in the chairs 5 years later and became ER in 2001-2002. When he's not in chairs, he's teaching the chairs through his role as one of the ritual coaches and has been the head ritual coach the past two years. He enjoys the chairs, the ritual and the ritual coaching because of the challenge of it and the synergy inherent with his past Army officer training.
In addition to his ritual duties he has performed the indoctrination of new members for the past 8 years. On the night of initiation Jim introduces the new members to the Elks, explains what the Elks are all about and helps set expectations.
Jim is also the founder of the Mystery Dinner Theater Play that was recently put on in January. The idea of the play originated when Jim wanted to do something different and unique for the State President visit while he was ER. Jim, Jody Olson and Arlene Fiveland created the first play event and its been held 5 times over the past 10 years—to tremendous success! Unfortunately this year, Jim was the victim in the murder!
Jim likes the people at the Elks, the camaraderie and the sense of having his very own Cheers! to go to where everyone knows your name.
His wife Sue knows where to find him when he says “I'm going uptown!”
Congratulations Jim. Enjoy your month!
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February, 2011 |
Gary Capone
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Gary Capone is February"s Elk of the Month. Gary is now in his 40th year of membership at the Elks and has been involved in the Elks across a variety of activities. Back in the day Gary and his wife Chris enjoyed many of the activities and events at the lodge, Italian dinners and what not. They were most impressed and
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still remember the Cornish game hen served the night of the initiation dinner.
Gary and Chris are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year. With three daughters—Kelly, Kathy and Kim—Gary was surrounded by women and enjoyed coming up to the lodge as back then it was a mens only club. With the introduction of women into the club, they are all now members of the Elks.
What he most enjoys about the Elks is the camaraderie and the Elks involvement in the community. From sponsoring baseball teams to pancake breakfasts to soap box derby races which he introduced and were contested every year for 10-12 years, the Elks are a long standing community partner.
While Gary has been an extraordinary recruiter of new members having brought in 5 new members this past year, he misses some of the older members who are no longer with us. Their friendship meant a lot and they were good examples of having a good time while giving back to the community.
Gary demonstrates these values each and every day by greeting people when he's at the lodge and by his involvement at the Elks. He has been a trustee, served on the House Committee several years including as chairman. He and his wife Chris helped drive the fundraising effort for the elevator and you can often find him in the kitchen serving up fabulous omelets for Sunday breakfast or cooking up pasta for an Italian dinner night.
And if you ever find “Go Bears” written in lipstick on the toilet seat in the bathroom, you won't have to look far to find Gary laughing in the corner of the bar.
Thank you for all you've done for the Elks. Congratulations and enjoy your month.
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January, 2011 |
LeRoy and Carol Stahowiak
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LeRoy and Carol Stahowiak are this month's Elks of the Month. The Stahowiaks have been members since 1991. LeRoy distinctly remembers his interview at the Elks as it was the day of the Halloween blizzard back in 1991 in which we received 28 inches of snow. He was glad to make it home that day.
LeRoy and Carol | | both grew up in the metropolitan area. Carol graduated from Central High School in Minneapolis. LeRoy graduated from Hopkins High in 1945, went on to serve in the Marine Corp from 1945-1947 and served in Korea. He went to school at Miami University and worked at A.C. Nielsen for 33 years in Columbus, OH before retiring and moving back to the Hopkins area.
LeRoy met Carol through mutual friends and they've been married for 54 years. They raised two children—one now living in Seattle and one remaining in Columbus, OH—and have 5 grandchildren.
They were first introduced to the Elks by long time members Ed Hjermstad, the Korsmos and the Cathers. Vern Korsmo sponsored LeRoy's membership in to the Elks. The Stahowiaks are members of the VFW and American Legion and feel it's important to support the organizations you belong to.
Within the Elks they are best known as one of the movers and shakers supporting the Golden Chefs and you'll often find LeRoy, Carol and brother Bill (also a member) cooking in the kitchen. The Golden Chefs meet each Wednesday for lunch, cards, socializing and the like and are responsible for financially supporting many different causes and initiatives within the Lodge. They were one of the first groups to donate money to kick off the elevator project as well as contribute money for the new freezer.
Carol runs a craft sale almost every year at the Elks and they were both involved in the garage sale held last year as well as bake sales over the years.
They enjoy the Elks because of the good people here and the Elks simply “do a good job”.
Thank you both for all of your time and energy. Enjoy your month!
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December, 2010 |
Dwight Koenen
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Dwight Koenen is this month's Elk of the Month.
Dwight was born and raised on a farm on the remote outskirts of Benson Minnesota and graduated from Benson High School. The farm is truly out in the middle of no where. It is about 25 | | miles from the cities of Benson, Clair City and Montevideo. He grew up with three sisters and one brother and mom now lives in Clair City.
After Benson, Dwight moved to St. Cloud to attend St. Johns University where he graduated in 1993. During his stay in St. Cloud he worked for Pizza Hut where his love of cooking first began. Pizza Hut was the company that moved him to Brooklyn Park and then Shakopee as a store and regional training manager. He now works for Wells Fargo as a Sr. Underwriter and Trainer. But Dwight said his passion is still cooking and it would be his dream job.
Dwight and Jennifer Danforth live in St. Louis Park with their children Jade, soon to be 10, Gavin 8 and Zach 10.
Dwight joined the Elks because he was a member of the Elks softball team and part of the teams activities were cooking for the club. He has now been a member for twelve years. His sponsor was Scott King.
Since joining, Dwight, has been active in a lot of ways. His first volunteer work happened before he became an Elk by helping run the Hoop Shoot contest. Since then he has volunteered to do the first two shifts of cooking for the Raspberry Festival for the past 10 years. He regularly has a team to cook Sunday breakfast and has done many a Thursday night steak fry. Along with all that cooking he has cooked for the last 4 Ladies Christmas parties and many of the bowling banquets. Think he likes to cook? Oh, and he has competed in the annual Elks Ribfest 8 years in a row.
Starting in 1999 Dwight started in the chairs at the Elks culminating in his becoming the ER the year of 2006-2007.
Dwight is also involved in the Ritual team and feels it is an important part of making the Elks who they are and takes great pride in it. He came back as ER for the ritual team in 2007-08 and in the past has won all state at every chair with the exception of inner guard. At the national level he won All American in 2007 and has also been in the top 5 in the nation in all chairs that he has competed in.
He loves the Elks because it has been a place where he as been able to make many a friend. Let's everyone take time out to congratulate Dwight. He is a great example of what we all should be as Elks!
Enjoy your month Dwight!
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November, 2010 |
Rick Langenfeld
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Rick Langenfeld is this month's Elk of the Month. Rick was born in Hastings Minnesota and later moved to Bloomington where he played hockey and football for Bloomington Jefferson and then graduated in 1975. He has been living in the Hopkins area for many years and has been employed by the same company, Napco, for 32 |
| years as a research and development mechanic.
He came to the Elks over 25 years ago because a couple of the guys at Napco said that it was a good organization to belong to. He let his membership lapse for a short bit, but 14 years ago Joey Rachael brought him back to the Elks.
Rick likes being an Elk because of the good people in the organization ( they have fun too!) and the Elks commitment to the community. He was taught by his parents that it is important to get involved in the community and that is exactly what Rick has done.
Here at the Elks he regularly volunteers for the Thursday Steak Fry dinners, the new member initiation dinners, special dinners such as the District Deputy visits and occasionally he is in there helping with the breakfast. He helped make Thanksgiving dinner happen last year and he was a big part of making the Raspberry Festival and the Rib Fest a success. Thanks Rick! He has also taken his volunteer effort to his local union, his church and the Boy Scouts.
In his spare time Rick loves the outdoors. He hunts ( Pheasant and grouse), fishes and likes to bike. (The pedaling kind).
Rick's folks now live in Prescott and he has an older brother living in South Carolina.
Thanks mom and dad Langenfeld for raising a good Elk! Enjoy your month!
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October, 2010 |
John Olson
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The October Elk of the Month is John Olson. John was introduced to the Elks by Dana Western and Jim Sommers 4 years ago and became interested by the nice people and variety of activities at the lodge. His wife Carol also became a member shortly thereafter.
John and Carol have been married for 43 years and |
| have a son and a daughter, both married with children giving them several grandchildren to hang out with. They are also members at the American Legion and VFW.
You'll often find them cycling through the back roads of Minnesota or on a cross country trip on their Honda Gold Wing. They recently returned from a 1,000+ mile cycle trip out to a wedding in Colorado.
John has been instrumental in getting our Raspberry Festival float up and operational the last couple of years as well as assisted by helping clean up and tear down tents after the Ribfest. And, thanks to John and Carol the Elks have a new flag flying at the lodge. John saw that the previous flag was a little worse for wear and donated a new one for the lodge to use. The old flag was then retired at a ceremony by the VFW.
In John's spare time he also volunteers as a motorman for the Minnesota Streetcar Association where he operates a trolley on one of two lines in Excelsior or near Lake Calhoun.
He enjoys the great people at the lodge and wishes he'd joined 20 years ago! As with most organizations, he sees our challenge as finding and keeping members that want to participate and be involved in the organization.
John lends a hand when one is needed and demonstrates the qualities of a good Elk in many small, subtle ways.
Thanks for your time and energy, John. Enjoy your month!
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September, 2010 |
Mike Tait
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September's Elk of the Month is Mike Tait. Mike has been a member of the Hopkins Lodge for twenty-four years and joined because he
believes in civic responsibility and being a force behind the efforts of committees and organizations. In addition to the Elks, Mike also belongs to the |
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Rotary and Lions. At the Elks, he has served on the House Committee more than once, has cooked for the Sunday morning breakfasts and has been on a Thursday night steak fry cooking team for more than fifteen years. He helps whenever and wherever he can. Mike is one person who gladly and meaningfully says “yes” when asked or sees a need. As our ER, Bob Oakes, stated, “Mike really busts butt around the Lodge.”
Mike has also been Grand Marshall of many parades in Hopkins including the Raspberry Day Parade and the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. He served on the Raspberry Day Board for twenty-four years and also served as the Executive Director for the 50th Anniversary of the Raspberry Day event.
Over the years, Mike has served on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota State Multiple Sclerosis Organization and has been instrumental in raising over $100,000 for the cause. If there is a title of “Mr. Volunteer” I would imagine Mike would be a great candidate.
Mike has two daughters, Dani and Nicki. He commented that City of Hopkins has always been his favorite town and that the town has been good to him and to his family.
Mike thanks for your commitment to your community and to the Hopkins Elks Lodge. Enjoy your month.
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August, 2010 |
Jeff Josephson
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The August Elk of the Month is Jeff "JJ" Josephson. JJ is a three-year member who was born and raised in Minneapolis and has
lived in Hopkins for the past three years. We have our bartender and member, Richard, for bringing JJ in as a member. What drew JJ to the elks is that
he found the Lodge a place to "plug into" where he could help and be of service |
| to others in our community.
Jeff has three children: son, Noah; and two daughters, Leah and Ashley. He and his ex-wife, Viv, are "best friends" and can be found working at the Lodge
together. Jeff's Mom (93 years young) lives in Tuscon, AZ, where JJ wintered this past year. He has decided to go into business with one of his three brothers and
live in Tuscon; but has decided he needs to come back to Hopkins during Raspberry Festival and possibly for Rib Fest. JJ IS going to remain a member of the Hopkins Lodge.
He said that the hardest part of leaving Hopkins, even for a few months, is leaving friends at the Elks that have become family.
JJ has worked in the electrical field for over thirty-three years and has been a member of the Minneapolis Union of Electrical Works with two of his employers being
Starbird Electric (sixteen years) and the University of Minnesota (eight years) and is now retired. He likes to help out wherever he can and is a
definite "yes-man" at the lodge. He still stays in touch with the Starbird company.
His electrical expertise has been a real boon to the lodge and has saved us many dollars in repairs and construction costs.
He is also known to work in the kitchen for Sunday morning breakfasts, Highway Clean-Up, Rib Fest, Raspberry Festival – working on Main Street preparing and selling our
ever-popular "Pork Chop-on-a-stick", JJ is also found cooking during Main Street Days to help raise money for our Ritual Team or a Lodge project.
When asked what he likes best about belonging to the Hopkins Elks Lodge, his reply, "I feel trusted at the Lodge; I like what the Elks do for the members of the
community, our kids, police and fire fighters. I like being an active part of the community and a solution and problem-solving organization."
Jeff's ending to the interview, "Thank you to all Hopkins Elks members."
Enjoy your time with us until you leave, Jeff. See you at Rib Fest?
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June, 2010 |
Dean Paulson
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June's Elk of the Month is Dean Paulson. Dean, as you may be aware, is also the Lodge's Bar Manager. Dean has been a member of Hopkins
for twenty-two years and was initiated in Stillwater. Stillwater???? Yes, since there wasn't an initiation scheduled soon for our Lodge when he joined,
he went to Stillwater and their Officers installed him. Dick Carlson is responsible for bringing Dean into the |
| Order. A little while after he became a member, Dean moved to California, but then moved back to Minnesota and the Hopkins Lodge about a year-and-a-half later. He said that he visited many Elks Lodges in California when he lived there but believes Hopkins is still the best.
He opened a car dealership in Hopkins when he moved back to Minnesota; bartended at a few local establishments, the Hopkins Lodge being one of them. After awhile, he became head bartender then was hired as the bar manager and has held that position for seven years.
Dean has been busy over the years with many special projects that are not included in his job description. The annual golf tournament is one of the special events that is long lived – this year will be the eighth tournament. Dean turned this event into a great fund raiser for the Lodge. Over the years, half of the tournament proceeds have gone to the Club and the other half has helped raise money for the Ritual Team, TV's in the bar and dining area, and Student-of-the-Month scholarships to name a few. This year he is hoping to raise enough to replace the large TV in the dining area. One reason this tournament is special to Dean is that he is an avid golfer (even though he complains that he doesn't get out enough and play) and enjoys seeing others enjoy the tournament.
The new elevator was another of Dean's projects. He worked with the Trustees, the City of Hopkins, architects, contractors and Lodge members to make the elevator a reality. During the elevator construction, he helped work on the handicapped bathroom located in the lower level of the building. These projects are all above-and-beyond his bar manager duties at the Lodge and are accomplished as a volunteer.
Dean and his wife, Crystal, also an Elks member, live in Prior Lake with six cats, one dog, deer, pheasants and lots of other critters that live around their home. They both enjoy belonging to the Order and the Hopkins Lodge. When asked about what he has enjoyed or not enjoyed about being an Elk, his first response was that he didn't like the cliques at the Lodge when he first joined. He also noted that he has seen little of that behavior in the later years and that he believes this has helped make the Lodge a better place to have fun. Dean said he definitely enjoys being an Elk and working at the Hopkins Lodge.
Thanks for all of your hard work, Dean. Enjoy your month.
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May, 2010 |
Steve Guenther
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May's Elk of the Month is Steve “Guns” Guenther. Steve grew up in the western edge of Minnesota and came to live in Hopkins 1972.
He and his wife, Jan, have one daughter, Michelle. Now retired, he worked for an industry in Plymouth, MN, for thirty-seven years in the production and
sales departments. The Hopkins Elks welcomed Steve as a member over twenty-five years ago when of one of his neighbors encouraged him to "come and play at the Elks." |
| After being a member for about six months, he found himself standing in the back of a pick-up truck painting the outside of the Lodge building. He was told by one of the members that it was “time to start giving back,” and Steve has been doing that for all of his years as an Elk.
Coaching little league for over twenty years has been one of his commitments our youth and to the community. He has also coached softball, football and broomball for over thirty years in Glenn Lake, Minnetonka and Hopkins. He likes interacting with kids and helping kids grow up.
Steve served as Exalted Ruler of the Lodge in 1990 – 1991. He said that he has held all of the chair offices except Esquire. When asked about his year as ER, he stated, “It was a great year, good experience and great people around me.” In addition to serving in the many chairs as an Officer (he served as Chaplain more than once), he also served ten years as a Trustee, five years on the House Committee and ran the Hoop Shoot.
If he isn't coaching little league, he can be found in the kitchen cooking. For more than twenty-five years he has been cooking for bowling banquets, Friday night fish frys, installation dinner, burger basket, breakfasts and the annual golf tournament.
He considers time spent at the Lodge as quality time and has developed lasting relationships because of being involved and belonging. When asked why he likes to be an Elk and be involved, he quietly stated, “I wanted to be serious about something that wasn't totally serious. It's a great family atmosphere; I love the place and that's why I continue to stay. You've gotta give back.”
Thank you for your years of involvement and service, Steve. Enjoy your month.
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April, 2010 |
Candyce Ferentino
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April's Elk of the Month is Candyce Ferrentino. Candyce is well recognized by her vivacious laugh and can-do attitude. In talking with Candyce, she explained that she is a 4-year member of our Elks Lodge (but has been around a few years before that) and is absolutely "IN LOVE WITH MY ELKS!" She is known for her creative and beautiful decorations for events within our Lodge and last year's Raspberry Parade entry. |
| AND, she doesn't often have to go outside of her home to come up with the props. This was demonstrated at the Mardi Gras celebration that was held this past February. She helped turn our dining area into the French Quarter with some fabulous props and suggestions. It was truly a hit.
Candyce says that she became an Elk because she loves the concept of volunteering and doing something outside of herself. The Elks organization provides this venue for her. She considers herself a "Domestic Diva" and belonging to the Elks provides an avenue to bring joy to others. She also likes the safety the Lodge provides for women.
She was born and raised in St. Louis Park, MN and graduated from Minnehaha Academy. She has lived a very interesting life. She has a background in nursing and worked in the ear, nose and throat field at Methodist Hospital for over 12 years. When she lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, she owned and operated a dress shop, "The Sassy But Classy Boutique" for over 10 years and then returned to Hopkins with her son, Josh, where she has lived for the past 17 years. She now owns and operates a "Total Home Care" business serving families and homes from Bear Path Golf Community in Eden Prairie to the Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis. Clean your house, walk your dog, pay your bills, she does it all.
An avid biker (the big ones) she belongs to ABATE of MN and produces a large fashion show on Rally Weekend on Labor Day. This is a fundraiser with the ABATE organization.
The center of her life is her son, Joshua Heath. Candyce has been the sole source in Joshua's life both financially and emotionally since he was 7 years old. She is very proud of the fact that he served our country (Specialist in the Army Reserves) in Iraq for fifteen months and came home safely. She beams as she talks about Josh and his accomplishments. She's a very proud Mom.
For those of you who may not know, Candyce is also a 5-year cancer survivor. She was treated for thyroid cancer (which she battled while Josh was in Iraq) and continues to get treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is also an extra in a Hollywood movie with Alan Arkin, “The Convincer” which was filmed in Hopkins and the surrounding Metro area. Listening to her tell her “story” is fascinating and exhausting.
Thank you, Candyce, for all you do for the Elks and our community. Enjoy your month.
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March, 2010 |
Joey Rachel
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March's EOM is Joey Rachel. Joey is a long-time member of our Lodge and can usually be found working in and around the lodge in various capacities. He is best known for his cooking. In February he helped put up our new ceiling in the dining room, front and back entrances and the bathrooms in the lodge; and, he created a wonderful Cajun cuisine for our State President's visit and Mardi Gras event. Thanks Joey for all of the volunteering you do in the Lodge and for sharing your many talents. Enjoy your month. |
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February, 2010 |
Patty Connery
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February's Elk of the Month is lovingly known as "Ma". She is Patty Connery, a ten-year member who absolutely loves the Elks, too. A couple of years ago she was named our "Guardian Angel." She proves that daily.
Patty was born and raised in South Minneapolis and has lived in Minnetonka over thirty-one years. She has two children, Colleen and Chris. Chris is also a member of Hopkins 2221. |
| Patty was hired out of high school as a buyer at Young Quinlan in blouses and hosiery. She has also worked at Reutter Inc., in Hopkins, and then for her husband in his appraisal business until he passed away. She then worked for the Hopkins School District for fourteen years as a Special Ed Para until she recently retired. When asked why she liked working with the Special Ed Kids she replied, “Because they are dear.” She has a lot of good memories working with the kids.
At the Lodge, she can be found bussing tables during steak and fish fry's, helping with the salad bar, working in the kitchen or doing whatever needs to be done. During Raspberry Festival and Rib Fest, she volunteers many hours again doing whatever is needed.
Patty and her friend, Ron Schibilla, can be seen often at the Lodge and stated "The atmosphere at the Elks is great!" Thanks for being a "Good Elk", Patty. Enjoy your month.
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January, 2010 |
Lloyd Hockel
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The January 2010 Elk of the Month is our oldest member of the Hopkins Elks Lodge, Lloyd Hockel – he is ninety-nine years young! Lloyd was born and raised in Hopkins and has been a member of the Hopkins Elks Lodge for over forty-two years.
He worked for Minneapolis Moline as a skilled machinest for over forty years. He and his wife, Grace (now deceased), had two sons. Lloyd is also very proud of his Czech heritage. |
| Lloyd is known for being one of the founders of the Golden Chefs and the Lodge's annual Tom and Jerry party. He was at this year's T&J with his red vest and lots of energy and smiles.
One of his past interests is hand-making fly rods. Dick Owens regarding Lloyd, "He is a skilled craftsman in many areas and has extensive knowledge of agriculture and fly-rod making. Lloyd is very interesting to talk to on many subjects and has been politically active within Hopkins." More than once he has shared his views with the City Council.
Lloyd has a daily routine and can generally be found at the Elks lodge around twelve-noon having his one brandy and talking with other Elks members. Lloyd is still active within the Lodge and attends many of our Lodge events. He still drives his car around town; and when he renewed his last drivers' license he kissed it when he received it in the mail because "it is good until 2013!"
Thank you, Lloyd, for your on-going and active participation in the Lodge.
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December 2009 |
Bud Potter
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December's Elk of the Month is Bud Potter. Bud was chosen for the December EOM because he is also lovingly known as our Lodge Santa.
Bud has been a member of the Elks for thirty-nine years. He originally joined the Bloomington Lodge where he twice served as Exalted Ruler. When the Bloomington Lodge closed, he and a number of other members from that Lodge, transferred to the Hopkins Lodge; and we are pleased he and the other members chose to join us. |
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Bud is married to Emy and they have shared fifty-nine years together. They have four children, eight grand children and six great grand children. One son was a member of the Mankato Lodge. All of their children live within Minnesota. Emy has joined Bud as his Mrs Santa for over twenty years.
In addition to serving twice as Exalted Ruler, Bud has also been an instructor for the seniors' drivers' safety program, Seniors 55 Alive. He has been a Ritual Coach at both Bloomington and Hopkins, served for four years as Minnesota's State Americanism Chairman, State Chaplain under then State President, Gary Lehman, and has also helped at Youth Camp for many years.
When asked about becoming Santa, Bud stated that he had a cousin who was a resident in a nursing home and Bud and Emy decided to dress as Santa to brighten the Holiday Season for those living in the residence. That spread to entertaining at other nursing homes. Over the years, he and Emy have collected stuffed animals from various sources, one being the Elks. Bud said the Elks were very generous with their gifts of the stuffed animals. He said that they gave away about twelve hundred PER YEAR. That's a LOT of stuffed animals. He and Emy will visit as Mr and Mrs Santa at the Children's “Breakfast with Santa” on Saturday, December 12, 2009.
I asked Bud how he became an Elk and he stated that (years ago) he coached basketball and a Bloomington member, Albert Valley, asked him to come by the Elks Lodge and “see what we're all about.” Bud said that he joined Bert at the Lodge to play a little pool and talk and decided to join. He said he felt at home at the Lodge and when he came in the door of the Lodge, by the time he got to the bar, was insulted at least four times. He has so much enjoyed being an Elk over the years, and that the involvement and investment of the Elks with Veterans and the Community has added to his life. He was also a Boy Scout Master and the Elks aided and supported their troop in many ways; and, there are so many friends.
Bud, thank you for your many faithful years of service in so many areas of our Elks Organization. Enjoy your month.
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November 2009 |
Dick Owens
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November's Elk of the Month is 46-year, Life Member, Dick Owens. In talking with Dick, I learned that he was born in a Minneapolis hospital, raised in Hopkins (the family barn was located in the commercial parking lot across the street from the Lodge) and has spent all of his life (save for his |
| stint in the Army) working and raising his family there. Dick and his wife, Joan, have been married for 56 years. They share 4 children, 2 girls and twin boys. The twin boys, Mike and Steven are also Elk members.
He and Joan enjoy their 5 grandchildren and a 6th grandchild is expected in early November.
Dick was initiated into the Hopkins Elks Lodge when the Lodge was located in the basement of Carl's Café. Dick stated that he came to be a member through friends and one thing he likes about the Elks is sharing in phases of Elks' lives. He was made Elk of the Year when Dr. Norm Schultz was Exalted Ruler, cooked regularly, served on the House Committee and was also Chairman for many years. He is an active Elk.
Dick served in the Army from 1953-1955 and spent eighteen of those months in Germany. He and Joan lived with a German couple and their first daughter, Nancy, was born in Germany and their second daughter, Mary, and sons were born in the USA. Dick stated that he remembers the Berlin Wall and the US and Russian tanks and soldiers guarding their respective ground. He remembered it was unsettling and actually scary. In his younger years, he worked as a meat cutter; and during his time in Germany cooked for over 300 soldiers every day. He respects our Veterans and does a lot to help them. In addition to the Elks, he also belongs to the American Legion and the VFW and is well known for putting on fundraising dinners to raise money for phone cards that are distributed to military personnel who are deployed overseas. He has also driven military families from the 133rd AW to doctor appointments and provided other help to them as well. I know I can always count on him. Now retired from his real estate career, Dick enjoys volunteering in and around Hopkins. He usually has a feather stuck in his cap. When I asked him why, he stated simply, “I like feathers.” Dick also likes working with wood. He has built 3,838 duck houses, many bird feeders and constructed benches as well. He donates some of these items to fundraisers and builds upon request.
Dick, thank you for all you have done over the years, your service to our country and being a good and loyal Elk. Enjoy your month.
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October 2009 |
Bill Smetana
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This month's Elk-of-the-Month was born and raised in the Minnetonka/Hopkins area and a few streets bear his family's name. Yes, Bill Smetana is our October Elk-of-the-Month.
Did you know that Bill went to school in a 2-room country school house where the Opus Complex now sits? |
| He “says” (with a twinkle in his eye) that he walked 3 miles “uphill both ways” to school every day. His family had acreage in the area and they worked about 50 of that as a truck garden and the rest as a dairy farm.
Some of the stories Bill was sharing I promised not to publish but they are pretty colorful and what I would imagine Bill to be as a boy. He and his aunt still work a garden and sell their produce at the Hopkins Farmer's Market during the summer.
Bill has been a member of the Hopkins Lodge for about 19 years and has been a very dedicated and active part of our Lodge. He has been self-employed since 1986 and prepares many of our member's tax returns. I would like to give you an idea of what his activities have been over the years, he worked folding, stapling and mailing the Hopline for about 12 years; (when hard-copy of the Hopline ceased being mailed, he and the 6-8 people that worked on this project threw their own going away party-they are still a tight-knit group at the Elks) he and his wife, Carol, have put together the Thursday night salad bar for the steak frys for about 12 years - getting a fill-in only when Carol was ill a few years ago; Bill and Dick Stelzer have been cooking fish for the Friday night fish frys for over 9 years; he also lays claim to knowing “Santa” and has had more than one lady sit on his lap at the Lady's Christmas party and thrilled kids during the Christmas Season. He has also been instrumental in helping to host Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Easter Brunches at the Lodge.
Bill has been a member of the Lodge Trustees 3 times and Chairman 3 times also. Bill is the official Lodge new member interviewer. When I asked him what he liked about interviewing new members he stated that “I like to meet people first-hand who are coming into the Lodge. I like meeting people and finding out more about them and how I can get them involved in the Lodge. I like sharing what the Elks stand for and do in our community. ” While he has also worked on the highway clean-up for many years and a few other areas, he has not served on the House Committee or been an Officer in any of the Lodge chairs.
Bill's accomplishments have been many. He has been Elk of the Year 3 times, Volunteer of the Year once and this past summer, one of the Grand Marshals of this last summer's Raspberry Parade. Bill likes being an Elk and the people he has met along the way.
Thanks Bill for your years of service and your quick wit. Enjoy your month. |
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September 2009 |
Tom and Dottie Plehal
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Yes, we have two Elks of the Month for September because Dottie and Tom Plehal are a team at home and at the Elks and can't be split for any reason. The couple has been married for over 47 years; and share 2 sons, 1 granddaughter, 1 grand son and a new great granddaughter. |
| Tom has been a member of the Elks for thirty-one years and Dottie a member for ten years. Tom and Dottie call the Elks their second home.
Their accomplishments and participation in the Elks over the years is something of which they can be very proud. Tom has held all chair offices within the Lodge except Esquire and also served as Trustee for 5 years. After his year as Exalted Ruler, he went on to become Metro District Grand Exalted Ruler. Tom has also been our Bar Manager, part of the cast of our ever-popular Mystery Theaters and is currently the Membership Chairman for our Lodge. Before becoming an Elk, Dottie was Vice President of the Hopkins Elks Ladies Auxiliary. They have both helped in the kitchen for breakfasts and Wednesday hamburger nights and support events at the Lodge. One of Tom's goals for this year is to get more new members (better than our plus 1 goal) and see our Lodge grow.
For the last 4 years they have been hosting the Sunday Football games at the Lodge with food and fun and door prizes. During the off-season, Dottie searches for "Vikes” door prizes that are given away at the event. Tom stated, "Some of the door prizes are donated by members or they may be freebees from the distributors." Dottie said that she loves
garage sale finds. When I asked Tom why he liked running the event he said, "It is fun and I like trying to come up with different foods to serve. I have learned a lot about cooking for a lot of people. I like seeing people having a good time and seeing people bounce into the game." Hopefully, the Vikes won't let us down this year. Proceeds from the "donations can" will go to support the elevator fund.
When asked what they liked about being an Elk they both replied, "The friends you make and it is a fun place to be involved." Dottie also said, "It is nice to come into a place where a woman come by herself and feel safe."
Congratulations and thanks to both of you for all of your hard work and dedication.
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August 2009 |
Jim Gall
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The August Elk of the Month is Jim Gall. Jim is a long time Hopkins Elks member, 21 years and counting. Since Jim's retirement from the
Mattress Value Super Stores, he has found more time to volunteer within the Lodge. Over the years, Jim has helped with the Hopline, |
| folding, stapling, and labeling. He has helped with the ENF auction, been a Gaming Committee member, shucked his share of corn for the Raspberry Festival and Ribfest over the years and has also |
| helped with set up for both events. What Jim is probably best known for within the Lodge is our Highway Clean-up project. Many years ago, he was one of the "cleaners" on the project. About 6 years ago, he inherited the project from Virg Evenstad and has been the project manager ever since.
Three times every year: Spring, Summer and Fall, he recruits his group of workers. During a talk with Jim, he said that "The number of volunteers willing to give up a Saturday morning to help clean our section of the highway along Excelsior Boulevard has been steadily growing. There has also been a steady growth of new members in the past few years.” When asked why he continues with the project, he stated, "The project is worthwhile. There is a satisfaction being able to get a group together, a solid core of Elks and family members and getting new members involved. We do something good for the community. " Jim believes the Elks are a great group of individuals with many, many fine people who are involved in important activities. He says, "the Elks is an organization of which he is proud to be a part. He likes socializing and participating in the activities. Fine, fine group of people."
Jim, thank you for all your help at Hopkins 2221 and being who you are, a long time member and a good and steady Elk.
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July 2009 |
Chuck Flammang
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Chuck Flammang is July's Elk of the Month. Chuck has been a member of the Hopkins Lodge for 14 years and editor of the Hopline for over 12 of those years. He and his wife, Chris will be moving soon to Tennessee.
Chuck's contributions to our Lodge are many. He has served as Inner Guard, Tiler and Chaplain; and participated in 2 National Ritual Competitions. |
| He has also been part of cooking crews for breakfasts, and for the fish and steak fry's. He said that "I volunteered so much at the Lodge that people thought I lived there!" Chuck has also volunteered for the Raspberry Festival and Flag Day. His one regret is that he was never able to – for some reason or another – march in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Chuck's favorite part of being editor of the Hopline is, that it gave him a better opportunity to find out more about the Lodge and its members. One of his biggest challenges was producing a "clean" (error-free) issue of the Hopline. He said that didn't happen often, but that effort was something to aspire to every month.”
Chuck, thank you from all of the Lodge members, the Officers and I for all of your years of service to our Lodge, its history and growth and for all you have shared with us of yourself.
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June 2009 |
Dick Stelzer
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June's Elk of the Month has been a member for over 37 years. He was initiated at the Mankato Lodge and transferred to the Hopkins Lodge
in 1991. He has faithfully managed and cooked on the Fish Fry crew Friday nights for about 10 years and isn't giving up his "secret batter recipe".
For the past few years he has co-chaired |
| the Raspberry Festival events at our Lodge and has been co-sponsor (if not sponsor) of many Thanksgiving, Easter and
Mother's Day Brunches. He and Jody Olson also cook for the Hopkins Lions on the first Tuesday of the month October through May. He is always ready to
help whenever needed. In past years, he has served on the House Committee. His quiet, unassuming manner and quick wit is always appreciated. He looks
somewhat sporty, yet dignified, in a bow tie and I find that he wears a cooking apron just as well. June's EOM is "Reverend" Dick Stelzer.
Dick, congratulations, and thank you, for all you have given to us in time, donations and of yourself. You are truly an Elk to emulate.
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May 2009 |
Jan Converse
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Jan is a 9-year member who has more energy than anyone would know what to do with. Her energies are directed towards helping in many areas
enthusiastically showing what it means to be an Elk within our Elks community, our Lodge and especially in sharing her American Indian heritage.
You may learn a few words of Objiwe if you listen hard enough. She often generously shares one of her special talents with us – cooking, baking and canning.
She prepares breakfast for the highway clean-up projects and for many other events at the Lodge. Migwetch (thank you), for who you are and for all you share with us.
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April 2009 |
Norris Haslip
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Norris has been seen working in the kitchen, volunteering as an office assistant to get the new membership cards out to our members, working during the
Raspberry Festival in many capacities, having a twinkle in his eye and always sharing a huge infectious smile with everyone. |
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