‍Greetings Brother and Sister Elks:

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‍Well, this summer just flew right by. It seems like just yesterday I was heading to Kansas City to attend the Grand Lodge Convention. This year I traveled with our

‍Lodge Secretary Kathy Lang and PDD Brian Diaz. I attended all Grand Lodge sessions, spent time with some old Elk friends, and created new ones. We even got to spend

‍time in the National WWI Museum as well as crossing state lines as we headed into Kansas to enjoy some great barbecue.

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‍Soon we will be active with many events here at the Lodge. As always, remember to check the upcoming events calendar in this bulletin. We will kick off September with a visit from our new District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Jay Singer from Mid-Westchester Lodge and his entourage. Dinner will start at 6:30 pm and we will then perform the ritual at 8:00 pm. I would really like to see a strong showing from our membership to show support for Jay and his team. Also in September, I will attend the NYS Elks Fall Conference at Villa Roma resort in Calicoon. There I will attend sessions related to Lodge business as well as attend a workshop related to my position as Elks Memorial Sunday Chair. These workshops are always filled with great ideas that those in attendance can take back to their lodges. 

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‍September ends with our annual Oktoberfest. We are looking for a new caterer as you may know, Valley Catering has closed its doors. If you have a recommendation, please see me or PDD Don Rood. We will host our annual Italian Night in October. This is always a fun event, and the food is always amazing as we all enjoy great Italian cuisine and music. 

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‍During the summer the Lodge replaced some of the damaged stucco on the building and, if you haven’t seen yet, a nice new parking lot. We are currently looking into replacing the carpet upstairs as well. Thank you to PDD Don Rood and the Lodge Trustees for getting this accomplished. 

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‍I would like to welcome you back to the Lodge with sincere hope that you all enjoyed your summer. Remember you are the life blood of this Lodge. Attend meetings and events. Make it a must to attend all the ones you can. Don’t find a reason why you can’t; come up with a reason why you should. Bring a friend or two, and show them why they should join the greatest fraternal organization around. I look forward to seeing you in the coming months.

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‍Fraternally,

‍Christopher Petrella, PER
Exalted Ruler