Bullhorn
Berea Elks Lodge #1815
February 2025
greetings from the Exalted Ruler
The 2024-2025 Elks year is rapidly coming to an end. On March 29th, the new officers for the 2025-2026 year will be installed. It’s our most impressive ceremony and it’s definitely worth watching. Which reminds me; we still need volunteers to step up and get involved. Whether you have a lot of time to devote, or just a little bit of time, there is a committee or officer position available.
We are not slowing down. There is always something happening at the Lodge. Margaritas and tacos on the 8th, Super Bowl Sunday has (1) the Meat Raffle, (2) the Myles Garrett shirt drawing, (3) the traditional “Squares” board. Friday the 7th is essay judging night and Bill could still use a couple more volunteers. Valentine’s Day will feature a special menu. The Ohio Elks will hold an “Elks Leadership Kollege” on the 22nd at Newark Lodge.
And finally, it is dues-paying time. February or early March.
Fraternally,
Bob Bickford, Exalted Ruler
Lodge Officers
Exalted Ruler - Bob Bickford
Esteemed Leading Knight - Deb Greenhill
Esteemed Loyal Knight - Hans Larsen
Esteemed Lecturing Knight - Dianna Threadgill
Secretary - Jeff Coyle, PER
Treasurer - Danielle Mahany, PER
Chaplain - John Masterson
Inner Guard - Dawn Larsen
Tiler - Eric Banks, PER
Esquire - Lenny Oliveri, PER
Lodge Trustees
5th Year - Jon Elias, Chairman
4th Year - Rich Ward
3rd Year - Pat Greenhill
2nd Year - Aric Pruitt-Humphreys
1st Year - Andy Tyler
UPCOMING EVENTS
February
Feb 1 - Cookie Decorating Class
Feb 5 - Lodge Meeting
Feb 7 - District Americanism Essay Judging
Feb 8 - Margaritas and Tacos Night
Feb 9 - Super Bowl and Meat Raffle
Feb 12 - Board of Directors Meeting
Feb 14 - Valentine’s Day Special Grille Menu
Feb 15 - 1815 Club Meeting
Feb 19 - Lodge Meeting - Officer Nominations
Feb 22 - Elks Leadership Kollege - Newark #391
March
Mar 1 - ENF Casino Night
Mar 5 - Lodge Meeting - Officer Nominations
Mar 8 - 1815 Club Meeting
Mar 12 - Board of Directors Meeting
Mar 15 - St. Patrick’s Day “Pre-Game” Party
Mar 19 - Lodge Meeting - Officer Voting
Mar 22- Movie Night
Mar 29 - Officer Installation and Celebration
Tuesdays and Fridays
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
FRIDAY NIGHT TRIVIA!
February
Feb 1 - Skip Helmet
Feb 1 - Doug Ruyon
Feb 3 - Paul Verlei
Feb 3 - Donna Wasko
Feb 11 - Dean Fazekas
Feb 17 - Mike Merda
Feb 21 - Gary Farkas
Fish Fridays starting
March 7th!
So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.
Gary Farkas representing Berea Lodge 1815 along with American Legion Berea Post 91 held a winter festival party at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Veterans were given gift bags along with canteen books as well as refreshments. Gary mentioned that “he is always glad to let them know that a lot of people care about them”.
Gary is a past Elks Citizen of the Year, and is regularly active at the VA. He is always looking for new ideas and for volunteers to help support our Veterans.
Super Bowl Meat Wheel Raffle – Feb 9th at 4 PM!
Get ready for the most delicious Super Bowl Sunday yet! Join us for the Super Bowl Meat Wheel Raffle and you could walk away with some amazing meat prizes!
What’s the Meat Wheel? It’s a spinning wheel numbered with awesome cuts of meat—steaks, chicken, ribs, sausages, and more! Buy a ticket, spin the wheel, and you could win big!
How to Enter:
Tickets are just $10 each! 50 Tickets will be sold for a chance to win! Every ticket gives you a chance to win one of our mouthwatering meat prizes!
Prize List:
T-bone Steaks
Grilled Chicken Packs
Ribs Galore
Gourmet Sausages
Bacon Bundles
And more surprises!
Event Details:
Date: February 9th – Super Bowl Sunday!
Time: 4:00 PM (Don’t miss the big spin!)
Tickets: $10 each
Get your tickets now – they’re selling fast! Tickets can be purchased at the Lounge
Come for the Meat Wheel stay for the Super Bowl – you won’t want to miss out!
Dart Tournament Fundraiser
On January 11, 2025, Berea Lodge #1815 hosted the 4th Annual Doubles Dart Tournament to benefit the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial Society (GCPOMS) a non-profit charity, whose mission is to honor peace officers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the performance of service to their communities and the nation, especially those from the Greater Cleveland area, including Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, and northern Summit Counties. Fifteen teams from law enforcement, and Elks members from Berea Lodge #1815, Willoughby-Cleveland Lodge #18, and Lakewood Lodge #1350, competed for top awards, raising a total of approximately $1,400 for the fund. Refreshments were donated by Teamz Restaurant & Bar and Berea Lodge #1815. The Cleveland Darter Club donated the use of the boards. Cleveland Police Teams for the first year captured first place, as well as second and third place as follows: FIRST PLACE: Matt Cavanaugh, CPD and Mike Ward CPD (Retired); SECOND PLACE: Kevin Navratill, CPD and Scott Moran CPD (Retired); and THIRD PLACE: Frankie Cruz CPD and Dave Wagner CPD (Retired)
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! - Friday February 7th - 7:00 p.m.
Help select the Northeast District Elks Americanism Essay Contest winners for 2024-2025. This year's theme is "What Does Patriotism Mean To Me?". I need about a dozen volunteers to choose the 3 best essays in each of 4 divisions (5th, 6th, 7th & 8th grade) from among all submitted winning essays from the NE District Elks Lodges. These 12 winning essays will move on to compete at the State of Ohio level. Please e-mail me if you are able to help.
Bill Maloney - Berea Lodge & NE District Americanism Committee Chair
Learn more here: elks.org/programs/americanism.cfm
2025-2026 Membership dues
Dues statements for the next fraternal year will soon be going out in the mail. Please be on the lookout for these letters. If you have changed mailing addresses or will be out of town until later in the year, please contact me at BPOE1815@gmail.com or call (440) 234-1604 so I can update our records. Payment will be able to be made in person at the Lounge, online, or by mailing a check to the Lodge.
Margaritas & Tacos
Hola Amigos!
Join us for an amazing night of fresh made tacos and amazing margaritas! We’ll be serving a flight of three amazing craft-made margaritas expertly paired with three different hand-made tacos. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the first round starting at 6:30 p.m.
Special dinner event February 8, 2025 and requires advanced order by February 5th.
Price is just $25/person and tickets will be limited.
2025-2026 Berea Elks Lodge Officers and Committee Chairs
As our Lodge heads into the next fraternal year, we are looking for members interested in becoming a Lodge Officer or Committee Chairperson. Part of our Lodge’s success has been through the healthy rotation of these important positions. This helps bring in new ideas and prevent burn out among our active members. If you are waiting for a nudge or a sign to get more involved, consider this article to be it! Many of the open positions do not require the significant time investment, responsibility, or experience that you may expect. If you would like to learn more or ask any questions reach out to Secretary and PER Jeff Coyle, or any PER and current Lodge Officer.
Berea Elks Legendary Fish Fridays Begin Friday March 7
Our legendary Fish Fridays are coming back! Starting Friday March 7th and running every Friday until April 18th our very own PER Nate Moore will be leading the kitchen team producing some of the best seafood entrees you'll find anywhere!
As in previous years, these special Fridays are only possible because of the many volunteers that help run the event. These are long, hard working nights, but so critical to our lodge's financial stability. We will need servers, bussers, dish washers, and runners for each night. A sign-up sheet will be available in the lodge.
No experience is necessary and any help is sincerely appreciated.
ENF Casino Night
Join us Saturday, March 1st at 7:00Pm for ENF Casino Night. We will have Blackjack (21) and Texas Hold’em Poker. $10 for $200 in chips. Buy chips the night of the event. There will be a prize for the top 3 chip leaders. We will also have some basket raffles; tickets can be bought or chips exchanged for tickets. Whether you are an experienced player or want to learn the game come down to the lodge. This will be a fun laid back environment to learn the games.
We will also be having a potluck dinner so please bring your favorite dish!
Berea Lodge #1815’s 75th Anniversary Pin Contest
Attention Lodge Members, 2025 is our Lodge’s 75th Anniversary!
In honor of this momentous occasion, our Lodge will be holding a contest for a new pin design which honors this impressive milestone.
We are looking for a unique design which can be made into our new Lodge lapel pin. These pins will be ordered in bulk and will be available for purchase at the Lounge. The winner will be forever established in Lodge lore and will receive a free meal from the 11th Hour Grille!
Creativity is encouraged, but the pin should mention Berea 1815 and the 75th Anniversary. Designs cannot contain any copyrighted material, which includes official BPOE logos.
Submissions should be sent to BPOE1815@gmail.com or delivered in person to Lodge Secretary Coyle. All submissions should be turned in by February 1st and will be reviewed by the Pin committee. The top designs will be presented to membership for a vote during the Lodge meeting on February 5th.
Registration open for Ohio Elks State Convention
Registration is now open for the 126th Ohio Elks State Convention! The convention will take place April 25-27 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest in Dublin Ohio. This event is always a great time to learn more about the Elks activities happening across Ohio and to meet your fellow Elks from Lodges all around the state.
This Convention will also be notable as our very own PER Danielle Mahany will be hosting her last event as Conventions, Reunions, and Hospitality Chairperson for the Northeast District. Danielle has held this position since Fall of 2016 and has coordinated 16 different hospitality rooms during that stretch. All of our Berea Elks should make an extra effort to come down and support Danielle one last time before she starts a well-earned break in the fall.
You can learn more about the Spring Convention and register here:
https://ohioelks.com/spring-convention