Hvad er nyt?
(What's new?)
This has been quite a productive year so far. For years, a small group of members, led by Pia E. and Birgitte R., have been working to organize and catalog all of Ellen Lodge 21 books, documents, photos and artifacts. It’s pretty amazing how many items an organization can accumulate in 100+ years. Thanks to the Museum of Danish America, Ellen Lodge was able to donate archival material (minutes, record books, songbooks etc.) unique to our lodge to their genealogy center. These items will be added to the DSS National Board collection. Other items such as the National constitution and duplicate items that they already have may be sent to the Danish American Archive and Library, another appropriate home or returned to Ellen Lodge. At the April meeting the members voted on which items should stay with our lodge and what items should be shipped to Iowa. Once that decision was made, the ladies separated what was staying and what was being donated. The items to be donated, were packed up and sent with Theresa S., who personally drove to Elk Horn, and delivered the items to the Museum. It’s a great feeling to know that our lodge history will be in safe keeping for years to come. We also initiated two new members into our lodge: Pia H. and Mindy B. Pia became an official member at the April meeting and Mindy was initiated at the June picnic. They are both a great addition to our Ellen Lodge family. Our second annual Mountain picnic was on June 16, held at the home of Sam and Pia E., co-hosted by Birgitte R. As always, they were the perfect host filling our day with a welcoming atmosphere, games, contests, food supplied by attendees, and great conversations. There were 35 in attendance which included members, family and friends. The youngest members and guests were challenged to a lego contest. They were given until 1 pm to build a winning lego display. Alas, all teams won. The adults were also challenged in the “Whatchamacallit Thingamabob” contest. It was our job to figure out the proper use of a variety of items. There were some interesting guesses and at least one person would actually know the name and use of each item. The only drawback being in the mountains is that the weather is so unpredictable. Between the wind and the “sprinkling”, we all were in, then out, then in…..But again our hosts adapted and everything went on as planned. Pia found out she could accommodate a lot more people in her house than first thought. Being indoors made it easier for everyone to keep tabs on the World Cup soccer game since Denmark was playing. The good news at the time was that they won that game even though they lost later in the week. A big thank you to Pia and her family for a fun day away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We also use the picnic as a great time to collect gift cards and much needed items such as shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, etc. for the Mountain Peace Shelter. The shelter assists families of domestic violence. We also collect clothes and other household items for the Platte Canyon Community Partnership resale boutique. Money from the boutique goes back into the community to provide financial assistance for the backpack project which supplies weekend meals for children throughout the school year, high school scholarships to graduate students from area high schools, Boys and Girls Club and to the Mountain Peace Shelter. On the first weekend in November Ellen Lodge is invited to participate in the annual Trollheim Christmas Craft Fair. It is our one constant money maker for the year. So, every month a note is put in our lodge minutes stating when the next craft session will take place. Birgitte R. is the creative mind behind 99% of our projects. Six to eight of us meet at her house and attempt to duplicate the different craft ideas she puts before us. By November, we have enough items to display and sell at the fair. Every year we discuss whether we want to continue the crafts and so far the answer has always been “yes”. It’s such a great way to spend time with our Sisters. So, as long as our creative leader is willing, we’ll keep making our crafts. 2018 has also been a year for severe weather: Snow, drought, hurricanes, floods and now fires. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of you and your family to keep you safe and out of harms way. Christine Jensen Hix Past President
0 Comments
|
No. 21This is a collection of articles written and compiled by members of DSS Ellen Lodge #21. Check in to find anything Lodge related or to find important Danish news! Archives
November 2023
|