MIRACLE RUN HITS HALF MILLION $$ FOR KIDS!

Watchung Hills Elks Lodge #2252 hosted this year’s NJ Elks Miracle Run and over 2,000 people attended this great event! Those attending brought with them big appetites according to the Miracle Run Food Coordinator, Darryl Dreher of Wayne Elks Lodge, one thousand five hundred cheese steaks, one thousand five hundred burgers, one thousand five hundred wieners along with three hundred and fifty pounds of fried potatoes and about six gallons of catsup and mustard was consumed.  All washed down with 27 kegs of beer, 6 kegs of birch beer, countless cases of diet soda and spring water.   

Since its inception, the New Jersey Elks Miracle Run has raised more than a Half of a million dollars for our State Major project, Elks Camp Moore. My wife Mary Beth and I, along with our entire Committee, are grateful and indebted to lots of people for the success of this enormous event!  Thanks to the following Elks Lodges who contributed to ease the cost of food and beverages; Dumont, Palisades Park/ Fort Lee, Pompton Lakes, Paramus, Rutherford, Nutley, Lake Hopatcong, Wayne, West Milford, Park Ridge, Union, East Brunswick, Colonia, Edison, Brigantine, Deerfield, Bayville, Long Branch, Hoboken and Lyndhurst and the North and Northeast Districts.  Thanks to Jim Healy for organizing the bus transportation and John Vicci of Cranford for organizing 510 motorcycles for the run.  Thanks to Park Ridge, Lake Hopatcong, Millstone and Cranford Lodges who hosted the northern, southern and scenic run for this event.   

Special thanks to the Fall View Grill for the loan of the refrigerated truck to keep our food cool, Taylor Rentals for donating the use of the Monster Truck children’s amusements, Ace Water Company for the delivery of bottled spring water at their cost.  Thanks also to Raceway Park for extending all courtesies to our raffle sales staff.  A very big thank you to Watchung Hills Lodge and it’s members, you were a perfect host. The following Lodges supplied directions, comfort, aid and any assistance needed to riders along the way; West Milford, Sterling, Highstown, Manville-Hillsborough, Flemington and Elks Camp Moore. 

For our Special Kids, we would like to thank our Grand Lodge Sponsor, The Honorable Arthur Mayer, Jr. for taking time out of his busy schedule to attend our event.  To our honored guests, the Area Poster Children and their alternates, who loved the special attention they received and all of the generous Elks who supported our efforts with purchases of shirts, hats, lapel pins and motorcycle raffle tickets.   

We hope to see you at MR8 on July 30^th, 2006 and as always “their laughter is what we’re after!”

Rusty Gertenmeir, Chairman