Santa Clarita Ritual Team 2026
7/8/2026 RITUAL ROCK STARS 2026! The Santa Clarita Elks Lodge officers represented our Lodge, District and State Association with distinction and class. The officers competed in the Grand Lodge Ritual Contest, July 2nd thru July 8th in Chicago, IL, after winning the California-Hawaii Elks Association Championship in May. The preliminaries were held on Saturday & Sunday, with our officers scoring 94.6. The team had to wait until the end of the Sunday competitions to see if the score would qualify the team to compete in the Final Four. The Final Four brings the Top 2 Scoring Teams from the Eastern Division and the Western Division to compete head-to-head. Our team score from Saturday did end up being the second highest score in the Western Division, by .03 behind Arizona. This sent our team into the Final Four to be held on Monday afternoon. California-Hawaii and Arizona from the West, New Jersey and Ohio from the East.
Monday morning, before competing in the Final Four, during the Grand Lodge Session, the Preliminary ALL-AMERICAN Awards for Ritual were announced. These are the Individual Awards handed out based on the performance from the previous two days in the Western and Eastern Divisions. The Santa Clarita Lodge was announced for the ALL-AMERICAN Lodge Esquire Jeanette Fisher. What an amazing honor to receive the ALL–AMERICAN award in front of the Past Grand Exalted Rulers, Grand Exalted Ruler, and the delegates attending the convention. Great Job Jeanette, and to the rest of the team for making the Final Four. It takes a village to get this far as a Team.
After taking a lot of photos, we then left the hall to prepare to compete in our 3rd ever Grand Lodge Final Four. The California-Hawaii members filled the contest room. We waited in the hallway as everyone was seated. We entered as a team, walking in past our Jim Turner memorabilia, led by Exalted Ruler James McKenna, and put on a great performance for the audience that included the 10 Judges seeing everything, leaving as a team to a standing ovation. We would have to wait until Tuesday morning, in the Grand Lodge Business Session, to learn where we would finish among the four elite ritual teams in our Order. This year we also took a moment to say Thank You to our long time Lodge Tiler Kelvin Swanson, PDDGER, who was unable to make the trip during his recovery from heart surgery! In Kelvins’ absence, we were honored to have Linda Edwards step up and serve as our Lodge Tiler. She practiced with us in our hotel practice area all 4 days and was perfect in both performances. Thank You Linda!
Tuesday morning in the Grand Lodge session, we learned the results of the Final Four teams competition. 4th – Yuma, Arizona, 94.1346. 3rd Santa Clarita, California – 94.6164. 2nd – Kenton, Ohio – 94.9314 and 1st, scoring a 95.2400, New Jersey. It was the first National Championship for the Brick, New Jersey Lodge. Our lodge missed the National Championship by .6236. Wow!!
Santa Clarita 3rd out of 1,804 Lodges!
We again learned so much, in the ritual contest and the meetings and seminars. We again absolutely know that our Lodge Officers are performing the Initiatory Ritual, at the Santa Clarita Lodge, at a very impressive level. Our members benefit from becoming members in the greatest Order in America, and being Initiated by our ALL-DISTRICT, ALL-STATE, ALL-AMERICAN and Champion Santa Clarita Elks Lodge Officers.
A very special Thank You to the spouses, family and significant others of our lodge officers, our Ritual “Crew” and support from our amazing members. Thank You also to the Burbank Elks Lodge, Greg & Charlene Peale, Fred DeLange, ER Holly Healy for use of their lodge room for our many practices in Burbank. The San Fernando Lodge and ER Bobby Medellin, and the Pasadena Lodge and ER Rose Moore for the use of theirs lodges as well for practice. Very special Thanks to Michael and Cheryl Lowrance, Maurice Hamilton, Missy Handy, and Tony Lopez, PER from the Garden Grove Elks Lodge. Your kindness, coaching, Volunteer time and positive energy pushed this team to great heights.
As a Lodge, and a Team, we returned extremely grateful to Santa Clarita with
an ALL-AMERICAN Officer and great performances on the biggest stage. Santa Clarita Elks Lodge 2379 Officers are now a 3 – Time Grand Lodge FINAL FOUR Ritual team.
SO YOU’RE SAYING WE HAVE A CHANCE…..
James McKenna, Danise Davis, Scott Bickle, Larry Finley, Jeanette Fisher, Rob Forsberg, Jay Larkins, Wayne Edwards, Kelvin Swanson, Roger Lowe and Linda Edwards
5/17/2026 Santa Clarita, CA Elks Lodge 2379 finished First at the California-Hawaii Elks Association Convention.
The Champions competed on Thursday in the preliminary contest and qualified to compete in the Final Four.
In the Final Four competition, the Santa Clarita Lodge Officers WON First Place!
The Team will now travel to Chicago, IL for the Grand Lodge National Competition starting on the 4th of July.
The 2026 – 2027 Team consists of :
Exalted Ruler James McKenna
Esteemed Leading Knight Danise Davis
Esteemed Loyal Knight Scott Bickle
Esteemed Lecturing Knight Larry Finley
Lodge Esquire Jeanette Fisher
Lodge Chaplain Rob Forsberg
Lodge Inner Guard Jay Larkins, PAP
Lodge Candidate Michael Fisher, PER
There were 3 team members, and the coaches, that WON ALL-STATE HONORS in their positions.
Danise Davis, Scott Bickle, and Rob Forsberg were WON ALL-STATE Honors.
The Coaches, Jay Larkins, Past Association President – Wayne Edwards, Association Vice President for the Metropolitan District – Kelvin Swanson, Past District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler – Roger Lowe, Past Exalted Ruler – WON ALL-STATE Coaching Honors.
The Team scored a 97.6974 with that mark ONLY .364 ahead of the second place team from Redlands Elks Lodge.
The Officers and coaches are working hard to represent the entire Santa Clarita Lodge membership, the Metropolitan District membership, and the California-Hawaii Elks Association membership at the National Convention in July.
4/5/2026 Santa Clarita Elks #2379 Win Metropolitan District Ritual Contest and are bound for CHEA State Convention Ritual Contest.
Exalted Ruler – Jamie McKenna – “Patch Award” Winner for Most Impressive Exalted Ruler, First Place Exalted Ruler in the District
Esteemed Leading Knight Danise Davis – “R.S. Award” Winner for Highest Individual Score in the District, District 11 O’Clock Toast Winner to compete at CHEA Convention, Esteemed Leading Knight 11 O’Clock Toast Winner, First Place Esteemed Leading Knight in the District
Esteemed Loyal Knight Scott Bickle – First Place Esteemed Loyal Knight in the District
Esteemed Lecturing Knight Larry Finley – First Place Esteemed Lecturing Knight in the District
Lodge Esquire Jeanette Fisher – First Place Lodge Esquire in the District
Lodge Chaplain Rob Forsberg – First Place Lodge Chaplain in the District
Lodge Inner Guard Ilia Banks – First Place Lodge Inner Guard in the District as an Emergency Substitute
Candidate Michael Fisher, PER – First Place Candidate in the District
Coaches – Jay Larkins, Wayne Edwards, Kelvin Swanson, Roger Lowe – First Place Coaches in the District
The Santa Clarita Elks Lodge Ritual Team will represent the Metropolitan District at the California-Hawaii Elks Association Convention in Palm Springs May 13 – 16
Santa Clarita Ritual Team 2025
7/7/2025 Santa Clarita Lodge 2379 Officers finish 3rd in the Nation. At the Grand Lodge Final Four, held in Kansas City, MO, the FINAL score of 96.7264, had our officers finish a mere .1885 behind the winning team from the New York Elks Association, and .1764 behind the 2nd place team from the Nevada Elks Association. This contest is held annually for all 1,800 Elks Lodges in the United States.
Exalted Ruler Mike Brandriff led the team to the highest finish ever for the Santa Clarita Lodge Ritual Team in the National Contest.
The lodge officers were awarded 4 All-American Officer Awards, James McKenna – Esteemed Leading Knight, Danise Davis – Esteemed Loyal Knight, Ilia Banks – Esteemed Lecturing Knight, and Jeanette Fisher – Lodge Chaplain. Performing officers Rob Forsberg, Jay Larkins and Candidate Roger Lowe also won the Contest Western Division, that includes all lodges west of the Mississippi River, making the 4 coaches All-American Coaches – Jay Larkins, Wayne Edwards, Kelvin Swanson and John Rivetti. The Lodge Chaplain Jeanette Fisher was awarded the “William A. King Award” for the highest individual score in the contest, 95.2020.
The Elks Lodge Officers are proud to represent the Santa Clarita, the Metropolitan District and the California-Hawaii Elks Association.