Caldwell Elks Lodge #1448

Revdex.comPO Box 1000DuPont, WA Re: ID # ***On Saturday, May 20th, 2017, I pulled up to the lodge (Rented Location) around 4:30pm to pick up my car I had been there earlier in the morning and worked a memorial, then my husband and I went to Boise *** *** booked the lodge
room for a memorial for her father Said memorial was to start at 5:p.m When I pulled up to get my car, there was a line of people trying to get in the door The line was so long that people were standing outside As I got in my car I noticed or people standing in line drinking Modelo Esqecial beer As they hadn’t even gotten through the doors, I knew they had brought the beer with them I told them they couldn't take the beer in and would have to dump it because we had a liquor license and no outside alcohol was permitted They said okay they would dump it, and I drove offAs I drove off, I called our bartender and informed her of the outside beer She stated she couldn’t get to the door because it was so crowded I live minutes away so as soon as my husband pulled in the drive way I told him I had to go back to the lodge because it looked like there were a LOT more people there than expected I pulled up about 4:45ish and the line was down but the room was overflowing The bartender serving that particular party said she got there at 4:and the place was packed so *** and her guests arrived an hour early There were lots of people sitting at tables and I started taking the beer cans that I knew we didn't sell As I picked them up I told them I had to throw them away and that they weren't allowed to bring beer into the facility because we could lose our license All of these were on the tables and not in anyone's hands No one argued with me or was out of line I picked up Papst Blue Ribbon Beers and cans of Budweiser and cans of Miller Light We don't sell those brands so I knew they were brought in I noticed at least a dozen KeyStone beers so I went to both bartenders on duty and asked them if they had sold any KeyStone One of them had sold so I decided not to pick up the cans of KeyStone because I had no way of knowing which ones were sold here and which ones were brought in, however with only two sold I could see at least a dozen on the tables As I made my way through the room I saw *** sitting to the left of the stage and told her that her guests were bringing in alcohol from the outside and that if it continued I would have to shut down the event When *** rented the room, I told her no outside beverages, not even water bottles or tea or any type of container could be brought in or I'd have to close the event (several of her guests brought in non-alcoholic containers but I let them keep them) She said that wouldn't happen, she was a bartender and her guests would respect that Given her assurances, I didn't hire security as she said there would be no music/dancing and it wouldn't go late and she couldn’t afford security A gentleman announced the no booze from the outside or they would be shut down and that was that I have no idea what time *** arrived but it was before the 5:scheduled time and she was nowhere near the door when I arrived at 4: It is obvious that outside beverages were brought in because we don't carry the brands that I tossed out As I left *** and crossed the room, I told some gentlemen standing by the right wall in front that there were more chairs in the storage room if they wanted to sit down they could bring them out, which they did I then continued through the room and two gentlemen had some Modelo Especials and we generally stock Modelo Negro They were the same brand of beer I noted outside when I first pulled up outside as noted by their gold foil top I took the first guy's beer and said I'm sorry but you can't bring in beer and we don't sell this brand When I reached for the second guy's beer and said the same thing and he said "THE *** I DIDN'T BUY THIS HERE!!!" I then said I don't think we carry this particular Modelo, let me check and if we do I apologize He then proceeded to get loud and drop the "f" bomb several times and called me some foul names I said you need to quit yelling or I'm going to ask you to leave At that point, a lady came up from in front and asked if this could be dealt with later and at the same time the bartender came up from behind and said we did have that brand and she had just sold them to the gentlemen I handed the beer back to the first gentleman (I didn’t take the second guy’s beer) and apologized to them both I went back into the bar area and checked on that bartender and after a while Jana (the bartender in the lodge room) came out and said she was getting air as they were showing a slide show I didn't want to leave the lodge room bar unattended so I went into the room, as is our policy They had the lights completely out, which is something we don't ever allow because of liability reasons but I noticed that there wasn't a lot of people moving about so I stood next to the bar and watched the slide show as I didn't want to draw attention by messing with the lights When it ended I left the room I was standing by the member’s bar when the first gentlemen that was drinking the Modelo that I took (but gave back) came in to order a beer I walked up to him and said "I owe you a beer" I apologized again and explained the circumstances, he said he appreciated my position and said no worries, he understood and then he apologized for the second guy's behavior saying a year old man should know better than to speak to a woman that way I don't remember if he said he told the guy that or if he was just telling me he didn't approve of it I treated no one like trash, stayed very professional (it’s not the first time we’ve dealt with this type of situation) In order for us to be in compliance with the state and county alcohol regulations and laws, I had to pick up all alcohol containers not purchased at our facility in order to protect our liquor license All of the guests started going out the front door and I heard a few say they were told to go outside so I didn't know if they were going to have part of the ceremony outside or what but I noticed they were taking their beverages outside I did not confiscate any of those beverages but instead told them they couldn't take them outside Everyone I spoke with seemed to be fairly understanding and just went inside to finish them *** hadn't said anything thing about wanting her guest to be able to drink outside or I could have procured a catering permit for the evening In fact, I explained to *** when she rented the room that I would place ashtrays on the side bar for her smoking guests as the bar area was reserved for members only and that her guests were to utilize the room she rented and only the room she rented, with the exception of the restrooms, which she said she understood At one point, there were two gentlemen with a lady and a baby standing in the grassy area and I noticed they were drinking beer and each had a case of beer sitting on the ground A case of Tecate and a case of cans of Budweiser I approached them and simply told them I was sorry but they had to put their beer in their car, that they couldn't have it on the premises (Please note that if I were treating her guests poorly, I would have been well within my rights to confiscate their cases of beer and throw them away.) They said sorry and that was that There was one gentlemen that had a drink in a solo cup and as he walked outside I told him he couldn't take his drink out He told me it was water and when I looked it was alcohol so he repeated it was water and I told him water didn't have a brown tinge and asked the bartender, she confirmed it was alcohol so I asked him to stay inside to finish it, he walked back in and started drinking it A few minutes later he took it outside again and I went out again and said sorry you can't have this outside There was a blonde woman and a guy with a camera looking at cars and they were drinking Modelos and I walked up and told them they had to drink inside, it was a simple matter of sorry we didn't know and they took them inside As an aside, the first gentlemen with the Modelo was outside drinking a beer and I came up to him and said "man, I'm tired of babysitting you, (I was laughing when I said it) informed him he couldn't have beer outside and he laughed and took it in I also told or different gentlemen outside that they had to dump their beers because they were drinking Miller lite in a can and we didn't carry that particular beer They said okay and I walked away One gentlemen even had a bottle covered in a brown paper bag I didn't take them from them, even though I had the right to do so They were respectful so I just let them take care of it At one point, I went into the bar and found tables of ***'s guests drinking I went over to their tables, informed them that they could order a drink from the bar but they couldn't sit and drink in the bar because it was for members only One table was pretty surly and asked where they were supposed to drink and I told them in the room that had been rented for the party I did ask about or gentlemen to remove their hats while they were in the bar waiting to order their drinks, and when they asked why I told them it was our rule and that it showed respect When I asked one guy, he said "do you want me to take off my pants too" and I said no, I want you to respect our rules while you are in our lodge He was the only one who seemed to have a problem with the request At one point the credit card machine stopped working so I asked one of our members to stand by the door to let people know they couldn't take drinks outside She did so and had to send people back in as they were still taking them outside I dealt with the credit card machine which took about 1/hour One of our Past Exalted Rulers came in to help with the cable outage and at that point I told him all that had transpired from the people drinking before they got in the building to me pulling brands we didn't carry and having to monitor the bar and outside I will specifically address some of ***'s assumptions/assertions and other facts not addressed which led to me having to “police” the event *** booked the room for to people *** came in the day before the event, or perhaps days before the event and gave me instructions on the set upWe set up for people, per her instructions, and figured if they got the full attendees they could sit on the couches Never in the history of my tenure at the Elks have we not required outside security if we were expecting people All of the staff and I figured there were between to people at that memorialWhen *** booked the event, months in advance, she told me she was going to order food, wanted to rent the lodge room and wanted to rent the outside area for a car show, etcand expected around people I told her it would be $for the room, $for the outdoor space and $per hour for security guards and the food bill would depend on what she ordered weeks before the event, she called and said because of financial restrictions she couldn’t afford to rent the outside space so she wasn’t having the car show, she couldn’t afford security and she gave me an estimate of between to guests I told her for a people I still required security but she said she was a bartender and her friends knew how to behave, they weren't dancing and going to be late, so I agreed to forgo the security to save her $ She couldn’t afford to order food and I told her that was fine but she couldn’t bring in any outside food or drink Her comment that I threatened her and her guests is not an accurate description of events I did speak to her regarding outside beverages because I had just picked up a lot of outside beer, brands we don't carry I did say we only sold two keystones because I asked the bartenders and that I didn’t pick up any of the KeyStone because out of the dozen or so on the tables I had no way of knowing which were sold at the bar I told her it needed to be addressed and she addressed it Again, I cannot put the Lodge's liquor license at risk for any event and therefore would have been left with no option but to shut down the event We talked about this when she rented the space I did walk around the room and confiscate the outside alcohol however I never walked around the room againThe only time I walked behind the people speaking was to turn the air conditioners up for them because the room was so overcrowded it was hot I was trying to make it more comfortable for her guests I yanked nothing from no one's hands and I explained the misunderstanding regarding the two Modelos in the missive above I apologized once on the spot and again with one of the gentlemen involved, even buying him a beer It was her guest who was loud, using profanity and was out of line Her other guest even apologized for his behavior What I do know is if any guest brought in outside beer (which they did) or were sitting in the bar (which they were) or trying to drink outside (which they attempted) they were addressed, as that is a part of my job, to ensure the lodge is in compliance with the state and county laws as well as the Lodge's rules and regulations I left the lodge room shortly after I turned up the air conditioners after the slide show and I and did not returned to the lodge room as I was too busy attempting to keep her guests from taking alcohol outside In her statement, she says I was walking around with a dog in my arms She evidently has no clear recollection of what I look like, yet she accuses me of stalking her guests The woman walking around with the dog in her arms was one of her guests, it was not me In fact, after informing *** that there was outside beer brought in at the beginning of the event, I never saw or talked to her again Toward the end of the evening I went into the lodge room to see how many people were still in the roomThat is something I do at every event so I can let the staff know if they can start closing their station The room was almost empty and there were only a few people left gathering flowers I told Jana to start closing out and I left the room The only thing I needed to apologize for was to the two men with the Modelos and I did that when the incident occurred Had the other guy walked into the bar, I would have bought him a beer as well and further explained the situation At no time did *** seek me out, nor did she attempt to talk to me after her guests had left There were still a group of guests admiring cars outside when I left and as far as I know *** was still in the lodge room I have never had a complaint from any other event regarding my behavior Even ***'s guest with the Modelo incident said he appreciated the professional manner I used when the other guest was using the f-bomb and calling me names I also do not believe that *** is owed a refund She wanted the room, food, etc, when she first contacted me; months later she said she couldn't afford it, I said no problem, she couldn't afford security, I waived that, she said someone had donated $to go toward the bar bill, she did not host any portion of the bar so I’m assuming she used the donated $to pay for the venue She was charged the standard room rate, the standard equipment rate and the standard rate for a private bar She utilized all of the above items Staff had to set up, tear down, clean and serve for her event In fact, one of the bartenders and her boyfriend picked up a bunch of Budweiser cans from the grassy area outside (we don’t sell bud in cans) when she left for the evening We did not turn guests away once she reached the person mark, in fact, we have estimated it was closer to to people attending Her guests are the ones who did not adhere to the rules, yet I was sympathetic to her plight and let the guests stay rather than closing it down Her guests brought in outside beer, she was not forthcoming in the number of guests she expected I have no doubt she expected that large number as I have since found the event listed on six different websites and on Facebook inviting anyone and everyone to attend and encouraging them to bring their cars for a car show type atmosphere, which leads me to believe she knew they were going to utilize the outdoor space even though she told me she wouldn’t because she couldn’t afford it She sent everyone outside, even though she did not pay for that portion of the venue, and that caused its own set of problems I was left with no choice but to ensure compliance with the liquor laws, and in hindsight, I should have not taken her at her word and had her pay for security, whose job it is to ensure compliance with the liquor laws Her guests kept pouring into the bar and outside and one guest even brought in a small dog and had it in the lodge I didn't address that issue as I was trying my best to make sure her memorial was not interrupted given all of the issues going on with her guests Her complaint to you is that she has “not had any luck with trying to contact anyone from the elks foundation to let them know my concerns” That is another statement The Idaho State District Deputy, *** *** (who is not a member of our Lodge, but oversees all of Idaho South District) was contacted by *** and he conducted a thorough investigation regarding her complaint He then telephoned her to discuss his findings and she refused to listen to any of the facts he had uncovered and she hung up on him I feel bad that *** perceived things differently and had she mentioned anything, even at the end of the evening, or attempted to call here afterwards, I would have been happy to share my experiences of the evening I would have been more than happy to address any concerns she may have had *** will not be receiving an apology from me I apologized to the two gentlemen for a misunderstanding that I take full responsibility for, but do not feel I owe any apology to *** If anything, *** should apologize for not being truthful when she booked this event as to the number of guests expected She knew full well that she would have over people as that was her original number and it was advertised all over the internet That number changed when she found out the additional costs involved She told us to but continued to put the invitations on the various websites She should apologize for her guests bringing it outside alcohol and beverages and she should apologize for utilizing space for which she did not pay.She utilized the outside, knowing full well that there was an additional charge, which she didn’t pay She received services to which she didn’t pay, $for use of the outside area, $for the dining room area, which her guests had to use because of the overcrowding, and while I didn’t hire security at $per hour, because of her misrepresentation, I had to fill the role of security as best I could and that equates into an additional $an hour which was an additional hours or $ In all reality, *** received an additional $worth of services for which she didn’t pay Sincerely,Traci *** M***,General Manager, Caldwell Elks Lodge #