Elks Lodge 380 and the Arkansas State Elks Association will welcome Grand Exalted Ruler Keith Mills and First Lady Amy to Hot Springs for events Friday and Saturday.
Elks from all 13 Lodges in Arkansas, as well as Elks from Oklahoma and Texas, will attend the events in their honor.
The First Couple will tour the Arkadelphia Human Development Center on Friday to see many of the projects completed by Elks through the State Major Project fund.
They will attend an informal "Meet & Greet" and catfish dinner at Lodge 380 Friday evening, open to all Elks and their guests, and Mills and the Elks will attend live racing at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort on Saturday, where he will present a trophy to the winner of the third race.
A banquet for all the Elks and their guests -- reservations required -- will be held in honor of the First Couple at the Lodge Saturday evening.
Mills has been an active member of the Elks for 32 years in his native state of Idaho, where, "following his service in many positions of responsibility" within his local Lodge, his state association, including Idaho state president 2006-2007 and the Elks' Grand Lodge national headquarters, he was inducted into the "Idaho Elks Hall of Honor" and was elected to Honorary Life Membership in his local Lodge.
Mills continues to serve at the national level in several areas of responsibility, along with serving as the Grand Exalted Ruler, the Elks' title for its highest office, during 2021-2022.
"His passion for the Fraternal Order of Elks is shown by his enthusiasm, commitment and devotion," the release said.
"The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an amazing organization that makes a difference in thousands of communities across the nation each day. I'm proud that the more than 1 million men and women who make up the Order of Elks are real leaders devoted to caring and sharing," Mills said in the release.