The Area I contest was held on April 24, 2004, at the Hartford Elks Lodge in Hartford, Vermont. Six teams competed, representing states from across New England and New York. The purpose of this contest is to promote excellence in the performance of the initiatory ritual of the Elks, and to foster better relations between State Elks Associations.

This particular contest, open only to Past Exalted Ruler's, is particularly difficult, as each state typically sends only their best ritualistic teams to the competition to compete for the coveted title. During the contest, five judges evaluate each team's performance based on the following Criteria: Impressiveness, Pronunciation, Word Accuracy, Movement (Deportment), and Appearance.

Earning recognition as Area I Past Exalted Ruler Champions are: Exalted Ruler: Sharon Pray. (Sanford), Leading Knight: Roger Normandeau (Sanford), Loyal Knight: Rick Williams (Biddeford-Saco), Lecturing Knight: Wayne Cotterly (Lewiston), Esquire: Bruce Brunelle (Sanford), Chaplain: David Strand (Bath), Inner Guard: Robert Drisko (Augusta), Candidate: Debbie Hamblen (Portland), and Coach: Phil O'Brion (Farmington). Also contributing to the team's win were assistant coaches Harry Desjardins (Biddeford-Saco) and Frank Ricker (Sanford).

Several members also received recognition for winning their individual chairs. The individual winners were: Sharon Pray performing as Exalted Ruler, Bruce Brunelle as Esquire, and David Strand as Chaplain. Here are the final standings:

1.	Maine	96.6697
2.	New Hampshire	95.5354
3.	Connecticut	94.9510
4.	New York	94.6271
5.	Rhode Island	93.9259
6.	Vermont	91.6033

L-R: Debbie Hamblen, David Strand, Wayne Cotterly, Roger Normandeau, Sharon Pray, Rick Williams, Robert Drisko, Bruce Brunelle, and Frank Ricker.