Events

Event News

LODGE ACTIVITIES By Jan Trudeau and Pam Wedwaldt

LODGE ACTIVITIES

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome 2026.

Here’s what January has in store for you.

Wednesday January 1 st - New Years Day the lodge will be open from 1-7 PM. And we’re having a potluck. Come join us for football, food and fun. 3 PM is when the feast begins.

Saturday January 3rd , we have Bingo at 2 PM. Bingo also happens on Saturday January 17th .

Texas Hold ‘Em card games are scheduled for Saturday the 10th and also on Saturday the 24th . Both games start at 1 PM. Please sign up so we know how many tables to set up.

Iron Chef Elk returns on Saturday January 17th at 4 PM, after Bingo. The required ingredient is Lettuce!! That should be interesting. Plan on either making something, or come taste/judge for only $5.00.

Darts are on the back patio every Saturday at 4 PM except not on the 31st . That day is our “Grill your own steak” event. Plan on bringing something for the grill and the lodge will provide the potatoes, salad and bread, The cost is only $6.00 per person. You can cook your own meal, or we have two very talented grill masters who can help you. The cooking starts at 5 PM. We will also have Karaoke that evening! Come join us.

Wednesdays are back to their regular schedule of Tacos and Trivia on the 14th , and the full dinner and Music Bingo on the 28th . The other Wednesdays will offer a light dinner from 5 to 6.

Fridays have the Queen of Hearts drawings at 6:30 PM with a meal offering. Check the bulletin board in the lounge for menus. On Friday the 16th we will have a guest speaker from Road Runner Elementary School, Kristina Brewer. She’s the principal and will tell us how much the Elks help their students benefit from our Clothe a Child events.

Football will still be here all January. The lounge opens at 11:00 for your viewing pleasure. Super Bowl will be on Sunday February 8 th . We will have a potluck and games and specials too. Mark your calendars and join us. The game starts around 4:30.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

I want to Thank everyone who helped with the Adopt a Child project. This year, we “adopted” 20 children from the local food bank - Impact of Southern Arizona. We purchased toys, clothing and art supplies for them. We wrapped all the presents and delivered them to Impact for distribution. Each child received at least 6 presents to open. I’m sure they had a merrier Christmas since we were able to help out with gifts.

All January long, we will have a food drive at the Elks. The requested item is PASTA. Please bring some bags or boxes of dried pasta to the lodge for Impact of Southern Arizona. We will collect the pasta and deliver it to the food bank to stock their shelves with this pantry staple. There is a box by the lounge front door.

HOUSE COMMITTEE

By Pam Wedwaldt

Goodbye 2025 and hello 2026. Where do the years go? They seem to just fly by!

When you are making your New Year resolutions why not make one to volunteer some time at the Elks. We have several committees within the house committee that could use your help. It could be in the kitchen or helping out at our various parties or weekly events. Even an hour or two a month would make a difference. You can find out what’s coming up in the Lodge Activities article or by attending a House Committee meeting. We meet the first Thursday of the month at 4:30 and would be happy to see some new faces. Hope to see you there.

Let’s all make this a great year for our Lodge.

Volunteer FOR WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY DINNERS

By Ann Girvin

Hi Everyone!

My name is Ann Girvin, I recently took over scheduling and helping with Wednesday and Friday Dinners. I wanted to reach out to share some information and get feedback.

If I have spoken to you personally on either a Wednesday or Friday, thanks for taking the time to talk to me and share your thoughts and ideas.

Wednesday dinners have changed, the first, third and fifth will be a simpler offering such as a sandwich and a side. The second Wednesday is Tacos (and trivia). The fourth is Cindy’s dinner (with music bingo directly after), that dinner needs to be signed up for in advance.

Fridays will continue on as they have been, however there will be nights when you have a choice of meal size.

We are always looking for help, be it once a year, twice a year or more frequently. Helping does not mean you have to cook. We need people to collect money, help set up and clean up.

If you like to cook or simply to be in the kitchen and would like to help at a dinner, that is also an option. I can help pair you up with a partner for a dinner or if you want to plan your own, that is also an option. If you are planning your own, I have forms for you to fill out for reimbursement.

If your passion is baking, we would love to occasionally offer dessert! Just let me know what you would like to make and when.

To everyone else, I am always looking for new ideas on what to cook, what kind of sandwiches or simple dinner ideas you would like and truly any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I will be starting a separate email just to set up volunteers and schedule Wednesdays and Fridays, please send me an email if you would like to be included in this at ann@tucsontrivia.com or call/text at 860-682-0848.