A Century Strong: Renovo ELKS Lodge 334 Goes Smoke-Free, Launches $10 Membership Drive
By Kevin Rauch
RENOVO – During the week of September 14, 1925, the Renovo ELKS Lodge 334 celebrated their “New Home Dedication” holding events each day of the week, with dignitaries and politicians alike invited to events such as an open house, lunch buffet and grand ball.
It was a historic event as the three-building charter was built for Lodge #334’s new home, and at the time state of the art building. A larger, more centralized site was needed as the club membership boomed since its inception in 1896.
For over one hundred years Club #334 has been a source of pride and community, standing strong and keeping its doors open during the great recession, WWll, as well as social and political discord.
Still, the Renovo ELKS Lodge has been a constant source of not only a social gathering place, but always a phone call away from helping the community through youth sports and a myriad of other activities.
Now, 100 years from the month of the New Home Dedication the officers and trustees of Lodge 334 are offering a major change to their operations, one that they aspire to spark interest in the community in the hopes of preserving their future for decades to come.
Beginning September , 2025, the ELKS Lodge #334 will become a smoke-free establishment as they hope to entice non-members to join the club in force. As an added incentive, the club will be doing a membership drive beginning on that same day where memberships will cost just $10 and will be good until April 1, 2026.
“The members voted and starting September 1, we’re going to a non-smoking club as well as we’re going to do a membership drive,” trustee Kraig Barner explained. “We’re confident that once people become members, they will see what kind of an organization we are and will stick around for years to come.
“Smoking is now a big turn off for many, especially the younger generation, the times have changed, and we want to stay a vital part of the community” Barner added.
“The ELKS Lodge is a nonprofit, we’re all about raising money to give back to the community, veterans organizations, people in need, Flaming Foliage, honestly anyone or group that asks we always do what we can,” the trustee said.
Indeed, it’s likely that no one can remember a time when the ELKS didn’t have a season when a Renovo baseball or softball team wasn’t sponsored by the ELKS Lodge.
The Renovo ELKS are also more consistent than in previous years in offering and accepting catering for events. Just last weekend the class of 1968 celebrated not a school reunion, but rather the fact that many of them are turning 75 years old.
“This is the second weekend in a row that we catered an event downstairs, but then of course we also have the banquet room on the second floor that we can rent out as well” trustee Joe Riggle offered. “Downstairs here we can seat up to 65 people, but upstairs we can open the full bar and seat up to 125 people”.
The members have really tried to draw interest in their organization to everyone throughout the year, but of course still also plan to be a staple on the occasions that Renovo is set on people’s destination.
This October the ELKS trustees and officers hope to help kick off everyone’s Flaming Foliage Festival’s weekend fun. First, the Lodge will be holding a fish fry from 4:00p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Later in the night they were able to secure one of the area’s hottest bands, Mix Tape that will take to the stage at 9:00 p.m. Blaise Alexander Subaru is sponsoring the performance.
The officers and trustees have kept the club open with events such as catering, Lenten fish fries and the annual cash bash. Still, with the changing times, whereas people seem to select social media over social gatherings, they hope that the public will support them in staying a fixture of Renovo.
Beginning September 1, 2025 anyone interested in becoming a member of the ELKS Lodge #334 can do so by stopping by the club and asking for an application. The lodge opens at 2:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and at 12:00 p.m. on Sundays.
