WILDOMAR: Elks members rebuild after fire

New lodge could be ready by July 2009

By JENNIFER KABBANY - For The Californian | Saturday, July 12, 2008 4:09 PM PDT ∞

WILDOMAR ---- It's been nine months since a fire destroyed the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge, a 24-year-old building that had accumulated beloved memories and memorabilia.

On Saturday, the group's members said they were ready to put the painful memory of the blaze behind them and celebrate a new beginning.

About 250 of the 992 Lake Elsinore Elks members attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of their old lodge on Mission Trail in Wildomar.

The event marked the start of construction on a new building for the fraternal organization.

"My heart is pounding," said Murrieta resident Larry Hannon, 72, a 12-year member and past exalted ruler of Lodge 2591. "The day the lodge burned down, I had tears in my eyes and my heart was broken. To see this today fills me with joy."

Throughout the ceremony, the phrase "bigger and better" was tossed about by several members. Holding golden shovels and wearing big smiles, members said the building will be about 13,000 square feet, which is about 5,000 square feet larger than the former lodge.

Plans call for a lounge, large banquet hall, kitchen and offices. The building is estimated to cost about $1.2 million, members said. The old lodge was insured, and their insurance company is covering most of the cost to build the new one, they said.

No one knows what caused the fire. Riverside County Battalion Chief Steve Beach, who attended Saturday's ceremony, said investigators were never able to pinpoint a cause.

The new lodge will be constructed of metal, which is "more fire resistant," Hannon said.

The building process will include two phases, he said. The first phase of construction will focus on the outside of the lodge and is expected to be complete by January, he said.

While the frame's construction is under way, members will focus their attention on finalizing plans and obtaining permits for the inside of the lodge, Hannon said. The interior of the one-story building will hopefully be ready by July 2009, he said.

Meanwhile, members are still meeting in a 7,000-square-foot banquet hall in the Trevi Entertainment Center in Lake Elsinore, he said. There, they play bingo, conduct meetings, sing karaoke and dine together.

The group also plays an active role in the community, giving thousands of dollars in student scholarships each year, visiting injured veterans, and financially supporting organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Young Marines and local families facing a crisis.

The fire has not slowed them down, Hannon said.

"The heart of the lodge is the members, not the building," he said.

But the building is like a second home to many of the members, they said, and they are thrilled to know that another one will soon stand.

Lake Elsinore resident Richard Nohmy, 78, said he can remember when the first lodge was built, and knows that the new one will also be a special place.

"Whether we had to shovel dirt or hang a nail, we did it," Nohmy said, referring to the old lodge's construction by members in the early 1980s.

"Pretty soon, we are going to have a great building, bigger and better, and all the new members are going to enjoy it, just like we did."

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