Selling and shutting down the Elks Halls in Williams Lake was not the club’s desire, but with only six members they could not keep it going, said the club’s president.
“We don’t really want it to shut down, it’s such a community centre,” Randy Schellenberg told the Tribune Wednesday, Sept. 8. “The only other big venue is the Gibraltar Room and with this gone it’s going to hurt.”
Schellenberg said a local construction contractor came forward, bought it and is going to board it up for now.
“He bought it for speculation,” he added.
There are three lots included with the property, he added.
The Cariboo Elks Lodge #239 has been in Williams Lake since the 1930s.
The hall which just sold was club’s second hall as the original hall burned down and was a rebuilt in 1949.
“Our club will still run, just not with a hall,” Schellenberg said, noting funds from the sale will go towards the local club.
Schellenberg said he wanted to thank the public for supporting the Elks over the years at the hall, as well as his brother Sam Schellenberg and fellow Elk member Arnie Zimmerman who has been a great help and managed the hall for many years.
The club will try to proceed with ‘Elktober,’ to do a membership drive in October and Schellenberg is hopeful some new members will join.
“COVID-19 was hard on us,” he said.
READ MORE: Schellenberg brothers take over Elks Hall management
READ MORE: Our Hometown: Arnie Zimmerman, an Elk through and through
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