Weiser Elks Lodge turns 75

Weiser Elks Lodge No. 1683 is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an open house on Saturday, July 17 from 5-8 p.m. at the Lodge, located at 38 W. Idaho St. in downtown Weiser.
 The celebration is free to the public, but donations are being accepted.
 Hotdogs and drinks will be provided, and a swing band is scheduled to perform for the public’s enjoyment.
 “People are welcome to come in and take a tour of the lodge,” said Exalted Ruler Ken Salzsieder, who has served in that capacity since April 2021. “We want people to know they can rent this place out for events.”
 Salzsieder, a 22-year U.S. Army Veteran, recently returned from the Elks National Convention, which was held this year in Tampa, Fla.
 “It was a great time,” he said. “There were about 6,700 representatives from all over the United States. We got some new materials like brochures and pamphlets, and voted on some changes that will be coming this year.”
 Founded in 1868, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks consists of hundreds of lodges across the U.S. whose mission is to serve their respective communities, particularly youth and veterans.
 Their official mission is to, “inculcate the principles of charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America, [to] serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share,” according to the organization’s national website.
 Following World War II, a group of area business and professional men, mostly members of the Caldwell or Boise Elks lodges, met in the reading room in the basement of the Hotel Washington to consider establishing Weiser’s own lodge.
 George Donart, Sam Emrich, Raleigh Walker, Carl Moss, Jack Whiting, Maynard Eacker, Emery Sholl, Bill Black, and Delbert Barton met to discuss the matter, citing over 50 members of other lodges that resided in the Weiser area, establishing the need for the city’s own lodge.
 Weiser Elks Lodge No. 1683 received its charter in 1946.
 With many servicemen returning home from military duty and defense workers returning from airplane factories and shipyards, the Weiser Elks Lodge prospered in the late 1940s at their location in the basement of Hotel Washington, owned by Barton and Walker, according to Weiser Elks historical records.
 The lodge quickly built up its membership and the quest for a new home began. Members and administrators ultimately handled the purchase of the former Northam Jones Funeral Home at 38 W. Idaho Street, the non-profit’s current location.
 The formal dedication of the new Elks Lodge Room and Temple was held on Saturday, Oct. 21, 1950.
 “Upon the foundation of our order, which is fidelity, charity, justice, and brotherly love, and with the love and care of our wives and Ladies of the Elks, we’ll be looking forward to the next 50 years,” lodge administrators stated upon the organization’s 50th anniversary, celebrated in 1996.
 Halfway there, the Weiser Elks continues to fulfill its mission to serve the community, youth, and veterans.
 “We want the public to come join us to celebrate our 75th,” Salzsieder said. “We plan to be around for the foreseeable future.”