CLEARFIELD – On the heels of the governor’s announcement to begin lifting some of the state-wide restrictions, a lot of tough decisions still have to be made.
Social clubs, such as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Loyal Order of Moose find themselves in uncharted territory.
Social clubs, while not officially classified as “businesses,” are still vital parts of the community and have felt the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to William Lawhead, trustee of Clearfield BPOE Elks Lodge 540, the clubs are having to make some unprecedented choices. Calls to the Curwensville Loyal Order of Moose and the Clearfield Fraternal Order of Eagles were not returned.
Lawhead said the Elks have been “doing okay.” The Elks have cancelled their regular monthly meetings, their social activities and closed their bar room.
“It’s helped in some ways because we have no bills coming in. We set the heat back, we’re not using much in the way of water or electricity.
“Unfortunately, the we have a leak in the roof and no funds coming in to fix it,” Lawhead said. He said most of the club’s food was able to be frozen and saved for later use.
Lawhead said the trustees have been holding conference calls to take care of day-to-day items. He said the club’s secretary and treasurer have been coming in periodically to take care of the club’s yearly membership dues.
“They alternate when they come in, so they’re keeping their distance. We’re keeping the heat turned down, so they have little space heaters they use when they’re in the office,” Lawhead said.
The club saw a much-needed reprieve when the state Elks Association awarded a grant and voted to return the portion of the membership dues, which are normally turned over to the state.
“Aside from the membership dues, we have no income,” Lawhead said. “Some of the members have been very generous with their donations and we’re grateful for that.”
The club, in addition to losing income from the bar and regular events, has been unable to rent their facilities, such as the Antler Room and the County Home in Goshen Township.
“We had five events scheduled for this month and we refunded their money. We didn’t have anything scheduled for the Country Home yet, but with the warm weather coming, those would have normally started around this time,” Lawhead said.
However, the most difficult decision came April 29, when the Elks opted to cancel the annual High Country Arts and Crafts Fair, held in July at S.B. Elliott State Park.
The event, organized by the club’s Past Exalted Ruler’s Association, has been a tradition for decades. All proceeds from the fair go directly back to charities and other organizations in the Clearfield County area.
Lawhead said 140 vendors had signed up to participate in the event. “We were really confused about what to do,” he said.
“We feel badly about it, but it’s a decision that had to be made now. If we get all the vendors lined up and invest $5,000-$6,000 and no one shows up (because of fears about the COVID-19 outbreak), then it’s bad all around.
“If the vendors don’t have a good year, they lose money and they may not want to come back.”
Lawhead said the event has brought in over 10,000 people in previous years. He said all 140 vendors will have their deposits refunded.
Lawhead said the Elks has written letters to the area’s state representatives asking for a reprieve from the Small Games of Chance laws.
The law requires that a percentage of all the money earned under the club’s small games of chance laws must be turned back over to the state and donated.
He’s hoping other clubs will also write letters or send e-mails. “It would be very helpful the state would waive those requirements, just for one year,” Lawhead said.
The club had additional food that had been purchased for one of the scheduled Bingo events. Since the Elks can no longer hold public events, Lawhead said the club will be selling cheesesteak sandwiches for $7 and cheesy-bacon tater tots for $3 on May 9.
He said the club will be taking orders beginning at 2:30 p.m. and will begin serving customers starting at 3 p.m. Lawhead said they will serve until the food is gone.
Anyone in the community can order, not just Elks members.
“They (customers) can call in (814-765-5711) and order. Then they can come down Reed Street and through the parking lot to the back door. We’ll hand the orders out drive-through style and they can exit onto Second Street,” Lawhead said. “We have enough for about 120 cheesesteaks, and we’ll serve until we run out.”
Lawhead said it’s hard to guess when the club may be allowed to re-open.
“We’ve had no indication of when we may be back up and running,” Lawhead said.
“We’ll probably be one of the last places to open, because we’re a social club and they want to limit people gathering in groups. We’ll be okay for a little while, but if this goes on three or four months it might be a problem.
“We hope the members will come back and that we can get back to normal soon.”
