We Are in a Good Place Now

February 1, 2022

No, this month's column is not intended to sound like an opening to a eulogy. Just the opposite, I suppose! The 'good place', I am referring to, is our new meeting location. By now you are all familiar with the story of how we are now assembling at the Elks' Carriage Barn. The long and short of it is that the Country Club was repurposing the space where we have been meeting. We had to get out. A committee of your fellow Rotarians was assigned the task of finding new accommodations for the Bennington Rotary Club. After checking over 15 potential locations the task force accepted the invitation of the Bennington Elks Lodge # 567 to meet in their newly renovated facility.

Everyone should be aware that the Elks are letting us use this facility free of charge. I made the initial contact with their Director of Facilities and explained our situation. He sensed my surprise when he related to me that his Board agreed to let us use the room free-gratis. Their Board of Trustees recognized the good work we Rotarians have done for the Community over the decades. Director Charlie Boyle also hoped that both the Elks and Rotary could work together in future projects to better our Town. Working together with other organizations, no matter the purpose for which they were formed, has always been a goal which I had hoped Rotary would pursue. Dana Rozycki, our president, has made inroads with the VFW in this regard. This is why I titled this column thusly. Hopefully this is a start for us to work with the Elks and build good will and better friendships.

We have some members in our club who are also members of the Bennington Elks Lodge. Personally, I joined the Elks when I lived in Kinderhook, New York. When I moved to Bennington, I transferred my membership to this Lodge. The Bennington Elks immediately welcomed me and helped us establish our business here in town. That was back in 1979. I am now a life member of the Elks.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Elks. First, the correct way is to say, Elks LODGE and never "Club", even though everyone calls it the Elks Club (we are in their house now). Their president is referred to as 'Exalted Ruler' and the governing board is the Board of Trustees. Whereas, Rotary tends to the needs of the world, the Elks tends to serve the needs of the people of the United States. You must be a U.S. citizen to be considered for membership. The type of projects they are involved in are, disaster relief, student sports, scholarships, blood drives, and veterans' affairs, etc. When an Elk member is in good standing you are welcomed at any Lodge across the United States. I even visited the Lodge in Honolulu.

The Bennington Elks Lodge has been in existence since around 1900. Sometime after that they acquired the residence of Dr. F.S. Pratt which was located at 125 Washington Ave. This beautiful Victorian mansion housed the Lodge for a number of years. Since the mansion was built in the mid-1800's the cost of maintaining such a huge building was enormous. By the time the late 60's rolled around the men of the organization (mostly WWII vets) decided it was time to move forward and they voted to tear down the dilapidated old mansion and build a new lodge. (Historic preservation was not in vogue back then.) The carriage barn that served the mansion was spared. Mainly it served as the Lodge during the construction of the new building which happened during the early 1970's. The barn building came into disrepair after the new lodge building was up and running. Over the next decades, historic preservation became more important for the whole region. So it was around 2019 the Board of Trustees decided to renovate the carriage house and turn it into a useful meeting facility that is now home of the Bennington Rotary Club.

Author: Jerry Albert
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