Elks Lodge #794 Reopens in New Santa Ana Location

Elks Lodge #794 recently celebrated the grand opening of a new building in Santa Ana as members of the service organization said goodbye to their previous spot across town that opened in 1952.

Of course, the organization itself began long before that, having been conceived in 1867 as the Jolly Corks for charitable giving. After being renamed the Elks, the first lodge opened in Santa Ana in August 1902, and the group has been a solid pillar of the community ever since. After 50 years at First and Sycamore streets, the Elks moved to their second location on, appropriately enough,  Elks Lane. The new banquet and community facility is at 1751 S. Lyon St., Santa Ana.

The speaking room inside the new building was filled with tables for the Aug. 17 grand opening. In the back, a table held tender beef kabobs and fruits on sticks for guests. Not too far away from the food, raffles for gift bags were staged, and in the middle of the room stood a microphone for speakers to share about the good times they’ve had and those still to come with the Lodge #794.

Dan Breece, the Exalted Ruler of the Santa Ana branch, was the first to address the crowd. “Today is really about giving our members, our friends, our guests, our neighbors, our family members, people that have been here before, a chance to come and see what the Elks are all about,” he said. “And what we’re really all about is being invested in the community. We’re all about helping the vets, high school kids with scholarships, junior high kids with sports recognitions and awards, homeless, needy families, needy children.”

Claudio Gallego Gallegos, who was on hand to represent Congressman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim), presented Breece and the Elks a Congressional Record, which refers to a member of the House of Representatives requesting a minute on the floor to recognize an individual or organization.

“It’s an honor to be here at the grand opening of this beautiful Elks Lodge,” Gallegos told the audience. “Congratulations, you should all be proud. Elks have such a long, rich tradition in our community. They have been part of the Santa Ana community for well over 100 years. While formed in 1902, they continue to be an asset to the community 117 years later.”

Gallegos also presented the Elks with another honorable gift, an American Flag flown over the U.S. Capitol building. Breece was overcome with joy and pride when Gallegos handed him the folded flag.

Art Echternacht of the California-Hawaii Elks Association reminisced with the assembled on the progress the Santa Ana lodge and the Elks as a national organization have made. “We will continue to support the programs we have in the past and many new ones in the future,” he vowed.

Also addressing the crowd was Humberto Rojas of the Orangewood Foundation, which helps foster youth achieve independence and an identity and was the recipient of all proceeds from the Elks lodge grand opening.

District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Scott Stephens came to the floor and conceded he would miss the old building on Elks Lane but, after seeing the completed new building, he fully embraced the facility. He reminded the attendees of what it means to be an Elk and how proud he is of the help they give not only to the community but people in dire need.

“They do a lot to honor and share the respect of American traditions,” Stephens said of Elk members. “They donate to handicap children. They have drug awareness classes for teenagers. They honor police and firemen on special evenings. They give out scholarships, care packages to deployed military personnel and many veteran programs. They hand out dictionaries to third graders, take disadvantaged children on fishing trips and to the zoo and so much more. I’m excited that this fabulous new home will provide a safe haven for you going forward for all those endeavors and many, many more.”