This past Sunday was a sad day for the Regina Elks Club #9. Not only did their clubhouse along 1st Avenue North go up in flames, so did all of their special memorabilia, pictures, and history. The club is now seeking the public’s help for any pictures or other memorabilia for a special memorial to the hall.
“We had pictures of all our past exalted rulers that were up in the lodge, we’ve lost all of those (plus) irreplaceable things, especially the history, and I feel so bad for the older gentleman,” stated Charlotte Henderson-Wilson, Secretary Treasurer of the Elks Club.
The Regina Elks just celebrated their 105th birthday last year and, unfortunately, much of the club’s history was not archived in computers. Prior to the Elks owning the hall, it once belonged to CN Rail who used it as an office building near their rail yard. For a brief time it was also a popular place for Saturday night dances where local musicians would play and visitors would dance.
“We were actually still having them (the dances) until COVID and we couldn’t have anything, but once a month we tried to have a jam session until 8:00 and then it would become a dance,” explained Henderson-Wilson.
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The search for a new clubhouse is on for the Elks and the goal is to have a memorial to their former hall which was lost to fire on the morning of May 3rd. Henderson-Wilson says there is no timeline on finding a new location yet, but would appreciate any stories, photos, or memorabilia of the hall in the meantime.
Anyone wishing to donate pictures can email Henderson-Wilson at chenderson@yourlink.ca or call her at 306-596-8052.