Boulder Elks Lodge to reopen March 11
BOULDER – The Boulder Elks Lodge and Events Center, which had been closed to public events for more than a decade, has been renovated and will reopen March 11.
The building at 3975 28th St. had been open only for private events because of a leaky roof and the need for asbestos eradication, said Mark Wood, the venue’s events and marketing coordinator. “The club’s leadership decided not to pursue a public-events license while that was going on,” he said, adding that the building was renovated after a flood last year.
The entire 10,000-square-foot ballroom and dining area has been extensively cleaned, painted, and sanitized, Wood said, and asbestos removal has been completed and certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
A new 3,000 square-foot maple dance floor, which Wood said is one of the largest in Boulder County, has been added and has been spring-loaded “to ease the impact of dancing on the body,” he said, “no doubt an homage to the current senior members who still like to dance there including ballroom, tango and rock ‘n’ roll dancing.”
The public will get a chance to dance on it to the music of local favorite Hazel Miller and her band during the lodge’s kickoff event from 7 to 10:30 p.m. March 11.
“It’s kind of a cool thing in hip, mod Boulder to see seniors have such a great place to gather,” Wood said.
Boulder Elks Lodge #566 started in 1900 at a building near 13th and Spruce streets across from the site where the Hotel Boulderado would open nine years later. It grew to more than 5,000 members and was one of the city’s main benevolent nonprofit organizations, contributing to many activities and fundraisers, especially for veterans.
In 1960, the lodge’s leaders purchased more than 20 acres of land in a wooded section of North Boulder and built the 30,000-square-foot lodge complete with an Olympic-sized heated swimming pool with two diving boards, including a high dive. The pool is open year round and rented by swim clubs in the winter.
The commercial kitchen was designed to serve 3,500 meals at a time, and many local organizations have hosted events there. The lodge allowed Wood to rent the kitchen for $350 a month to launch his company, ReMarkable Foods, in 2012 and grow his Appleooz snack brand. He placed his snacks in more than 300 stores before selling his company to 1908 Brands in 2016 but retained the rights to the Appleooz brand, which he relaunched in 2020. Wood has been an Elks member since then and is donating his marketing talents to the lodge as thanks for helping him start his company.
Wood said the lodge will again provide weekly dinners and entertainment, as well as meeting venues for Boy Scout troops, bridge clubs, book clubs and more, and space for private parties, weddings, receptions, baby showers, bridal showers, business meetings, concerts, music gatherings, bar Mitzvahs, bat Mitzvahs and quinceañeras. Members can take advantage of inexpensive parking spaces for recreational vehicles and take advantage of a closet full of medical equipment available for loan.
The lodge provides scholarships for area public-school students and sponsors the Boulder Elks Swim Team during the summers.
Source: BizWest
