By Bill Pumford, Image from the ROWHS Collection

TITLE: SKYFOREST ELKS LODGE 2393: The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was established in New York City in 1868. Its work for social causes initiated the chartering of lodges in many cities in the United States. I was blessed last year in being able to join the Skyforest Elks Lodge 2393 and my first question was – why is it called Skyforest but located in Rimforest? The Elks Lodge was originally chartered in 1968 in Skyforest but relocated some years later to Rimforest. This week’s image is of a postcard showing Club Arrowhead identified as the Elks Lodge which came from the Russ Keller collection, which I had been looking for since I joined the Elks. Club Arrowhead, better known as Tudor House today, was leased and renovated over a three-month period for $5000 in 1968 for the purpose of using the structure as an Elks Lodge. The Skyforest Elks Lodge 2393 was opened on Saturday, August 10, 1968, with a barbeque, dancing, and music. In 1974 the Elks Lodge moved from Skyforest to Rimforest to a location on Highway 18 previously occupied by the Mountain Kitchen. This famous restaurant was a fixture in Rimforest for decades until a fire in the early 1970s terminated its life as a restaurant. After an extensive refurbishment the building began life again as an Elks Lodge. One interesting story about the Elks Lodge came from Roy Hill who said that in the early 2000s Greg Kage, a member of the rock group Canned Heat (better remembered by people over the age of 70), set up jam sessions at the Lodge on Sundays. Greg had a cabin in Cedarpines Park. The members of the Elks Lodge in Rimforest continue to provide support to veterans, church programs, children’s programs, and disaster relief. One of the most well-known programs involves the use of a purple pig to raise funds to support children with disabilities.