Tonopah Elks Lodge cracks another success for students — PHOTOS
E.R. Jay Rodriguez (Exalted Ruler, but he’ll blush and look away when he explains that) of the Tonopah Elks Lodge #1062 reports, “The annual Crab Crack this past Saturday was a huge success. There was an even bigger crowd than last year who came out to support the Lodge!” The Elks have been hosting this annual fundraiser for the past five years.
Four hundred fifty pounds of Dungeness crab were secured for the evening buffet last weekend at the Tonopah Convention Center. Two hundred patrons paid $55 per person, with proceeds going toward scholarships for all Tonopah and Round Mountain students who apply. The Elks Lodge, at 241 Central Street in Tonopah also “needs a little love” in the way of TVs and lighting, according to Rodriguez. Lodge members hope to provide needed repairs and updates to the building constructed over forty years ago, in addition to the scholarships. “Our lodge building is used by the entire community for school dances, meetings, even Celebrations of Life. We often waive the rental fee; the Lodge is here for the community when they need it.”
Festivities began at 5 p.m. and filled Saturday evening with great food, games, and dancing well into the night. Marc Grigory, Tonopah Town Board clerk and owner of Tonopah Liquor Company bar, volunteered his dynamic talent as auctioneer, games emcee, and popular music D.J.
The buffet opened around 6 p.m., but not before designated table captains bid for buffet access position. Table #18 earned the honors of dishing up first with a winning $1,400 bid to belly up to the buffet. Table #19 quickly matched with $1,400 to eat second. Subsequent tables also successfully vied for position with their pooled donations of hundreds of dollars, until toward the end of the auction one magnanimous table captain bid $400 to stop the bidding and let the remaining guests fill their plates with steaming Dungeness crab, melted butter, coleslaw and Hawaiian rolls. Brownies and dessert bars were arrayed to top off the succulent meal.
Michael Lach, manager of North Tonopah Development, described the Elks Crab Crack as, “A great yearly event where community gets to come together to raise funds for a great cause. It’s fun to watch the auctions where people bid up and raise additional funds on top of the dinner ticket price. This is a big turnout! Look at how many people came out!”
The Elks Club meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. They organize Jim Butler Days and the associated mining events, and annual Hoop Shots tournaments in addition to pitching in wherever and whenever they can.
Their 75 members encourage you to join them, to provide scholarships for local students. Learn more on the Tonopah Elks Lodge #1062 Facebook page, visit elks.org, or simply head on down to talk with Jay at the NAPA Auto Parts store on Main Street. He says, “There’s no words to describe how I feel about this group. I am so happy.”
