By Janet Unruh, WENA Board Member
The Moose Lodge is a fraternal order—a membership organization with formal rules, officers, and local chapters (often called lodges). Fraternal orders in the United States include the Freemasons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Columbus, the Elks, and many others. Decades ago, the Moose Lodge was a men-only club with initiation rituals, but over time it has opened membership to all genders, and the rituals have fallen away. Today the Lodge focuses on social, charitable, and mutual-aid activities.
The Wilkes East Neighborhood Association has been fortunate to partner with our neighborhood Moose Lodge, where we hold our public meetings. The room we use is ideal: a spacious, multipurpose room with long tables, plenty of chairs, and hookups for a microphone and a laptop to display presentations on big screens. The Lodge also permits us to hold our Spring Cleanup—where neighbors drop off household junk for disposal—in its parking lot.
And when I say “the Lodge,” I also mean Steve Waters, the administrator. I interviewed Steve and learned much more about the Lodge. He is personable and generous and was happy to talk about its activities; I scribbled notes as fast as I could. The Lodge keeps a full calendar: Sunday breakfasts, dinners, an art/painting club, a camping club, Boy and Girl Scouts, bingo, poker, pinochle, Monday Night Football (in season), and special events for kids. One of its biggest efforts is partnering with SnowCap. The Lodge also sponsors fundraisers for back-to-school supplies, the county animal shelter, Parkrose High School football equipment, Red Cross CPR classes, and many other causes. Although membership skews toward baby boomers—and many similar clubs have closed—our local Lodge is growing.
On the national scene, Moose International supports two residential communities:
Mooseheart is a residential childcare campus founded in 1913 by the Loyal Order of Moose. It provides a safe, structured home with K–12 education, small class sizes, vocational training, and extracurricular activities designed to prepare students for college, careers, and life. See: https://www.mooseheart.org/
Moosehaven is a private membership retirement community on the St. Johns River in Orange Park, Florida. Serving members age sixty-five and older, it offers a full range of programs and support services. Moosehaven has served members since 1922 and is rated among the best nursing homes in the country by U.S. News & World Report. See: https://www.moosehaven.org/
Back at our neighborhood Lodge, it feels like an oasis. Members say they feel safe and welcome. Inside, the Lodge has a full bar with ten beers on tap and reasonably priced mixed drinks. There’s a large dining room, an ample kitchen, the back meeting room, and plenty of parking. I noticed the outdoor patio with tables and chairs, and Steve said the Lodge plans to build an outdoor event area at the back of the property with a stage and a barbecue.
I asked about membership. The Lodge is a private club, and new members need a sponsor who is already a member. The application fee is $20, and annual dues are $70. I like the sense of community and the Lodge’s broad charitable work, and I’m enthusiastic about expanding our partnership with them.
Our local Moose Lodge is at 16411 NE Halsey St., Portland OR 97230. Ph: 503-253-1891. Website: https://mooselodge1891.com/ Email: loom1891@gmail.com
