TENAFLY, N.J.—On Sept. 7, Tenafly Elks Lodge 2771 hosted its 57th Annual Clambake and Barbeque from 2 to 7 p.m., and the Elks—as well as the grills—were all fired up.
Dozens of Elks, including Exalted Leader Maureen Ray and Past Exalted Leader Maureen Quinn, along with numerous guests, gathered at the Elks 2271 Lodge on Franklin Street in Tenafly for fabulous food and fun. They were joined by Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin and Councilman Mark Zinna who chatted with attendees and chowed down on delicious barbecue.
The clam bake is one of the several fundraisers that the Tenafly Lodge hosts throughout the year. It is so popular that it draws people from as far away as New York and Western Pennsylvania.
In addition to the adults, kids loved the clambake, too, and there were games and crafts to keep the groups of friends busy.
Many Elks leaders were on site and in great spirits, including Exalted Leader Ray, Leading Knight Tony Bianco, Loyal Knight Adele Macris, Secretary Gene Eriksen, Treasurer Sturgis Katirgis, Lecturing Knight Evelyn Sanchez, Richard Ritner, Inner Guard Barbara Moscone and Chaplain Bobby Thompson.
Several Elks Trustees were also at the clambake, including Ken Riley, Joe Hroncich, Quentin Kennedy, Carlo Coretto and Jerry O’Brien.
Lou Vagnone, a Tenafly resident, attends the Elks clambake every year.
“It’s a great get together and we really help people,” he said.
Another Tenafly resident, Anthony Pizzuto, belongs to many organizations, but he is eagerly looking forward to becoming an Elk.
“There is such a great mix of people here, from white collar to blue collar to no collar!” he said laughing.
Ray said, “I love that this is a social gathering where we get to sit down and break bread with friends!”
In the all-you-can-eat bonanza, there was an abundance of food everywhere—clams, mussels, steak, sausage and peppers, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, soda and beer.
Live music was provided by Mad Thad and the Heat Seekers band, and their rock and roll and R & B performance was so upbeat that people spontaneously jumped up and danced along.
Elks put the ‘fun’ in fundraising
An important component of the fun-filled clam bake is fundraising. A 50/50 raffle as well as ticket sales and additional donations were a boon to the day’s revenue that is well spent.
Besides enjoying the annual jovial fest and friendships, the Elks have a serious commitment to fundraising.
Exalted Leader Ray is proud of that fact.
“We do an enormous amount of charity, and every dollar that we raise from fundraising goes to support our many charities,” she said.
In fact, the Elks are the third most charitable entity in the country, the first being the government, followed by the Bill Gates Foundation.
Their efforts are dynamic and include specialized giving and organizing for: special needs children; drug awareness; fun programs for kids; the Elks National Foundation, which supports a variety of causes; and veterans programs.
As evidenced by their charitable donations and programs, the Elks are truly dedicated to public service, and their tag line “Elks Care—Elks Share” is well deserved.
