LAC LA BICHE - Members of the Lac La Biche Elks lodge #470 have been active in the area donating to various initiatives and maintaining a visible presence in the community.
Nicholas Bartlett, a member of the Lac La Biche chapter, said these days, the Elks mostly donate money to different events and organizations, including the Lac La Biche Ice Festival (formerly the Winter Festival of Speed), and the Festival of Trees. The club also raises funds that are given to youth groups, the Hope Haven women’s shelter, and others.
“The latest big donation that the club has done is the sponsoring of the ball diamonds at the Bold Centre,” Bartlett says. “The club also donates to many local events being held throughout the year as well as some other local clubs.”
The Lac La Biche chapter of the Elks has around 30 members. While the club is always looking at ideas for hosting more events in the community, lately, the focus has been on expanding its membership. Growing the number of members will help bring ideas and new energy to the club.
For Bartlett, being involved with the service organization has been a very rewarding experience. His grandfather was a member of the local chapter of the Elks in Terrace, B.C., where he grew up.
“I have been a member of the Lac La Biche Elks for almost three years, and I really enjoy giving back to the community,” he says.
As a youth, Bartlett was able to play baseball in a park with four baseball diamonds that was developed and maintained by the Elks. Without the Terrace Elks building those ball diamonds, he said, children from the neighbourhood would have had to travel to different areas to play.
Elks on Ice
For the second year in a row, the Lac La Biche Elks lodge #470 will be hosting an afternoon of winter fun on the frozen surface of Lac La Biche Lake with the Elks on Ice event. The event will be taking place at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The first-ever Elks on Ice, which took place in March 2024, provided people with an opportunity to go ice fishing and learn how to fish while enjoying hot dogs and hamburgers.
Those who were in attendance could also check out the warm-up tent near the concession area featuring monitors showing them an underwater live-camera view of Lac La Biche Lake.
“This year hopefully we will be giving away Ice fishing rods to youth again,” Bartlett said.
Like the inaugural Elks on Ice, volunteers will be on site during the second edition of the event to show people how to tie hooks, while providing some coaching on how to properly ice fish.
Spending a few hours out ice fishing can cause one to work up an appetite, and members of the local Elks lodge will be serving up free hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot drinks.
The Lac La Biche Elks lodge #470, Bartlett continued, believes the event is important for the community as it is a way to get young people outdoors and try something new.
“It's way that Elks and local business can show that they care about the youth of our community and want them to get outside. We need youth with more tackle boxes and less Xboxes,” he says.
