Englewood Moose Lodge: Celebrating 50 Years of Camaraderie, Fun and Service to the Community

 

 

The Englewood Moose Lodge 1933 celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday, April 7th with drink specials and food catered by Cape Haze Convenience Store. The lodge started with 50 members on April 7, 1974, and now boasts a membership of 11,000 members, making it the second largest lodge in Florida and one of the top three lodges in the country.

Drive by the lodge at 55 W. Dearborn Street anytime the building is open, and you will see the parking lots full and all the tables taken around the outside bar (and inside as well). What has made this Moose lodge so popular?

I asked the current Moose President, Brent Sheldon, this question and he replied, “They come for the food and to dance.” The lodge hosts bands inside three nights a week where there is a dance floor and a band outside near the Tiki Bar six nights a week. After enjoying drinks and/or a meal, people are ready to kick up their heels and dance when the music starts.

Food and drinks are reasonably priced, so most members come to enjoy a meal and socialize with fellow Moose friends. Themed meal night specials such as Pasta, Taco, Surf & Turf and BBQ Nights are popular draws. Within the last eight years, the lodge building has been remodeled and is now tastefully decorated and up to date.

Another reason for the lodge’s popularity is a schedule of daily games and activities. Have fun playing Bingo, Bunco, Show Me the Money, Texas Hold’em, trivia, 50/50 and Queen of Hearts. Cash prizes for the lucky winner often climb into very respectful totals depending on the game.

But the Moose isn’t all about fun and food. The Moose is well recognized in the Englewood community for its generosity to the youth organizations, thanks to the Trites Fund (an endowment fund provided by the Trite family). Non-profit youth-oriented groups can apply for funds to help meet some of their needs. Some of the recipients have been The Learning Center for Dyslexia, Englewood schools, Kids Needs of Greater Englewood, Englewood Soccer, Englewood Boys and Girls Club, Englewood Sailing Association, and Young Life Englewood. Another way the Moose helps the community is with Tommy Moose dolls which are given to law enforcement and first responders to help calm children in traumatic situations. But the Moose’s generosity extends to more than youth. Local food pantries such as The Jubilee Center and Englewood Helping Hand, veteran groups and more, also have been regular recipients of the lodge’s generosity. There is a link on the Englewood Moose home webpage (englewoodmoose.org) to initiate a request.

Beyond the Englewood community, the lodge also helps support Mooseheart in Illinois, a residential childcare facility for children and teens in need who have lost their families or have families who are unable to care for them. The Moose doesn’t forget their senior members, either. Moosehaven in Orange Park is a retirement community for those Moose members with 15+ years of consecutive Moose membership.

How is the Moose able to provide all these generous donations to the Englewood community and beyond? There are always raffles available to participate in and some members choose to make a donation when they visit the lodge. The Women of the Moose, a group of female Moose members, raise money and donate to their designated charities. The Moose Riders, a group of motorcycle enthusiast members, support Toys for Tots as one of their charities.

For those wishing to embrace this fraternal organization more fully, there is the Moose Legion, where there are opportunities to be leaders, serve on committees, and provide more support to the Order’s philanthropic causes.

Moose International is a fraternal and service organization that was founded in 1888 by Dr. Henry Wilson in Louisville, Kentucky to provide opportunities for men to gather socially, to meet each other’s needs and to celebrate life together. Women of the Moose was established in 1913 and is a group within the Moose which is coed. There are now over one million members in 1,500 communities across the U.S., Canada and Great Britain.

Englewood Moose Lodge 1933 is open Monday through Thursday from 11am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday, 11am to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 10pm. You can reach them by phone at 941-474-4100 and visit them online at englewoodmoose.org.

It is easy to see why so many people join Moose Lodge 1933. It’s definitely a place where you can have fun with friends, enjoy a meal and drinks, dance, and participate in games and raffles. Plus, you know that your participation in games & raffles raises money that benefits the Englewood community, as well as national Moose charities. Check it out!