Woodstock Elks Lodge chapter merges with Elgin branch

Woodstock’s Elks Lodge chapter has merged with Elgin Elks Lodge 737.

The volunteer organization was established in 1906 in Woodstock, but dwindling membership and a lack of funding pushed the group toward consolidation, Elks representative David Stack said.

“This doesn’t mean we won’t be represented in Woodstock and in McHenry County,” he said. “We will do what we can to bring our benevolent and charitable work back to the community.”

The lodge decided to sell its building in 2012 because of financial hardships. Part of the negotiations with the Elgin lodge calls for the Woodstock chapter to put funding back into the community with its profits from the building sale.

The group presented the city with $2,000 at a recent City Council meeting as part of merger negotiations.

The building the lodge formerly operated out of, at 140 Cass St., still is vacant, but Ethereal Confections, a coffee and chocolate shop on the Square, has plans to move into the space as part of an expansion.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks is a national organization and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

It has locations nationwide, including 70 in Illinois, according to its website.