BEMIDJI ELK'S LODGE /businesses-organizations/bemidji-elks-lodge BEMIDJI ELK'S LODGE en-US Sat, 11 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT Fourth Street Lofts pay homage to early Bemidji hotels /business/fourth-street-lofts-pay-homage-to-early-bemidji-hotels Dennis Doeden BUSINESS,BEMIDJI,BEMIDJI ELKS LODGE,TRAVEL,TOURISM,SUBSCRIBERS ONLY The four Loft rooms are named The Rex, The Dalton, The Markham and The Lakeshore. Hotels by those same names were located downtown in Bemidji’s early days. <![CDATA[<p>BEMIDJI — The newest lodging rooms in Bemidji pay homage to the town&#8217;s history, featuring names from hotels that dotted the downtown landscape a century ago.</p> <br> <br> <p>The Fourth Street Lofts, <a href="/business/fourth-street-lodge-project-nearing-completion-in-downtown-bemidji">located in the historic Elks Building</a> at the corner of Fourth and Beltrami, opened this month after an extensive renovation project that included a third-floor event center and a second-floor restaurant.</p> <br> <br> <p>The four Loft rooms are named The Rex, The Dalton, The Markham and The Lakeshore. Hotels by those same names were located downtown in Bemidji&#8217;s early days. The Markham opened in 1890, six years before Bemidji became a city, and lasted until 1984 when it was razed.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/6b7201b/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F23%2Ffd%2F09f859bf4e7b9052bffa6cfc20fd%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-lodge.jpg"> </figure> <p>The entire former Elks Building, now known as the Fourth Street Lodge, is owned by developer Mitch Rautio, restaurateur Keng Dechawuth and local banker Carl Johnson. They purchased it in 2022 and began renovation in 2023.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;I&#8217;ve been here about 11 years, and I have always been fascinated with the Elks Building,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;I thought, &#8216;What an opportunity that could be.&#8217; Downtown is really the heart of any city, and it&#8217;s worth the investment.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/56f0930/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F07%2Fb7%2Fcc8d0d5943b6be9d3f4c94ddc18a%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-lodge-2.jpg"> </figure> <p>The Fourth Street Lofts are booked through an online system at <a href="https://bemidjilodge.com/hotel/" target="_blank">bemidjilodge.com.</a> Rates range from $145 to $195 per night. The two-bed Markham room has a window facing Fourth Street. The one-bed Lakeshore room has a window facing Lake Bemidji. The Dalton and Rex rooms each have one bed. Guests can also enjoy The Lodge No. 1052, a common area with seating, games and a television. The room pays tribute to the building&#8217;s origins as an Elks Lodge.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;We also display old photos of hotels and downtown events,&rdquo; Rautio said. &ldquo;We want guests to feel that vibe of brick meets industrial in a cool, funky spot.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/b432509/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Faa%2F34%2F2436db5c49638f715b748f26aa5e%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-rex-1.jpg"> </figure> <p>The opening of the hotel, coinciding with the launch of the <a href="/business/blue-oyster-to-open-this-month-in-new-fourth-street-lodge">Blue Oyster restaurant and bar</a> and the Loft Event Center, puts the wraps on a nearly two-year renovation project.</p> <br> <p>&ldquo;You start to feel like it&#8217;s not just a construction project,&rdquo; Rautio said. &ldquo;It&#8217;s fun to see it all come together.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;The cool thing about Mitch, Keng and I is that we&#8217;re really all on the same page as to what we wanted to do with these spaces," Johnson added. "We think a lot of people want to come from out of town and they&#8217;re looking for this diverse and mixed-use type of building that they can stay in, grab a bite to eat in, go out and recreate, and shop retail and enjoy the downtown.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/048a583/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fcf%2Fdc%2Fcbf58ff940d886af9efeec8f6b5e%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-markham-2.jpg"> </figure> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/c2e3d9a/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F0d%2Ffb786c78417680e0b9b1cf97d74c%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-markham-1.jpg"> </figure> <p>There is more work to be done on the street level of the building. Dechawuth plans to open a Chick N Rice restaurant in the space at 110 Fourth St. The space at 114 Fourth St., recently vacated by Happy 420 Merch, is available for lease. Waxing by Lo at 320 Beltrami Ave. and Wick-N-Scents at 318 Beltrami Ave. will remain.</p> <br> <br> <p>The Yarn Cabin at 324 Beltrami Ave. will be moving to a new location on Second Street in the spring, and plans are in the works for a wine and cocktail bar to open in the Yarn Cabin space.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/3c617ff/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fde%2Fcd%2F09d322ed4a5db3710dad79c256df%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-rex-2.jpg"> </figure> <p>&ldquo;I think (a wine bar) is going to go over well,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;It&#8217;s going to help complete the look of the building. It fits the look and feel of that entire space.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Rautio added: &ldquo;We need a mix of businesses downtown. That is part of the fun of downtown. We have such a wide variety of businesses. When you start talking about the livelihood of the downtown, there&#8217;s something new and changing all the time.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/53561f5/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F40%2F24%2F465364714a6fb50cdeeae691011c%2F011125-n-bp-lofts-the-dalton.jpg"> </figure>]]> Sat, 11 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT Dennis Doeden /business/fourth-street-lofts-pay-homage-to-early-bemidji-hotels Bemidjians honor history of American flag with Flag Day events /news/local/bemidjians-honor-history-of-american-flag-with-flag-day-events Madelyn Haasken BEMIDJI,AMERICAN LEGION,BEMIDJI ELKS LODGE The vibrant stars and stripes of the American flag were on display on Wednesday as Flag Day was honored with gatherings at Ralph Gracie Memorial Park and at the Lake Bemidji waterfront. <![CDATA[<p>BEMIDJI — The vibrant stars and stripes of the American flag were on prominent display on Wednesday as Flag Day was honored with gatherings at Ralph Gracie Memorial Park and at the Lake Bemidji waterfront.</p> <br> <br> <p>Flag Day, celebrated on June 14 each year, commemorates the Continental Congress approving the design of a national flag in 1777.</p> <br> <br> <p>President Woodrow Wilson first issued a proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, 1916, but the holiday wasn&#8217;t officially signed into law until 1949. Since then, U.S. presidents have issued a Flag Day and Flag Week proclamation each year.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;I, therefore, suggest and request that throughout the nation and if possible in every community the fourteenth day of June be observed as Flag Day with special patriotic exercises,&rdquo; Wilson&#8217;s proclamation read, &ldquo;at which means shall be taken to give significant expression to our thoughtful love of America, our comprehension of the great mission of liberty and justice to which we have devoted ourselves as a people&mldr;&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/8d09cec/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F44%2F65%2Fef4958154661a346df48cd4f5679%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%202.jpg"> </figure> <p>This year, as the American flag was honored in cities across the country, Bemidjians came out to Ralph Gracie Memorial Park for an annual ceremony held by the Ralph Gracie American Legion Post No. 14 and the Bemidji Elks.</p> <br> <br> <p>Attendees joined in the singing of &ldquo;The Star-Spangled Banner&rdquo; to kick off the event, followed by a reading of the flag&#8217;s history by Bemidji Elks Past Exalted Ruler Mark Dickinson.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;Our flag is at once a history, a declaration and a prophecy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It represents the American nation as it was at its birth. It speaks for what it is today and it holds the opportunity for the future to add other stars to the glorious constellation.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/e50072c/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fdb%2Fc7%2Ffdb4ae5e445a8c87c95047cef993%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%204.jpg"> </figure> <p>Dickinson detailed the history of the American flag, dating back to the founding of Jamestown in 1607 when the Flag of England was the flag of the American people, up to the most recent change to the flag in 1960 when the 50th star was added to recognize Hawaii.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;The gentle breezes with lingering caress kiss the folds of no flag which can compare with it in beauty,&rdquo; Dickinson read. &ldquo;There is no such red in budding rose, in falling leaf or sparkling wine; no such white in April blossom, in crescent moon or mountain snow; no such blue in woman&#8217;s eye, in ocean&#8217;s depth or heaven&#8217;s dome and no such pageantry of clustering stars and streaming light in all the spectrum of the sea and sky.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>To conclude the Elks' portion of the program, attendees sang &ldquo;God Bless America&rdquo; and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.</p> <br> <br> <p>Members of the Ralph Gracie American Legion Post No. 14 then held a traditional flag retirement ceremony for unserviceable American flags. Attendees gathered around and placed their hands on their hearts as First Lieutenant Robert Long set the flags in a drum to be properly burned.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/2e53abc/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff1%2F21%2F136a970140b78fd13da7847e28bb%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%206.jpg"> </figure> <p>The ceremony for the disposal of unserviceable flags is outlined in Resolution No. 440, passed by the 19th National Convention of the American Legion in 1937 in New York.</p> <br> <br> <p>"In a proper service of tribute and memory and love, our flag becomes faded and worn and must be honorably retired from life," the resolution read. "Such retirement of flags that have become unserviceable may be done in public with respectful and honorable rites."</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/6490630/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F7b%2F17%2F968cb2ee41ad80abe0cfa7ec867a%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%207.jpg"> </figure> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/50ebc70/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9d%2Feb%2Ff065cca94fcc8181673be6f970b9%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%201.jpg"> </figure> 'A symbol of democracy' <p>At Paul Bunyan Park, members of Indivisible Bemidji gathered for a Flag Day event to honor the flag as a symbol of democracy.</p> <br> <br> <p>Propping up letters spelling &ldquo;Democracy&rdquo; and hoisting American flags, the group of about a dozen people stood facing Paul Bunyan Drive for about an hour and received plenty of supportive honks from passing vehicles.</p> <br> <br> <p>According to its website, Indivisible Bemidji&#8217;s mission is to support &ldquo;civility, integrity, common good, mutual respect and equity, civic responsibility, liberty and justice for all.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/30cd5d7/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fdd%2Ff5%2F546b3b61470abc5c6eff9a33d651%2F061723.N.BP.FLAGDAY%203.jpg"> </figure> <p>&ldquo;We educate voters and we give them events and activities that they can do to promote grassroots activism,&rdquo; Indivisible Bemidji member Leanne Jaskowiak said about the group&#8217;s purpose.</p> <br> <br> <p>Indivisible Bemidji member Sherry Kloha added that the group holds the event on Flag Day as a reminder that the inclusivity of democracy is represented by the American flag.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;We thought Flag Day was a good day to highlight progressive values,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;and we just wanted to remind people that the flag is a symbol of democracy for everyone — that it includes all of us and it&#8217;s not just for one group of people.&rdquo;</p>]]> Thu, 15 Jun 2023 19:40:33 GMT Madelyn Haasken /news/local/bemidjians-honor-history-of-american-flag-with-flag-day-events A new chapter: Bemidji Elks Lodge sells downtown building after more than 100 years /news/local/a-new-chapter-bemidji-elks-lodge-sells-downtown-building-after-more-than-100-years Nicole Ronchetti BEMIDJI,BEMIDJI ELKS LODGE,BELTRAMI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,HISTORY After over 100 years as a prominent downtown location, the Bemidji Elks Lodge has sold its building, opening a new chapter for the organization as it looks to the future. <![CDATA[<p>BEMIDJI — After well over a century of history tied to its central downtown location, the Bemidji Elks Lodge is saying farewell to its organization&#8217;s building.</p> <br> <br> <p>While the Lodge will continue to exist, the organization made the decision to sell its building at the corner of Fourth Street and Beltrami Avenue late last year and is currently meeting at the Eagles Club.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;As the building was getting older and needed a lot of maintenance, we found ourselves at our meetings talking more about the deficiencies of the building,&rdquo; shared Bill Batchelder, a longtime member of the Bemidji Elks. &ldquo;We ate up all of our energy trying to maintain it.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Alongside the continual building maintenance, the organization&#8217;s aging membership was also facing difficulties with the steep steps that led up to the Elk&#8217;s meeting room on the second floor.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;The club has that steep staircase, and as the (members) aged the staircase became a real impediment,&rdquo; said Cecelia McKeig, a member of the Beltrami County Historical Society who remembers going to the Elks Lodge frequently with her parents.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;I remember my own mother struggling to go up those stairs and helping her make it up to the top,&rdquo; McKeig shared.</p> <br> <br> <p>These considerations led to the Elks&#8217; decision to sell the building when local developer and entrepreneur Mitch Rautio made the organization an offer.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/3eab343/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F0f%2F1060200048b5810c9e1cf52e9da7%2Fbemidji-elks-lodge-april-2021.jpg"> </figure> <p>&ldquo;Mitch Rautio offered to buy the building,&rdquo; explained Mic McCrory, the head of the local Elks chapter. &ldquo;He told me that he&#8217;s reopened the bar, it&#8217;s called The Lodge now.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>The signs for the Elks Lodge will be coming down from the building this spring, which will be one of the building&#8217;s last obvious remnants of the club&#8217;s extensive history at the location.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;It&#8217;s bittersweet,&rdquo; Batchelder shared. &ldquo;The building will be tremendously missed. The building got tired and old, and the membership got elderly, but now we&#8217;ve been lifted from worrying and arguing over repairs.&rdquo;</p> <br> A long history <p>The Bemidji Elks Lodge has been a prominent part of the city&#8217;s history since the early 20th century, first beginning their meetings in 1906. Its membership included some of Bemidji's most prominent figures, something the organization remains proud of today.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;Those names (of Elks founding members) are still relevant today, there have been so many important people involved over the years,&rdquo; Batchelder said. &ldquo;The Elks Lodge is basically woven into the fabric of Bemidji.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/54d7fb1/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fee%2F42%2F9d67556540e8ad5720a5fb8b5666%2Fbemidji-elks-convention-1908.jpg"> </figure> <p>It wasn&#8217;t until 1916, however, that construction of the organization&#8217;s own building began, and its second story became the meeting space for the Lodge, complete with a reception hall and a full-service bar.</p> <br> <br> <p>This location, one story above street level, has an interesting history behind it Batchelder explained.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;When they started opening up liquor establishments (back then) you needed to belong to a club, but they had to be located on the second story of the buildings to be out of sight so women and children couldn&#8217;t look in the windows and see people drinking,&rdquo; Batchelder shared.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/28c1497/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3c%2F1d%2F4b70dcc54678bc5016d5e0de3f51%2Fbemidji-elks-building-early-1900s.jpg"> </figure> <p>Because of this, the Bemidji Elks Lodge and similar historical buildings across Minnesota all have their bars located on the second story.</p> <br> <br> <p>As the Bemidji Elks Lodge grew in numbers and prominence, the building became a hub of activity, hosting events, weddings and fundraisers.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;It&#8217;s always been a key part of downtown, it was a very busy place when I was growing up,&rdquo; McKeig shared. &ldquo;I loved seeing all of the business people and members of the Elks having a really good time.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>In addition to hosting events, the Elks, and the counterpart group for women known as the Does, became known for their work giving back to the community, traditions that are continued to this day.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/0dac229/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fdd%2F54%2F4b3ba23b4089a5fdccb3b324b31a%2Fbpo-bemidji-does-1965.jpg"> </figure> <p>&ldquo;It&#8217;s just what fraternal orders and service clubs do,&rdquo; Batchelder explained. &ldquo;It&#8217;s an organization that started in New York City and went from coast to coast with the common goal of helping the youth and veterans of this country. That really sums up what the Elks are.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>It was the Elks commitment to service that drew in McCrory and other members to the organization.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;The community activities and the things that the Elks do really resonated with me, even way back then,&rdquo; McCrory shared.</p> <br> A new chapter <p>Even without their former building, the Bemidji Elks Lodge plans to keep up its history of community service, continuing its long-standing projects and philanthropy.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;Just because our building is closed doesn&#8217;t mean we don&#8217;t have the Elks anymore,&rdquo; McCrory said. &ldquo;Our goal is to keep up with the fraternal responsibilities that we&#8217;ve had for the last 100-some years in Bemidji.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>The organization is continuing to give out scholarships, take part in parades, send children to the Minnesota Elks Youth Camp, host the annual Elks Hoop Shoot and honor Flag Day with a ceremony done in partnership with the American Legion.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/53b895e/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F12%2F52%2F16d1e3b54bcbbf0038c575607656%2Fpaul-bunyan-band-bemidji-elks-float.jpg"> </figure> <p>&ldquo;We&#8217;re all about kids, veterans and the community,&rdquo; McCrory shared, &ldquo;and anybody can be an Elk.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Now, instead of meeting in a worn-down building, the Elks Lodge meets at the Bemidji Eagles Club, though there are hopes of finding another space for the organization in the future.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;Eventually what we want to do is maybe find our own meeting space and go from there,&rdquo; McCrory said.</p> <br> <br> <p>After the sale of the building, members of the Bemidji Elks shared that the organization is in good financial shape and its future is bright as it begins a new chapter.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;The Elks Lodge is very much alive and well,&rdquo; McCrory shared. &ldquo;I think we&#8217;re going to stick around, I really do.&rdquo;</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/b886eb2/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff1%2Fbf%2F4eade4b34294a560454bc780c7b9%2Fbemidji-elks-hockey-team-1931.jpg"> </figure>]]> Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:40:00 GMT Nicole Ronchetti /news/local/a-new-chapter-bemidji-elks-lodge-sells-downtown-building-after-more-than-100-years