# Ask the Elk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062 "2010-03-19T21:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/21 "2010-03-22T01:39:54Z")
Can non-members go into the lodge or building and just look around? I was born in the Elks lodge in a small town in northern Michigan, and I’d be curious to see it. Well - it WAS a hospital at the time, but when the hospital built a new building, they sold the old one to the Elks. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/22 "2010-03-22T03:04:25Z")
> [@RalfCoder](#): > > Can non-members go into the lodge or building and just look around? I was born in the Elks lodge in a small town in northern Michigan, and I’d be curious to see it. Many Elks clubs will rent out all or part of their building for special events. Contact the Lodge, and you can almost certainly get a tour. If you know a member, they could take you in as their guest when the bar is open. The only time that a nonmember can’t be present is during a meeting. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Elk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Anne\_Elk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Elk)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/23 "2010-03-23T02:11:16Z")
We are related, I believe, in theory.😉 ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/24 "2010-03-23T05:13:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Sure there are. However, unlike the other so-called “secret” fraternities, ours are truly secret. Illuminati…hello… I so saw you at the meeting last week Oh I wasn’t supposed to say that huh… ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/25 "2010-03-23T06:19:26Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:22, topic:533062”] Many Elks clubs will rent out all or part of their building for special events. … [/QUOTE] Before it shut down, I went to several quinceañeros in the Elks-99 lodge, in Koreatown, Los Angeles, at Western and 6th. And I often have to vote at the [Masonic lodge at Franklin & Vermont in East Hollywood](http://www.calodges.org/no418/). It has no windows, and feels like a funeral home inside–like a tomb.\* \*None of its officers live anywhere at all nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/26 "2010-03-23T13:13:38Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Before it shut down, I went to several quinceañeros in the Elks-99 lodge, in Koreatown, Los Angeles, at Western and 6th. What are quinceañeros? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/27 "2010-03-23T13:32:06Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Are the Loyal Order of Moose y’all’s bitter rivals? Do you have gang fights with them, maybe involving fake antlers strapped to your heads? I’ve been an Elk since 1986, so I’ll field that one. Yes they are, and yes we do. No antlers, though. What we actually have are West Side Story-style dance fights. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/28 "2010-03-23T16:29:45Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:26, topic:533062”] What are quinceañeros? [/QUOTE] Coming of age parties for young Hispanics – girls, usually, equivalent to “Sweet 16” parties and “coming out” (when that meant as a debutante, not as a gay person). Held on or about the 15th birthday, hence the name (which means, roughly “fifteenth-year-ers”). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/29 "2010-03-24T19:53:12Z")
Are there any non-smoking lodges? Our town has a smoking ban, but private clubs are exempted, which means that our local Eagles and Moose (and AFAIK Elks) are all choked with cigarette smoke. That’s one of the things that’s kept me from joining a fraternal organization. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/30 "2010-03-24T20:56:56Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Are there any non-smoking lodges? Our town has a smoking ban, but private clubs are exempted, which means that our local Eagles and Moose (and AFAIK Elks) are all choked with cigarette smoke. That’s one of the things that’s kept me from joining a fraternal organization. It goes on a lodge-by-lodge basis. I made my lodge non-smoking when I took over as Exalted Ruler a year ago. We replaced the carpet and window coverings, which got rid of the stale tobacco smell, and it’s really a much more pleasant place now. The new law in Montana is interesting. Restaurants and bars must be non-smoking now, and private clubs are _not_ exempted as long as they have employees. We have a few part-time employees and one full-time employee, so we couldn’t allow smoking now even if we wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/31 "2010-03-26T02:54:47Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:30, topic:533062”] It goes on a lodge-by-lodge basis. I made my lodge non-smoking when I took over as Exalted Ruler a year ago. We replaced the carpet and window coverings, which got rid of the stale tobacco smell, and it’s really a much more pleasant place now. [/QUOTE] Can the exalted ruler prohibit or permit smoking by decree, or do you have to put it to a vote? I’m not a Mason but I saw the inside of the El Segundo lodge quite a lot. The band I was in had its one and only gig there, and they let us practice in there, leading up to the gig. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/32 "2010-03-26T09:24:24Z")
Well you already answered one question, “what does BPOE mean?” I didn’t see anyone ask the obvious question, how do you become an Elk? It’s interesting that near my house there’s a Mason lodge, a BPOE, and an Order of Odd Fellows all within sight of each other. There must have been some sort of real estate conspiracy… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/33 "2010-03-26T13:08:40Z")
When I became an Elk, an existing member had to propose you for membership. New candidates were voted on by the general membership. Nobody from my “class” got blackballed, but it had been known to happen in the past. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/34 "2010-03-26T13:47:05Z")
Do you have a theory about the brontosaurus? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/35 "2010-03-27T19:37:17Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Well you already answered one question, “what does BPOE mean?” I didn’t see anyone ask the obvious question, how do you become an Elk? If you know an Elk, ask him/her to propose you. If not, stop by the Lodge, ask for an application, and find someone who will propose you. The application is pretty short and sweet. There are a few questions that sound like Senator McCarthy wrote them, but it’s mostly just what’s your name, where do you live, and so on. Your application will be read on the Lodge floor, and the investigating committee checks you out. In our Lodge, that’s pretty informal. We don’t interview your friends or come to your house or anything like that. Then you get voted on. > [@Scumpup](#): > > When I became an Elk, an existing member had to propose you for membership. New candidates were voted on by the general membership. Nobody from my “class” got blackballed, but it had been known to happen in the past. I’ve seen blackballs cast (actually, we use white balls for “yes” and black cubes for “no”), but I’ve never seen enough to keep someone out. It’s not like the old days when a single black ball blocked you. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > Do you have a theory about the brontosaurus? He got blackballed. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062/36 "2010-03-27T20:03:52Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I was an Antler (the junior version of the Elks) when I was a kid. Not because I wanted to belong to something (I actually avoid all fraternal organizations), but because everybody else had joined… Do the Antlers still exist for kids, or was that a local thing? I can actually answer this one (in excruciating detail if I get to my notes at work)… they exist in some lodges, not in others; there are quite a few Antlers programs in New Jersey, New York, and California, and they’re a lot rarer pretty much everywhere else in the country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-elk/533062.md?page=1)