MOSES LAKE — In a time when everything seems to be changing, at least one thing will remain the same: the Porterhouse totem pole is staying put. 

“There's such history with that totem pole, we would like to put a plaque there that acknowledges the history and the Russell family for leaving it there for the community,” said Debbie Doran-Martinez, a trustee with Elks Lodge No. 2892.

The Elks Lodge is in the final stages of purchasing the Moses Lake restaurant building to use as its new lodge. The totem pole, however, was not part of the transaction, said the lodge’s Exalted Ruler Steve Crapson. It will remain the property of the Russell family, which has owned the Porterhouse for 15 years. 

For the most part, the building itself won’t be changed much, Crapson said. 

“They have a banquet area in the back that we’re going to use for the lodge (meetings),” he said. “The front, at this point, is pretty much going to stay the way it is now.” 

The kitchen and bar will serve members of the lodge and may allow the public to use some of the facilities as well, Doran-Martinez said.  

“We’ll have meeting room space that we can rent to the public,” she said. “Depending on how our kitchen is operating, if we’re doing it (with) volunteers, then obviously we may not commit to doing food for outside events, but we are looking at possibly having a caterer use the commercial kitchen and provide meals for the members as well as for events that we have going on there. We don’t have it all dialed in yet.” 

The lodge is also purchasing the vacant lots behind the building, Doran-Martinez said, for parking and possibly other uses. 

“They have a wonderful little patio out there,” she said. “So, for small events that are looking for indoor-outdoor options, we’ll have that available as well.” 

Elks Lodge No. 2892 was chartered by the larger Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks last November, Doran-Martinez said, but had no permanent facility. They’ve been meeting at the Windermere Realty office in downtown Moses Lake, according to their website. The previous lodge in Moses Lake, which had a building on Stratford Road, folded about three years ago when its charter was revoked by the BPOE, Doran-Martinez said. 

The Washington State Elks Association purchased some land off Interstate 90 behind the Washington State Patrol office in September, according to county records. Doran-Martinez said the original plan was to build a lodge on that property, but she wasn’t at liberty to discuss what will happen to that property now. 

Crapson said the Elks would look at moving in just after the end of the month.

“It may take us a couple of weeks to have some stuff up and running, but we’ll be going as fast as humanly possible,” he said. 

“We’re working on the liquor and gambling licenses as we speak,” Doran-Martinez said. “That’s really the only holdup we have.”  

The gambling license is necessary so the club can offer pull tabs, she added. 

Even without a building, the Moses Lake Elks have been busy in the community. The lodge was the premier sponsor of a building at the Moses Lake Business Expo earlier this month, and sponsored youth hoop shoots in January and February. The lodge also contributed to the cost of a van for Care Moses Lake earlier this month. Doran-Martinez said the new lodge building may help the numbers grow. 

“We are hoping to attract a lot of new members because the Porterhouse has a special place in a lot of people's hearts,” she said. 

    The patio space behind the new Elks Lodge in Moses Lake will be available to rent for special events, like the Purple Party held last July for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.