Dear Editor:
The closing of the Liquid Lounge on 10th and Park Street strikes a major blow to the arts community in Hoboken. My solution: Re-imagine the Elks Club as a location for the union between charitable works and local art.
Remember the glory days of the 80s when artists routinely volunteered their time and effort in massive, global fund raisers: Comic Relief, Farm Aid, We are the world, etc.? Our Elks Lodge would be the perfect space for a renaissance of this vital union between charity and art. The possibilities are endless.
This square mile is chocked full of musical, visual and performance artists. I’m sure a wealth of creative ideas could be generated from a closer collaboration between the Elks and arts community in town.
Surprisingly, there’s actually a historical connection between the Elks and the art world. The original Elks Lodge in America was founded in NYC in 1867 by a group of actors, singers and entertainers who because of New York’s blue laws, needed something to do on a Sunday. So the Elks was actually given life by theatrical people, whose original name for the club was “The Jolly Corks.” Soon, in addition to socializing, the club became a venue for raising money for needy people.
A more active involvement of artists in the Elks would be a simple matter of getting back to our roots.
John Bredin, Exalted Ruler Elect
Hoboken Elks