By MATT PATNEAUDE

Fifty years ago, they met in a 35-foot-by-60-foot storefront building in the heart of Lake City. This month, the Lake City Elks Lodge's first half-century will be celebrated in a 40,000 square foot facility that sits on more than eight acres of land.

Members of the Lake City Elks Lodge are celebrating the club's 50th birthday with activities throughout the week of July 10-15. Elks members will be honored for past and current contributions at daily lunches. The celebration will continue into the night with buffet dinners, music and dancing.

On Saturday, July 15, the public is invited to join in the festivities. It is the Lake City Elks' only open house of the year.

The Lake City Elks Lodge is one of thousands of affiliated Elks clubs throughout the United States. According to membership chairman Tony Del Mastro, the club serves as a home away from home for its members.

The Lake City Lodge includes a dining room, dance floor, barber shop, weight room, swimming pool, sauna, billiards room, lounge, and a reception hall. Six rental houses and a Rite-Aid pharmacy also sit on the Elks property.

While the Elks are a social organization, Del Mastro says that the public often has the wrong impression of what the club does. "It's not just a bunch of old guys sitting around drinking and smoking all day," he says.

The Elks also focus on bettering the community through charitable work. That work benefits organizations such as Children's Hospital, Boy and Girl Scouts, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Treasures for Tykes, Medic One, and youth basketball and soccer programs. Money is raised by the Elks through a combination of personal contributions, auctions, dinners, rummage sales, and raffles.

Another Elks program provides pediatric therapy to kids throughout Washington. Through personal contributions, money is raised to hire 15 therapists statewide who treat children with developmental disabilities.

Open to the public are academic and vocational scholarships provided by the Elks. High school students in the North Seattle area are eligible to compete for scholarships worth as much as $20,000. Two-year vocational scholarships are also open to anyone up to 55 years of age.

A challenge that the club faced for the last six years was the loss of their gambling license. The gambling license allows for pull tabs, raffles, and social card games to take place. According to Ryk Van Spoor, treasurer of the Lake City Elks, nearly $40,000 was lost annually when these activities ceased.

The gambling license got pulled when the Elks property was annexed by Lake Forest Park in 1994. A re-interpretation of the city's bylaws allowed the Elks to receive a new gambling license for the year 2000.

According to Ryk Van Spoor, the lost revenue during this time limited charitable donations. Being a non-profit organization, the Elks don't make money for themselves. "If we break even, we are happier than hell," says Van Spoor.

In 1969, the Lake City Elks had the second highest membership of any lodge in the United States. Like other fraternal organizations, membership has declined in recent years. According to Del Mastro, the club went too long without recruiting younger members. But he adds, "we are starting to get the young guys back."

The Elks are open to any man or woman over 21 years of age who is an American citizen. "If the person believes in God and community service, that is what we are looking for," says Del Mastro.

The Lake City Elks is located at 14540 Bothell Way NE.