Grand Re-opening of the Odd Fellows Hall
415 2nd Street, Downtown Davis
March 23, 2007, from 5 to 8 p.m.
A long-time fixture in Downtown Davis has undergone a major remodel and face-lift. The Odd Fellows Hall, located at 415 Second Street, will open its doors for a Gala Grand Opening on Friday, March 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. The public is cordially invited to see the new Hall.
The Hall has been closed for over one year during a major remodeling project. The new Hall will be completely ADA compliant and will feature a newly installed elevator. The kitchen has been rebuilt and upgraded with the latest in stainless steel technology. New bathrooms have been installed. But the centerpiece of the project is the basement lodge hall which is now styled in an art deco look with wood-paneling, acoustic ceiling, 1930–style lighting fixtures, and lush carpeting.
The Hall jointly houses and is jointly owned by Yolo Lodge Number 169 Independent Order of Odd Fellows (the Davis Odd Fellows) and Davis Rebekah Lodge Number 253. The Lodge Hall, and all Odd Fellows and Rebekahs property is jointly managed by the Hall Board composed of three Odd Fellows Lodge members (Dave Rosenberg, Bob Bockwinkel and Lea Rosenberg) and three Rebekahs (Andrew Skaggs, Rhonda Gruska and Eva Mae Hatton).
“We are extremely proud of our new Lodge Hall,” said President of the Hall Board Andrew Skaggs (who is member of both the Davis Odd Fellows and the Davis Rebekahs), “and we look forward to opening it up to our community.”
The Grand Opening will feature wine tasting by local winery Rominger West, finger food supplied by Nugget Markets, pizza from Woodstocks, and ice cream from Schwann’s Creamery. Members of the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs will be available to give quick tours of the newly remodeled facility.
The Odd Fellows Hall is available for public rentals at reasonable rates, for meetings, conferences, dinners, weddings, birthdays, and other events subject to availability. Persons interested in the rate schedule and rental of the Hall should call the facility administrator Joe Patti at 758-4949 or 304-5760.
The Odd Fellows trace their history back to 1748 in England and 1819 in the United States. The first California Odd Fellows Lodge (Lodge Number 1) opened in San Francisco in 1849. Yolo Lodge Number 169 was chartered in 1870 (five years after the end of the Civil War) and is the oldest continuously operating organization in Davis, pre-dating the City of Davis and UCD. Odd Fellows are called the “three-link fraternity” based on the logo featuring three interlocking links which stand for friendship, love and truth. Close to 80 members have joined the Davis Odd Fellows, headed by Nobel Grand David Rosenberg. The Davis Odd Fellows are very active in support of charitable and community causes in Yolo County supporting groups such as Pine Tree Gardens, Hospice, the Mexican-American Concilio, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and others. The Davis Odd Fellows put on the Picnic Day Pancake Breakfast in April and the Breakfast with Santa in December.
The Rebekah Order was founded back in 1851. At the time, Odd Fellows was the first organization that founded Lodges for women when it established the Rebekah Order. Schuyler Colfax – Vice President to U.S. Grant and a member of the Odd Fellows – was the driving force behind the founding of the Rebekah Order. Davis Rebekah Lodge Number 253 was instituted on April 5, 1901, and today boasts close to 40 members, both women and men, under the leadership of Nobel Grand Betty Sauce. The Davis Rebekahs provide scholarships to college students, support the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float in the annual Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, and are supportive of the Odd Fellows youth camp, among other community activities. The Davis Rebekahs also provide support to two Rebekah and Odd Fellows retirement homes in Napa and Saratoga, and support the heart fund, the arthritis fund, and visual research.
Further information on the Grand Opening can be obtained by calling Lea Rosenberg at 756-0697. The Odd Fellows website is at www.davislodge.org.