It would be a difficult task to find a bigger picnic in Rhode Island than the Elks 365 Outing, which takes place on the first Thursday of August every year.
This year, the Rhode Island State Elks Association welcomed over 1,800 special needs citizens and their caregivers to the Masonic Youth Center off Long Street in Warwick, offering vistas of Greenwich Bay and sailboats taking advantage of the summer winds.
“I come every year, and it just gets bigger and bigger,” said Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi who attended the outing alongside City Council President Stephen McAllister.
The event is no small feat for the Elks. According to Mark Eaton, chairman of the RI Elks Major State Project, they provided 1,700 hamburgers, 1,500 hot dogs, 400 pounds of potato salad, 1,800 bags of potato chips and 3,000 bottles of water and soda.
It takes a team of 140 volunteers to make this event happen, 90% of whom are Elks from all 10 lodges across the state, according to Eaton. He says that he encourages Elks to bring family members to volunteer at the event as well.
Tri-City Elks PER and Trustee Deborah Mangina and volunteer Maureen Sullivan are responsible for contacting different organizations throughout the state to invite special needs guests to the outing. These include West Bay RI and the Trudeau Center in Warwick, and Spurwink RI and AccessPoint RI in Cranston.
The event is completely free for guests and is funded primarily by donations from RI Elks members through their 365 program. “We ask them to donate a penny a day,” said Eaton. The rest of the financial assistance comes from the Elks National Foundation.
“I’ve got this down pat now,” said Eaton, who has played a leading role in organizing the outing for over a decade. He is a trustee of the Tri-City Elks in Warwick.
“My goal is to train kids so we can keep doing this,” he said. “I’m seeing more kids with enthusiasm than I have in the last 13 years.”
This historic event has been running annually for over 40 years. Traditionally, it took place at Rocky Point’s Shore Dinner Hall when it was still an operational amusement park. “Now we have to do all the cooking ourselves,” Eaton said, gesturing towards the line of grills. The Masonic Youth Center has hosted the event for the past 12 years.
“We’ll hand out about 6,000 items today,” Eaton said. He listed hats, beads, bracelets, watches, sunglasses and blow-up toys as examples. Each guest was enthusiastically offered beaded necklaces from volunteers upon their entrance to the event.
Shriners Clowns, lively music played by a DJ, a visit from Santa Claus and Touch-A-Truck with antique fire trucks from the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Co. & Museum provided entertainment. New England Frozen Lemonade had a truck on site with a driver who worked non-stop to serve guests and volunteers, all free of charge.
“It’s really great. It gives you a special feeling inside,” said Marcia Rapone, a member of the Tri-City Elks of Warwick who has volunteered at the event for the past 10 years. “Being an Elk is truly a wonderful thing.”
One could say the event represented the Elks’ mission statement, “Elks care and Elks share.”
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