Important announcement to all members, the lodge is shutting down today in an abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 virus.  We understand that things were just starting to feel normal around here but want to make sure everyone is safe.  We hope you understand.  We do not have a re-opening date set as of yet.  Please stay tuned.

Things we can say, a staff member was exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.  The staff member has not tested positive yet.  If we get a positive confirmation, we will be referring to the member log at the lodge to call members and advise them of their risks.  As of now, no one on our staff has symptoms and no one has tested positive.

We hope you, your family, and extended families have been safe during this trying time.  We know this has been hard for all of you.  We are pleased to have not heard of any lodge members stricken by this virus.  We have heard many stories of friends and other families that have not been so lucky.  At the beginning of this pandemic, we made the decision to furlough all paid employees until times were safe to start again.  We want to thank all the amazing volunteers that continued to help the lodge pay the unending bills during our Grab & Go meal services.  Without their help, we would be in an even bigger hole.

Meanwhile, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert warned Americans that the nation is still "knee-deep" in the first wave.  With all the states around Virginia showing an uptick of new infections and hospitalizations, the board of officers made the hard decision to continue our closure until Tuesday, July 28, 2020.  As you know many of our lodge members are of an age and have underlying medical conditions that make them more at risk than the general population.

Our current plans (that are subject to change based on future information), we will be opening the main hall as the temporary Social Quarters.  We will be abiding by all CDC, State, and Fairfax County regulations on functioning during a pandemic.  Face masks are not optional, if you cannot wear a mask please stay home.  If you need a mask we have one for you.  We have been rearranging the Main Hall to include the movement of the gaming machines downstairs.

We cannot stress the value of our volunteers during this time.  We also want to thank all the members that came in and made a purchase of any size during this time.  Because our volunteers were getting tired, we also decided to give them a break.  We will not be holding Grab & Go’s until we re-open.

Finally, we started holding our General Membership Meetings outside in the pavilion the first and third Thursdays of each month at 7:30 pm.  At the last meeting, we announced to the membership the slate of board officers running for the 2020 - 2021 year.  Below is the list of candidates.   We invite all members to come out for our election on July 16, 2020.

• Governor:  Bunky Clark
• Jr. Governor:  Bruce Chappell
• Treasure:  Jeff Sargent
• Prelate: Jaime Connelly
• Trustee: Gerry Piddington

As we get more information, we will be reaching out via our website, Facebook, email blast, and text messaging.  Meanwhile, please be safe!  We want to also let members know that we will be holding the Bull Run 185 Celebration on Sunday, July 26th. We will be posting the schedule soon.