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Moose Lodge Is Expanding

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

VALRICO - The Brandon Family Moose Lodge is expanding, with a $500,000 social and family center under construction.

With membership topping 750, the lodge is ready to grow in size and membership, administrative assistant Lois Myers said. 'We're hoping to have it finished by February.'

The new addition has been a dream for years, said lodge Gov. Mike Williams.

'It was just a matter of doing the fundraising, getting our books in order and going to the bank,' he said.

The lodge got a loan for the new building, which members refer to as the 'social quarters,' and it will be attached to the existing lodge hall at 804 S. Miller Road, south of State Road 60.

It will include a dance floor and family area, where children can play while their parents enjoy dinner. A glass wall will separate the two rooms so parents can keep an eye on their children, Myers said.

It also will include a bar area with a high-tech ventilation system to expel cigarette smoke, a game room, restrooms, offices and a storage area.

'We're really looking forward to it,' Williams said. 'The lodge is growing every day, and we believe we'll draw in even more people.'

The lodge's original building, which is being used as a bar area, will be demolished, Myers said. That building was previously a school, a farm house, a barn or all of those things, but no one is sure, Myers said.

A lodge hall was added to the old structure when the Moose Lodge purchased the property in the 1970s.

The Moose Lodge sits on about 5 acres, with space for outdoor barbecues and a barn in the back. Some members work each fall to spruce up used bicycles that can be distributed to needy youngsters.

'A lot of people think we're just another bar,' Williams said. 'But I get out and talk to a lot of groups. They don't always know about all the charity we do.'

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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