Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge Hosts Intimate Veterans Day Honor

Glenwood Springs —The parking lot outside 51939 Highway 6 fills slowly as the sun dips below the Roanoke Mountains. Inside, the air smells faintly of coffee and old wood. This is the Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge No. 2286, and on Wednesday, October 11, it becomes the center of gravity for the entire valley.

Candace Love, chair of the lodge’s veterans committee, stands near the entrance, watching the stream of people entering. She doesn’t just see attendees; she sees a community trying to get something right. “We are trying to make this a real thank you for the veterans,” she says, her voice low but firm. It’s a simple phrase, but it carries the weight of every previous Veterans Day where the ceremony felt distant, formal, and detached from the actual people who served.

The event kicks off at 6 p.m. with a reception. Hors d’oeuvres are passed around, but the real mechanism for connection is subtle. Each veteran in attendance receives a name tag that clearly denotes their branch of service. It’s a small detail, the kind that gets overlooked in the planning phase, but it changes the dynamic of the room. A Navy vet spots an Air Force tag across the room. A Marine recognizes a Coast Guard symbol. These tags turn strangers into peers, creating instant bridges between individuals who might otherwise remain isolated in their own circles.

At 6:45 p.m., the room quiets down. The official honoring ceremony begins. Members of Cub Scout Pack 225 move through the aisles, handing out programs. The ceremony includes a prayer, the singing of "God Bless America," and a presentation of colors by the Glenwood Springs High School Junior ROTC. The precision of the drill team cuts through the ambient noise, grounding the proceedings in discipline and respect.

John Martin, a former seven-term Garfield County Commissioner, steps up to deliver remarks. His presence adds a layer of civic history to the evening, reminding the audience that local leadership has long intertwined with military service. Following his comments, Mike Harman takes the stage. A past exalted ruler and longtime member of the lodge, Harman delivers the keynote address, titled “What We Owe Them.”

Harman speaks directly to the crowd, his tone earnest. “It’s our thanks and gratitude for the service they’ve done and why they should be very near and dear to everybody,” he says. He emphasizes that the ceremony is meant to reiterate the importance of what these individuals contributed during their time in the military. “It’s great to honor them for their service and well deserved and well appreciated,” he adds. The message is clear: this isn't just a formality; it's a debt of gratitude that the community actively chooses to acknowledge.

After the closing prayer, the formal structure dissolves slightly. Veterans gather for a group photo, capturing the collective moment. But the event doesn’t end there. Families and community members are encouraged to stay. The lodge offers cake and coffee, with different cakes representing each branch of the military. It’s a tactile, sweet reminder of the diversity within the uniform.

Veterans in attendance receive a purple “goodie bag” containing an engraved water glass and a lapel pin. These items serve as tangible tokens of the evening’s sentiment, something to keep on a desk or wear on a jacket months later.

The Elks organization has been serving veterans nationwide since World War I. Honoring those who have served remains a central part of its mission, both locally and nationally. For the folks in Glenwood Springs, this specific gathering embodies that broader tradition filtered through a local lens. It’s not about national politics or global conflicts; it’s about the neighbor who served, the friend who sacrificed, and the community that wants to say it properly.

As the evening winds down, the energy shifts from ceremonial to casual. People linger over coffee, comparing stories, showing lapel pins, discussing the cakes. The formal rows of chairs are pushed back. The spotlight is off. The room is full of small conversations, laughter, and the clinking of cups.

Candace Love watches from the side, a slight smile on her face. The goal was to make it a real thank you. Looking at the room, filled with veterans and families connecting over shared experiences and simple hospitality, it seems they’ve achieved exactly that. The day is special, and for a few hours, the whole community stops to recognize it.

The last few stragglers head out into the cool night air. The lights inside the lodge flicker off, one by one. Outside, the parking lot empties. The mountains stand silent against the darkening sky. The celebration is over, but the sense of gratitude lingers, settling quietly over the town like a warm blanket.