Texas Elks 2024 Homecoming set for Sept. 20-21

Texas Elks Children’s Services Inc. will host the Texas Elks’ 2024 Homecoming on Sept. 20-21 at the Texas Elks Camp, 1963 FM 1586, in Gonzales County.

This two-day event will bring together members from 60 lodges throughout the state to take part in a golf tournament, commando cooking challenge, cake/spirit walk, silent auctions, arts & crafts sales, games, sweetheart tables and more.

The revelry starts with breakfast at 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at the camp dining room, followed by the Texas Elks’ Golf Tournament at Independence Golf Course in Gonzales at 8 a.m. Cost is $50 per person, which includes green fees and cart rental. Hole sponsorships for $100 each are available through Sept. 10. For information about the golf tourney, contact Jim Stansbury at 325-374-4541 or Loretta Shirley at 830-875-2425.

The Commando Cooking Challenge (Triple C) begins at 9:30 a.m. when the head chefs will meet in the Rally Room, receive a basket/box of mystery ingredients to create a three-course meal, three plates of each course. The chef/team will have until 11:50 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20 to go to the store if needed to purchase other items to prepare their dishes. Cooking will start promptly at noon.

Each course will be timed and all preparation and cooking must be done on site at the start and by the end of each course and not before/after for each course.

There are three rounds in the competition: appetizer, entrée, and dessert (in this order). Appetizer Cooking begins promptly at noon. and ends at 12:30 p.m. Judging will begin immediately at 1:30 p.m.. The head chef must describe their dish and how the mystery ingredients were used. Only the head chef is required to attend each judging.

Entrée cooking begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 1:45 p.m., with judging immediately at 1:45. Dessert cooking begins at 2:15 p.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m., with judging immediately at 2:45 p.m.

Registration for the competition ends Sept. 16. All registration forms must be emailed to Kirk Storey, Triple C Challenge Chair, no later than noon Sept. 16. A $150 donation per team must be received by 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

At noon Homecoming registration begins in front of the pavilion or in the RV park. The First Lady and Sweetheart booths open and the First Lady lunch will be held in the dining room. Brisket cooking for anyone wishing long cooking hours on briskets may begin after registration with the BBQ Cook Off chairman at the RV park.

The TECSI Board meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the Assembly Hall. Friday night dinner will be at 6 p.m. at the RV Park. The TECSI store will be open all day to purchase certificates, make contributions and purchase TECSI t-shirts and pins.

Saturday, Sept. 21 starts with breakfast at 7 a.m. in the dining room and the cookoff officially begins for pinto beans, BBQ & chili in the RV park. Showmanship judging for all cookoff teams will be at 9 a.m.

Proceeds from these events fund seven weeks of summer camp and a special grant program for children with special needs and foster children who live in the state of Texas. Texas Elks Children's Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

A welcome and flag raising ceremony will be held at the pavilion at 8:30 a.m. while Sweetheart tables, the First Lady’s Booth, games, arts & crafts sales, silent auctions and raffles will begin at 9 a.m. A cake and spirit walk will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the pavilion.

Hamburgers will be served at 11:30 a.m. at Pam’s Cook Tent and at 1 p.m., Loretta Shirley will host a guided tour of the facility. There will also be introductions of state and district sweethearts, grand lodge dignitaries and others.

A live auction of sweetheart items will take place at 3 p.m. and there will be a presentation of trophies and ribbons at 6 p.m. After that, it is time to dance under the pavilion to the tunes of CK Twister DJ.

Homecoming 2024 is hosted by Texas Elks Southwest District Director Chris Stansbury.​ Contact TECSI for more information at 830-875-2425.