The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-26
ELKS TO STAGE
 CHARITY CIRCUS.
Many Activities Planned By 79 For Winter
 Months

About the busiest bunch of Hello Bills" in the country, from now until Christmas, will be the members of Bir- mingham Lodge No. 70, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, as a program of activities are under way that will keep them busy until the holidays. Among the outstanding activities of the lodge are big indoor circus to be staged at the city auditorium, the Thanksgiving offering to the poor, the annual memorial exercises, masque Halloween dance, and the Christmas tree for the kiddies. And by way of good measure there will be number of social sessions of the lodge, as well as entertainments by the women of 79."
 At the meeting next Tuesday night feature of interest will be the pre- sentation of life size oil painting of the late B. NJ. Allen, the first exalted ruler of the lodge and past grand ex- alted ruler. The painting is the gift of Mrs. Allen and will be presented to the lodge for her by Captain E. J. McCrossin.
 On Wednesday night of this week a special social meeting of the lodge members will be held. While all the details of the program have not been given out, it is understood it will be something unique and enjoyable. The meeting will be entirely informal and every member of the lodge is urged to attend, Refreshments will be served. On Thursday night masqu Hallow- cen dance will be given under the aus pices of the ladies auxiliary to which all the members and their women folks are invited.
 At the meeting of the lodge last Tuesday Harry Moore chairman of the circus committee made the announce ment that all arrangements for the pre- sentation of the big circus at the city auditorium on the week of Novemver 17-22 had been made and that circus headquarters had been opened at BOA Twentieth street, north, near the Ben cor hotel He stated that the circus would present all the big acts of tented show, (except the animals) and that it was one of the biggest and cleanest shows on the road.
 This circus has been shown at many of the larger cities of the country and given the highest praise by press and public alike. The program for the week is being prepared and will include quite number of unique events. There will be no games of chance or other devices and the public is more cor dia1ly invited to any and all the per formances. The proceeds go to the charity fund of the lodge.
 The Thanksgiving committee, with Zac F. Smith, chairman, Grover D. Knight, treasurer, and Hugh NJ. Bag ley secretary, is perfecting the plans for the annual offering to the poor. Large hampers of good substantial food will be distributed to the needy fam lilies of the city and generous as their have been in the past it is understood the hampers this year will be more bounteoius than ever. The subcommit- tees on the Thanksgiving offering are Finance, J. ". Allen, chairman; Joe Saks, Harry Moore, Dr. B. A. Fox, J. B. Crawford, John Antwine. Trans portation, Henry Goodman, chairman; qualification, W. B. Brewer, chairman. Filling hampers, C. w. Parrish.
 Dr. B. A. Fox, chairman of the me merial committee, announced that he had invited Judge Leon McCord of Montgomery to make the memorial ad- dress. The exercises will be helds the first Sunday in December at the Third Presbyterian church, of which the Rev. J. A. Bryan is pastor. The program is in course of preparation by the com mittee and will be in keeping with the occasion.
 Chairman Harry Moore of the Christ mas tree committee reports that all the toys for the tree had been purchased and many of them already delivered. The tree will be held at the Elks home and a short program before the presen- tation of the prizes will be given, The toys are all of first class variety, and include skates, dolls, wagons, baseball bats and balls, and other toys dear to the heart of childhood and an abun- dance of fruits and candies. The gifts are free to the poor children of the city, and parents who are able to buy toys for their little ones, are re- quested not to allow them to apply for the toys, as by doing so they are talk ing them away from children who had been forgotten by Santa Claus.