Elks Club

The Elks Club hosted an annual sports banquet that honored many of the biggest names in Packers history from the Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi eras. The first banquet, billed as the "Lombardi Testimonial Banquet," was held in April 1962, four months after the Packers won their first NFL title under Lombardi, and League Commissioner Pete Rozelle attended and presented Lombardi with the Ed Thorp Trophy awarded each year to the NFL champion. Later in 1962, Lambeau was honored there upon his induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1965, the six Packers inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in its first two classes were honored there: Lambeau, Don Hutson, Johnny (Blood) McNally, Cal Hubbard, Clarke Hinkle, and Mike Michalske. Bart Starr was the guest of honor at the 1967 banquet, and the first Packers Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held there on Sept. 19, 1970. For most of Lombardi's tenure, the Packers also ate their Thanksgiving dinner there after flying back from their game in Detroit to meet their families. The building opened in 1959, and Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin purchased it from the Elks in 1995.

Green Bay, Wisconsin · United States