[KHTS] – Hundreds of people from around the Santa Clarita Valley came out to Santa Clarita Elks Lodge 2379 on Saturday for the Elks’ annual Car and Bike Show and Chili Cook Off.

The community was invited to this annual event that includes a car and motorcycle show, a chili cook off, barbecue, boutique, bake sale and live music by the Bones Sharks.

The event also catered to children with face painting, games, a photo booth, shaved ice and Magician Juan Martinez.

“(This event) is a fundraiser for the Elks Lodge. The Lodge takes the majority of it’s fundraisers and gives it to handicapped children. Last year we raised $3,259,000 statewide to provide for therapists for physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and vision therapy for children throughout the state of California,” said Skip Henke, Junior Past Association President for the Elks for California and Hawaii. “That’s our major project for the year and has been for a long time.”

The Elks Lodge in Canyon Country was started in 1967 and there are now 645 members, according to Henke.

Henke has been a part of the organization for 26 years and was an Exalted Ruler at the Elks Lodge in Canyon Country in 1998, “Every year (this event) grows as our membership has grown and people continue to have fun.”

This year had the biggest turnout according to Henke.

“My favorite part about today was watching the community come here to join us and celebrate and have a wonderful time looking at all these beautiful cars and enjoy the barbeque and the boutique,” said Henke.

“I like how our members come out. We have over 600 members and a lot of them come out to this event. I like seeing those people that I haven’t seen throughout the year,” said John Rivetti, an Exalted Ruler at the Elks Lodge. “It’s known throughout Southern California as a really nice event.”

The Elks Lodge has more than 850,000 members and 2,000 Lodges nationwide, according to officials.

The mission statement of the Elks is to inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share.