Freeman-Journal photo by Kolleen Taylor Work will begin soon on the second floor of The Elks as the historic building gets ready to entertain again in the near future. The grant award last week completes the final funding needed to…

This rendering gives a glimpse of how the finished project will look. The finish line is in sight. With more than $3 million in grants and donations and eight years in the rear view, the challenge now is to complete…

Diners enjoy the 2024 Taste of Fall at the Briggs Woods Conference Center. For the past six years, the Taste of Fall, presented by LIFT Webster City — Local Initiative for Transforming Webster City — has been a premier food…

It was a busy evening for the City Council of Webster City Tuesday as a second change order to the rebuilding of Fair Meadow Drive, an increase in a few of the fees charged for city-performed services, permits and licenses,…

While common in large and even medium-sized cities, renovation of historic buildings on the scale of The Elks isn’t commercially viable in small, rural markets like Webster City. “An average business, or business person, could never justify a project like…

Part Three of a Series — LIFT WC shows how it’s done at The Elks “Gutsy volunteers tackle a big, complex project downtown.” On Friday, April 19 2019, the former Elks Club Lodge, 713 Second Street in downtown Webster City,…

It took a majority vote Tuesday to move forward on a request from LIFT WC — Local Initiative for Transformation in Webster City — to demonstrate support for the ongoing restoration of The Elks downtown. Two out of three was…

Webster City’s worst-kept secret was let out of the bag Saturday when LIFT WC announced that the first tenant of The Elks will be Wildcat Distilling Co.’s tasting room.“Well,” said LIFT WC board President Darcy Swon, addressing the diners at the…

Did you know you don’t have to attend Taste of Fall to bid on the silent auction items?“It’s a great way to support LIFT WC,” LIFT Board President Darcy Swon said.The auction, which can be accessed online, closes at 9 p.m.…

In November 2023, LIFT WC was busy raising money and making slow, steady progress on the biggest historic building restoration project in Webster City history: the former Elks Club Building downtown.Then, disaster struck.The fire at 608 Second Street, remembered by…