On the menu at the Dowagiac Elks Lodge next weekend: fresh lobster, live music and an evening full of socializing and fun.

The local service organization hosts its 35th annual Lobster Bash on Saturday, Jan. 16, at its clubhouse on Riverside Drive. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner beginning at 7 p.m.

Attendees will have the choice between lobster (flown in from Maine) or steak dinner, along with salad, baked potato and their choice of wine. The club will also be raffling off a giant 7-pound lobster during the event as well. Live music will be provided by popular Michiana band, The Hipposonics.

While the Elks Lodge hosts weekly dinners at its clubhouse, this particular event is one of the more popular gatherings the lodge has every year, said Elks board member Bob Peters.

“It started just in the home of one of the Elks members,” Peters said. “A few of them decided to together and have some lobster. It eventually grew into what it is now.”

The event usually draws between 160 to 200 people. Last year, around 170 people attended, Peters said. Tickets for this year’s event went on sale in November, with around 120 reserving a spot for next weekend.

“It’s the social event of the year,” Peters said. “Anybody who is anybody comes.”

Naturally, such a large event requires an equally large effort to pull off. Between 20-25 people help facilitate the evening, helping to prepare meals, serve customers and bus tables.

“It’s quite an ordeal, but it always runs smoothly, and it’s all volunteers that help out,” Peters said.

Tickets for the dinner cost $40 per person or $75 per couple, and can be purchased at Beeson Street Bar & Grill, or by calling organizer Debbie Krueger at (269) 845-2096. People are asked to place their reservations by Monday, Jan. 11.