Dixon Moose Lodge #1120 will host a Bunco fundraiser at 1 p.m. March 7 at 180 W. B St., inviting the community to gather for games, food and raffles. Photo by Nicolas Brown

DIXON, CA (MPG) – Dixon Moose Lodge #1120 will host a Bunco fundraiser at 1 p.m. March 7 at 180 W. B St., inviting the community to gather for games, food and raffles.

For a $20 donation, attendees will receive pizza and salad provided by the lodge and the opportunity to participate in raffle drawings and prize games throughout the afternoon. Organizers initially planned for 12 tables, or 48 players, but registrations have exceeded that number.

Traci Oates, the incoming chaplain for the lodge, said she organized the event as part of ongoing fundraising efforts to support lodge improvements and community programs.

“We’re trying to fix up the Moose Lodge, do some repairs, so I decided to do the fundraiser,” said Oates. “I was a little nervous doing a function without a team of people, but I took this on myself with a couple people at the lodge.”

Oates, a lifetime member of the Moose Lodge in Vacaville, has been volunteering in Dixon since December 2025. She said she also helps with Bunco events at the Vacaville Elks Lodge, where the game has drawn strong participation.

“I just wanted to keep it to 12 tables, 48 people, and I’m not from California, so I don’t know many people, but we exceeded that number, so I’m excited,” she said. “I’m just meeting people out here, and they’re telling me they’re second generation and third generation from Dixon, and I’m like, ‘I’m from Texas.’”

In addition to Bunco play, organizers will include prize drawings such as clover stickers placed under select chairs and a candy jar guessing game. The event will pause for a meal break before winners are announced.

The lodge operates under Moose International, founded in 1888 by Dr. Henry Wilson, who established the first lodge in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally created to provide men with opportunities for social connection and mutual support, the organization has expanded its mission to include community service and charitable programs.

Among those efforts are Mooseheart Child City & School, a 1,000-acre campus west of Chicago that serves children and teens in need, and Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community for senior members near Jacksonville, Florida.

Locally, the Dixon lodge hosts about five fundraisers each year, including a trap shoot and spaghetti feed, and recently held a scholarship fundraiser for Dixon High School. The lodge also serves breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. each Sunday.

According to Oates, proceeds from events support children, seniors and local families in need.

“We’re a nonprofit,” she said. “We support children and the elderly. We support local families in need. We do scholarship funds to the schools.”

She also thanked new administrator Joe Wynn and Debbie Robinson for their leadership in recent months.

“Joe stepped up and got the lodge running,” said Oates. “Debbie manages the inside, and she’s done excellent.”

For more information, visit mooseintl.org/location/1120-dixon/ or call 707-678-9407.