In your town, is there a building where you could take a dance class, stitch a quilt, hold a meeting, learn martial arts, or search for a costume, all in one place? Here in Garrison, that building is the SACA Lodge! Playing a multitude of roles, it has even been used as an emergency clinic in the past. The versatility and functionality of the lodge, as well as that of the group that runs it, distinguishes it as a cornerstone of the community.

Once used as a Masonic Lodge, the building was acquired in 1997 by the Sakakawea Area Council for the Arts, or SACA, to become a meeting place and event space for the public. Since then, the creative utility of the lodge has been extensive. Mirrors were even added to some of the walls to make it easier to teach dance classes or practice Taekwondo. Committees, organizations, or clubs like the quilters’ guild may use the main hall as a meeting room or work space. In the basement, which locals lovingly refer to as the “costume crypt”, there is a vast selection of costumes that may be rented or lended throughout the year for special occasions such as Halloween, the Dickens Festival, a play, or perhaps even a reading in the library by the Cat in the Hat!

Another interesting feature of the SACA Lodge is the mid-century revival style mural on the exterior wall along First Street depicting the different areas of the arts: performance, music, crafts, film, and the written word. The mural was designed by SACA member Cyndy Robinson and then drawn and painted onto the wall using a grid-method in the spring of 2005 by volunteers from the community. SACA itself is made up of several committees serving these various focal points, ensuring that diverse opportunities for creativity and entertainment exist in the area. With a multi-functional building like the SACA Lodge available for use, there’s always a home for the arts in Garrison.