The end of a year of great change will finally be upon Sedona on Tuesday, Dec. 31, and the Sedona Elks Lodge will start celebrating it early.

Starting at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon, the lodge will host a New Year’s Eve celebration with hors d’oeuvres, drinks, dinner, dancing and a celebratory toast that does not quite push midnight.

“At 9 p.m., we will have our 11th-hour toast to our absent members who have passed away,” said Carol Bialkowski, chairwoman of the Sedona Elks Lodge’s house committee. “We don’t name them; we just hold hands, get in a circle and mention them as we sing ‘Auld Lang Syne.’”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Dec. 25, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.