From the State Convention Committee:

Update 2/7/26:

We are currently sold out of rooms for our State Convention.

 

I have three applications on the waiting list. Historically we always receive some cancellations, and I will notify each application as a room becomes available.

 

Please e-mail Tony, Dave or Dan with any questions.

 

BIG NEWS – 1/4/25:

We were recently informed that the Emerald Resort/Irish Village (ER/IV) at Hyannis has been sold and will be closing its doors on March 1st. Because of this, we are forced to move our convention to another hotel in Hyannis

 

Fortunately, the current owners and their staff were able to work with the Margaritaville Resort, which is the old Cape Codder Hotel also in Hyannis, and will honor our existing contract and pricing and accommodate our State Convention in June.

 

Dan, Dave and I went down to the Margaritaville hotel last week and spent a good part of the day meeting with their staff along with several of the ER/IV staff, that have worked with us over the years.

 

We were very impressed with the Margaritaville property. It was obvious to us that this facility is a huge upgrade from the old hotel. We believe the Members staying there in June will love the experience.

 

The Margaritaville Resort has the space to accommodate us and our needs, but it is going to be much different than what we had at the ER/IV.

 

The Margaritaville was closed for almost a year as they have renovated the entire hotel and we must say the hotel is absolutely beautiful from the common areas, restaurant, lounge and every single room with all the modern conveniences.

 

We all must keep in mind that the ER/IV is a one owner hotel and they were able to show us a great amount of flexibility. The Margaritaville Resort is a conglomerate Resort with many hotels, condos and over 55 communities throughout the country.

 

With that comes changes that we are all going to have to adjust to. We will go into much further detail at the next Mass Elks Association meeting on Sunday February 15th at the Attleboro Lodge. Here are some of the changes.

 

 The Margaritaville has 267 rooms (the ER/IV has 232) with 11 being Handicap Rooms.

 

 Since this is a Family Resort we will be sharing some of the space with non-Elk members.

 

 Cancellations must be done two weeks prior to the convention in order to receive a refund of your deposit.

 

 Not every room has a patio or balcony and their courtyard is much smaller than what we had at the ER/IV.

 

 They have several elevators throughout the hotel but not all of them go to all three floors of the hotel.

 

 The hotel will not allow us to bring in our own alcohol. This means we must use their bartenders and their alcohol for our State Hospitality Room. They are going to allow us to bring in our own food, but we are still in discussions as to whether we can bring in our own soda and water.

 

 No tents will be allowed in the courtyard.

 

 Because of the layout of the hotel, the Veteran Exhibits and Credentials Committee will be on the first-floor lobby area but the Convention Office and the Charity Drawing Committee will be on another floor. There will be space for the Blood Drive on Friday afternoon.

 

 We are doing another site visit on January 16/17th to hopefully finalize all of the details and will have more info at our State Meeting.

 

 We will be bringing the applications down with us on the 16th so please try and have your applications submitted to me before then if possible.

 

 April 1st is our deadline for submitting applications.

 

 We do not have a contract for 2027 or 2028 but the Margaritaville Resort has

penciled in dates for those years until after our 2026 convention.

 

 Any future deposits made by check can still be payable to 35 Scudder Ave

 

 IMPORTANT: Any request for changes must continue to go through the Committee and not the hotel.

 

 The resort does have a water park and we believe there is a fee to use it.

 

At this time, the hotel has indicated that they will be assigning the rooms. That is a huge change from what we have been doing. Because of this, we will be making the hotel aware of any special requests you made in your application. Please note that although special requests such as a request for two beds, king bed, handicap room or a room near an elevator, and requests by lodges and people that want rooms assigned next to each other are valid requests, some may not be possible to fulfill.

 

The largest amount of members who stayed at the ER/IV was 225 so with the Margaritaville having 267 rooms most likely will mean that we will be sharing the hotel with non-members and families.

 

Lastly, we ask the members for their patience and understanding as the Elks and the Hotel have to make many new adjustments and deal with all the variables that come with having a successful convention.

 

The Margaritaville group seems very willing to help us have a great convention.

In the meantime, if you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to Dan, Dave or myself. As mentioned earlier in this communication, we will have more information at the next State Meeting.

 

Tony, Dan & Dave.

 

Please e-mail Tony, Dave or Dan with any questions.

 

Tony Piccolo, Chairman           –  tonypiccolo@comcast.net

 

Dave Charbonneau, Vice Chairman –  charby258@aol.com

 

Dan DeGregorio, Vice Chairman  –   dannycapecod@yahoo.com

We are completely sold out of our early Thursday June 11th arrivals for the 2026 State Convention. We are still accepting Friday June 12th arrivals.

Click HERE for Tony’s Latest Convention Details Announcement!

Clich HERE for the 2026 Convention Application! (This application is fillable and can be emailed back to Tony OR be printed and mailed to Tony)

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE STATE CONVENTION HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE?

We need your help!

If you’re are planning on attending this Convention in Hyannis and want to join the team of Members who will oversee all aspects of the Convention Hospitality Room, contact our Chairman:

Chris Melanson

508-962-2475

chris@poolsandcues.com

He will be able to answer any of your questions and give full details on what we’re looking for!