Thieves stole in excess of $10,000 worth of material from the Burien Elks Club on 140th SW . Club officials said that a P.A. System, DJ Equipment, flat screen televisions, an estimated $1000 liquor, keys for access to other areas of the building and more were taken sometime between the hours of 2 am and 10 am Sunday April 28.

But they believe it was accomplished via a very sneaky method. There were no signs of forced entry.

Scott Knight, Past Exalted Ruler of the Burien Elks said, "I believe somebody came in during a party for the National Guard on Saturday night, and basically crashed it. The police thought it might even be a female who dressed the part, mingled in with the group and then found somewhere to hide. Once the building was empty she called in a group. The police said it had to be two or three men at least, lifting this stuff. That DJ equipment is heavy."

The party was for the 303rd Calvary of the National Guard who held an auction during the event. Some of those items were stolen too, including a highly valuable sword. The DJ equipment belonged to a National Guard member.

"We believe they were going to come back because we found the door propped open and a lot of stuff staged in the hall by the door. They had our big screen TV off of its pedestal on the ground, waiting to go out the door as well."

The party ended at 2am and when Knight came back at 10am to let the DJ get his gear, they discovered the crime. "We've been broken into in the past, though it's been a long time but to steal from a charitable organization like us who do so much for other people but to also steal from the National Guard, it's unbelievable."

The Elks Club has insurance of course, "but the deductible is very high" so getting their gear back and the club back to normal is a tall order. That means a fundraiser is now necessary to help the club.

"We're going to get the officers and the Board of Directors together and decide how and what we're going to do," said Knight. He said the event would take place in the next 30 days. "We're going to talk to a group called the Hollers, who do fundraisers and ask them if they'd help us stage the event."

If you'd like to help the Elks as a performer or to donate some money you can contact them via phone at (206) 243-2143, or send it to Burien Elks, P.O. Box 66564 Burien WA 98166. Please send any donations labeled as Theft Recovery Fundraiser.

The Burien Elks Lodge is located at 14006 1st Ave S, Burien.