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The Oregon chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, the Metropolitan Contractors Improvement Partnership and the Business Diversity Institute on Wednesday will hold a joint holiday party to celebrate another year of progress and growth.

Event organizers said they feel they have picked an appropriate venue: the Billy Webb Elks Lodge at 6 N. Tillamook St. in Portland. The building, constructed in 1910, formerly held the first primarily African-American Elks club in Portland and became an important gathering place for African-Americans through the 1950s.

By the late 1990s, the Elks chapter was gone and the building was in disrepair until a coalition of builders and community leaders rallied and raised money to restore it into a community center. The facility now hosts functions almost every day. These include jazz performances, bingo games, business meetings, neighborhood gatherings, dominoes tournaments and wedding receptions.

The holiday party will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Contractors, businesses and individuals who have worked with any of the three organizations are encouraged to attend, party organizers said. For more information or to RSVP, call 503-284-4853.