September 2024 LaCarota
President’s Message:
Ciao, my fellow Club Paesano members. As always, I hope that this edition of LaCarota finds you all, “Happy, Healthy and safe”! What a busy summer it’s been. I don’t know about you all, but it seems like every day, there is something new to do. Besides work, which always gets in the way, LoL, there seems to be an event, task, or chore to do. Trust me, I don’t mind staying busy, but a day of relaxation is always good too. I hope that everyone is enjoying our beautiful summer and most importantly, having a great time. I’m a few days away from jumping on that big bird that’s going to take me back to the place it all started for most of us, Italia! I can’t believe that the time is already here. When I booked my ticket, it seemed such a long way away from takeoff. Low and behold, it’s here! I’m very excited about going and will be meeting my parents over there. We’ll be spending time with family and friends, in my parents’ home town of “Picinisco”. It’s a very small town in the mountains, but only an hour or so from the beach, or the big mountain. Kind of like Portland. I’m so happy to be able to get my parents back there again. I’m not sure how many more times they’ll physically be able to go, so I’m grateful to have this opportunity to have them with me. I’ll report back with some pictures and some fun stories. If we are friends on Facebook, check it out and I’ll try to keep my account updated with pictures of new adventures. I’ll do my best to make you all jealous!! LOL!
Concert in the Park:
This past Saturday, August 10th, we had our 8th annual Concert in the Park. It was a great day and the weather couldn’t have been better. Not too hot and it stayed dry! I wasn’t too concerned about rain, but the thermometer had me concerned. Mother Nature answered our prayers, and blessed us with a terrific evening. Our guests were very happy and enjoyed it. I was approached by a few of them that had never been to our events before. They loved our park, the lodge and most importantly, our Italian hospitality. They mentioned how well everything was run and how beautiful everything was. Some even asked me about rentals. This is a great thing for Cedarville and the rest of us. As always, Marc Battilega and family cooked up a great dinner featuring our “World Famous” Spaghetti & Meatball dinner. The crowd went wild!!! They loved it. Our Filipino family was so thankful for being able to partner with us once again to raise money for their charity, “Calabarzon”. They were our partner inside for our Carnevale Dance, but never outside for our Concert. They raved about it. In fact, they are talking about maybe collaborating with us on a few different events. It would be a great partnership, but we will see what happens in the future. The Design Band did a fantastic job as always. I swear they have to be one of the hardest working bands out there. They never want to take a break! When they do, they’re chomping at the bit to get back on stage. I’d say, it’s a great problem to have! If you ever need a terrific band for one of your own events, give them a call. Manny will be more than happy to negotiate and accommodate. If you need his number, let me know. I would like to thank everyone that came out and helped with the bigger setup and also volunteered for a shift that night. Every little bit helped us tremendously. Thank you, Kelly Barasch,for stepping into the Volunteer Coordinator role and getting all of the positions and shifts filled. To my regulars, “Te Salute”! Thank you for always being there! These events couldn’t be a success without you all. I don’t have a final count for attendees yet, I’m sure that we’ll have all the numbers for you at next month’s membership meeting. Here’s to our next event, the “Halloween Dance” on Saturday October 19th. Our charity partner will be the “Pink Sista’s” and our musical entertainment will be “Crescendo Skye”. Halloween has always been one of our most popular parties, so keep an eye out on our website and be the 1st people to purchase your tickets. They should go on sale soon. Stay tuned!
Members Appreciation BBQ:
Our Members Appreciation BBQ, has been rescheduled for Sunday October 6th at 12 noon. I appreciate the fact that we all agreed to move it so that I could be in attendance. I look forward to it, and spending time with my fellow CP members. We’ll be having the BBQ pig with all the trimmings from Kuya’s Islander Cafe, once again this year. It was fantastic last year, so we decided to repeat it again. If you aren’t a fan of pork, please let me know and we can try to accommodate you with another type of meat. Also, let me know if you plan on attending so we know how much food to purchase and how many people to set up for. Speaking of setting up, the more the merrier and it makes for a faster set up. Carlos and I would appreciate it. If you can be there by 10am, that should give us plenty of time to arrange the hall or pavilion. This is a show of appreciation for all of you that volunteer and work hard for this club, making it the best Italian Club in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you!
Italian Farmer’s Picnic:
On Sunday August 4th, Joe Rossi and Rossi Farms, once again hosted all of us to his 3rd annual Italian Farmers and Ranchers Picnic. Again, it didn’t disappoint! Music, cold beer, wine and some of the best food prepared by our very own Greg DeMaestri. Everything was fabulous! Thank you so much Joe Rossi for once again opening up your home to all of us. It’s so kind of you. Your hospitality is off the charts! I also appreciate your strong Italian roots, and the fact that you are keeping Italian traditions and our heritage going. We need so much more of this! Unfortunately, we all get so busy, and sometimes forget to think about who we are and where we come from. Our Italian ancestors that came before us, and where we would be without them. Be proud of your Italian ethnicity and never forget where we all came from. Thank you, Joe, for keeping it alive here in the Portland area and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say, “Here’s to next year’s picnic!”
Paesano Bocce Club:
And with a blink of an eye, we have completed another summer Bocce League season at the courts. What happened? How did it go by so fast? I guess as the old saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun”. I’d say it was even more than that! It’s been the best season to date! 4 nights of league bocce from experienced to beginners. 44 teams and now we can boast a membership roster of 160. The league is exploding! It seems that the sport of bocce has gotten to be way more popular and so much more than just an “Old man’s sport”. We’ve had so many new people join in the last few years. It’s showing how popular the sport has become and that the word is out. I’m so proud and happy to be a part of this. We’ve all worked very hard to spread the word and do some recruiting and it shows. I love the fact that a lot of our new members started playing and immediately invited their friends and families to come out and roll. In fact, we’ve even had some people purchase a membership even though they didn’t have a team to play on. They bought a membership so that they could come out, learn the sport and to practice, but most importantly, they did it to support our club, which is so appreciated. Let’s keep this great surge of popularity “ROLLING”, Literally! If you are a current member, we thank you but remember to keep spreading the word and keep inviting new people to come out and play. I feel that the sky’s the limit, and we have plenty of room to accommodate so many more. We have 7 days in a week,,,,,! Our league night came to an end this past Sunday as we held our popular Championship Sunday, where we crowned 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each night. There were plenty of great and competitive matches that were played. The vibe was in the air and all of the teams were looking to get their hands on the metal. The day didn’t disappoint! After it was all said and done, our 1st place winners for each night were, “Vino Rossi” – Monday night Champs. / “Those Guys”– Tuesday Champs. / “Blind Squirrels”– Wednesday Champs/ I’Limoncello – Thursday Champs. Thank you to all of the non-playing members that came to support all of the playing teams. That shows true commitment, respect and camaraderie to your fellow Bocce members. I’d also like to thank all of you that brought food for our “Potluck”. The food was amazing and made the day. Thank you to one of our newest members, Jesse Hanson, for bringing out his smoker and cooking a fantastic brisket for all of us. It melted in your mouth! It was a great ending to such a fantastic season! These were some of the great things that we got to see all season long. Members wanting to help out and participate. I’d also like to thank John Hanson for making pizza and his mouthwatering focaccia sandwiches. Greg DeMaestri for his bolognese sauce and Daniela Sardo for her hand made meatballs. We sold these foods on some of our league nights helping to bring in some monies for our “Raise the Roof” fund. Every little bit helps, and our members appreciated being able to have dinner at the courts instead of having to stop and get something to eat. Speaking of our “Raise the Roof” fund, Paesano bocce is now a 501-C3, so donations of any kind can now be written off on your taxes. We have receipts that we can give to you. Anything will help. Please go to our website at www.paesanobocceclub.com to donate and to see all things bocce! If you haven’t had your fill of bocce yet, or if you are reading all of this and have decided that you want to be a part of it and would like to play, never fear, our “Fall League” will be up and running on Sunday September 8th. If you want to come and play, show up at our bocce courts before 9am. We will put all of our participants’ names in a hat and draw fairly for teams. Each team will be equally balanced according to skill levels. We will play 3 games to 12 and then give you a chance to “Shoot” 4 times. All points from a win and a hit will be accumulated every week by us. At the end of the season, we will tally all of the points to see who ended up on the top of the hill. All games will end at 12 noon. The cost of the entire season will be $25. We will start on September 8th, and will play until Mother Nature says we can’t. Last year we got to play for 8 weeks. Not bad for only $25! This gives all players a chance to get to know other players on our different league nights and also gives our less experienced players a chance to play and learn from some of our veterans of the league. It’s a great experience all the way around. There are also a few more bocce tournaments coming up too. On Sunday August 25th, we’ll be hosting our “Singles” Championship and on Saturday October 12th, our very 1st “Columbus Day” tournament. If you are interested in signing up for any of these, please go to our website to register and for more information. I have breaking news. Today we played in our annual “Festa Italiana” tournament. Once again, another great day hosted by the Paesano Bocce club. A lot of great competition as usual! Our 1st place team was none other than “Vino Rossi”. Man, they have been on a run as of late! 2nd place was “Pallino or Bust”, (the team that I play on) and 3rd was taken by “Peta”. Thanks to all that participated. I’d like to once again thank our board of directors for such a successful season and for all of our hard work since day one. Our President, Mario Pompei, VP- Treasurer, Rick Cervi, Secretary, Kelly Barasch, Maintenance Director, Doug Burchak, Competition Chair, Brad Cotton, Board officers, Carol Neilson and Lori Bass. Paul Barasch (501 C-3) and our Consiglieri, Larry Cereghino. None of this could have been done without you all. Thank You, Here’s to a new roof and an even better 2025!
Cedarville Lodge & Park Rentals:
If you or someone you know are in need of a beautiful venue to rent for an event, please think Cedarville Lodge first. The club’s bookings are finally starting to pick up again, after this pandemic, but we can still use a little help. Please contact our Venue Director, Maria Duong, at 503-577- 8471 and she will be more than helpful and gracious in getting you all the info that you may need, and to also help you with coordinating your event.
Cedarville Park Shares:
Need a good reason to purchase Cedarville Shares? Get Astronomical savings on Park Rentals and save Thousands!
If you are interested in owning a piece of this fantastic place and would like to purchase shares, please contact Steve Petruzelli at 503-620-3447 or email him at [email protected] . The Cedarville Board of Directors is holding a shareholder’s meeting on Wednesday November 22nd from 7pm till 9pm. Information about the Lodge and what’s been happening will be discussed. If you are a shareholder, you should plan on attending. Also, to our new members you can purchase at any time.
Club Paesano Dues:
Our Club Paesano membership dues were due in June. If you haven’t paid John Kern as of yet, please make plans on paying him soon. You can mail him a check, or pay him at our next meeting. John will accept Credit cards, cash or checks. John’s a busy man, so please don’t make him chase you. If you need to pay your dues or any other payments, please take care of it. Thank you.
Club Paesano Membership;
If you have someone that is interested in joining our club and has been out to our events and understands what it truly means to be a “Paesano”, then you need to have their membership application into the CP Board no later than the end of September. If you will be sponsoring them, then you need to get them an application. Go to our website to print one out or contact me before our next meeting and I will personally hand you a printed copy. We are looking for energetic people that have ideas, and are willing to help us continue with our Italian heritage and to keep our club going strong for years to come. Please make sure that they understand what is expected of them, and how much we have to offer! Have them come out to our events, like the upcoming Concert in the Park and more, to make sure that we are a good fit for them and them for us! They have to have that desire to be here, and enjoy our Italian traditions and history. We have brought in a good number of members these past few years, so let’s keep it going. Help us to get to that 100-member mark!
Thoughts & Prayers:
Thoughts and prayers go out to Marie Louise (Petruzelli) Dove. Unfortunately, Marie passed away last week. Marie was the spouse of long-time member, Ron Dove, and sister to member, Steve Petruzelli. Club Paesano sends our condolences to the family. Marie’s funeral will be held on Wednesday August 21st at “Saint John the Baptist Church in Milwaukie. (10955 SE 25TH ST.) The Rosary will be at 10:30 am followed by the funeral at 11am. There will be a reception in the church hall after the funeral services. Steve has asked me to invite all of our CP Members. If you are available and can attend, I’m sure that the family would appreciate it. Thoughts and Prayers to all of our CP Members and our families. May the good Lord bless us all and keep us protected! If you would like me to include anyone on our prayer chain. Please let me know as soon as you can so that I can include it in our newsletters.
LaCarota Question:
Well now, we’ve had our share of new winners the last few months but once again we came full circle and our last winner was, the one, the only, the myth and the Vino Winning Legend,,,,, You guessed it Mario “The Mauler”, The Massachusetts Kid”, “The Vino Whisperer”, POM– PEI! He’s a perfect example of a player. Always sending in responses to the questions. That’s why he’s the “Vino King”! Because I’m already on vacation mode, this month’s question is going to be pretty laid back. Pretty easy at that!
My question is this; What specific town in Italy will I be visiting, and in what province is that town in? Ok, that’s it! All correct answers will be entered to win the coveted bottle of vino which I will give out at our October’s meeting as I won’t be there for our September’s meeting.
Final Thoughts:
Because of my vacation, I will be leaving town on August 20th and will not return till the 23rd of September. There will not be a newsletter next month, but Debbie Calcagno Guthrie, may surprise you all with something. I’m not positive on that yet. In my absence, our very own VP, Jimmy C, will be running the Board meeting, and also the General Membership meeting. You will be in great hands. I’ll miss being there, but I have to admit, I’d rather be spending the next month in Italy. No offense! LoL! I’ve been to Italy several times now, and it still never gets old! The history, beauty and way of life is to die for. Every time I go back, and sit in my dad’s childhood home, wander the streets of my parents’ town, and explore the big cities, I can’t help but get a huge, huge sense of pride! Being Italian to me is the best. There’s no nationality in this world that I’d rather be. That’s why the country is visited by so many, and is loved by all. If you haven’t been to Italy yet, I would really suggest going. Put it on your “Bucket List” of the most important things to do, especially being Italian. It’s where it all started for us. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed! You’ll understand why we are such a “Proud” bunch of people! My wish for all of you is to get there one time at least! As I said earlier, I will try to post a lot of pictures on Facebook and will keep in touch with some of you. I’m sure that I’ll have some stories when I get back. Have a great Labor Day, and a terrific rest of your summer. I will see you all when I return. Ciao for now!
Salute
Rick