April 2025 La Carota
President’s Message:
Hello everyone. Ciao a tutti. I hope that this month finds you all, Healthy, happy, and safe! How are you all doing? Getting ready for Spring, I hope. We “Sprung forward” a week ago, so hopefully we have all had a chance to get use to the time change and that our internal clocks have caught up! I cannot believe how fast March is going by. In the blink of an eye, we are already past the midway point of the month! The trees are starting to flower and some of the plants are starting to bloom. Spring is in the air, it is very close and I can’t wait. Although March can be tricky weather wise, I think that we can kiss winter goodbye and good riddance! Here’s to Spring Break, longer and warmer days to come. Spring cleaning and the start of gardening are around the corner. I hope that you all will enjoy it. “Catch you outside!”
Carnevale Dance:
On Saturday March 1st, we celebrated our annual Carnevale Dance. It was a great night of eating, dancing, and supporting a terrific charity. Our attendance was a little over 150. It could have been higher, but I guess that is not too bad for a winter’s night. I would have liked to have seen more Paesano’s in attendance though. Our dinner did not disappoint, and as usual Marc Battilega and his family knocked it out of the park. The crowd loved it and that is why I like to add “World Famous” Spaghetti & Meatball dinner! We went with a DJ at this dance, and it was a hit. Our DJ’s played everything that our guests requested and were very interactive with them out on the dance floor. They were very entertaining and not too loud! Everyone appreciated that. Our charity partner “Creations for Cures” and their founder Renee Deifendofer had a silent auction, and they did very well. Our Paesano’s and the rest of our guests were very generous in bidding, and they were able to raise $4700. That is fantastic! Renee could not thank us enough and told me that that is the most money that they’ve ever raised in one event. We, as Paesano’s should be enormously proud that we helped out such a worthwhile charity. They cannot wait to come back and partner with us again. I personally would love to see them come back again. Special thanks to everyone that came out to make sauce, set up, help run the bar, and tear down at the end of the night. You know who you are, and I thank you all! If I try to name you all, inevitably I will forget to mention someone. I appreciate you all and I thank you!
CP Scholarship Fundraiser:
This past Sunday, the 16th of March, we had our first official Club Paesano Scholarship Fundraiser”. It was our first, because last year we combined it with our “Heritage Night” dinner. This year’s dinner was about raising funds for the Scholarship. Our committee worked very hard to put this together and procure items for our silent auction. We ended up with a lot of nice auction items. The attendance was low, but the few of us that were there ended up making up for it. We were able to raise about $2200 that evening, which will enable us to cover the funds for this year’s 3 scholarships and to get a start next year. I’d like to thank our committee for all that they’ve done and all that they will do once the applications start rolling in. If you know a Senior (of Italian descent) that will be furthering their education after high school, please have them apply for one of the 3 scholarships that we will be giving out. They will be valued at $1000 each. They can go to our website at www.clubpaesano.org to apply. Please make sure to tell them that the deadline has been extended to April 30th and ignore the March 30th date that is on there right now. Again, I’d like to thank the committee of Dino Gavazza, Vince and Kristy Curletto, Anna and Rezza Nassib, Phil Potestio, Donna Sinsiri – Howard and myself, for working so hard to make this happen. We should all be very proud of this accomplishment. I’d like to give Vince Curletto a special shoutout to be able to get us $1000 from Weston Kia. That will be added to the $2000 that we made at the dinner. What a great gift! If you are in need of a new vehicle, please go visit Vince and the Weston family. They’re a fine group for sure! I’d also like to once again thank Marc Battilega for running the kitchen and keeping our guests fed and coming back for more! The scholarships will be handed out at our Polenta Dinner that will be held on Wednesday, June the 4th at 6pm. It will take the place of our regular monthly meeting. More info on the dinner will be provided in next month’s newsletter. Thanks again for your support!
Spring Dinner & Dance:
“YEEHAA!” Our Spring Dinner & Dance will be held on Saturday May 17th from 5:30pm till 11pm. We’ll be changing things up and going “Country Western”. An Italian Spaghetti Western! I wouldn’t go that far, but there will be a different feeling to it. Our dinner will be pasta and sausage, and our entertainment will be “The Sweetwater Band”, a Country Western band that can also play some top 40 dance hits as well. They are a very versatile band and sound great! Tickets are on sale now, so please go to our website at www.clupaesano.org to purchase your tickets now. Don’t wait as this dance will be a “Sellout” for sure! Please invite your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and anyone else that will enjoy a great time! As always, I encourage you to sell or give your tickets away to people that you think that may enjoy and become regulars at our events, if you are not able to attend. Please don’t let the tickets go to waste as it’s great for promoting our club and our events! Again, get your tickets now before they run out! See ya there Partner!
Paesano Bocce News:
Spring is here and bocce is in the air! There’s no playing at our courts yet, but some of us have been fortunate enough to be able to play at other facilities and are able to practice during the winter months.I look forward to all of us being able to play and practice year round once we get the roof built over our courts. As you all know by now, Paesano Bocce has officially become a 501-C3 and we are looking to take in donations that can be written off on your taxes. If you have money that you need to donate somewhere before good ol Uncle Sam takes it, then we are the place for you.
Please get in touch with one of our board members for more information. We are planning on a busy 2025 season with league nights and tournament play. Please go to our website at www.paesanobocce.com for our schedule of events and if you are interested in joining our leagues. We are always happy to bring in new members, whether you are experienced or even if you have never played the game before, we will accommodate everyone! We have a league night for you. If you don’t see what you are looking for on our website, please feel free to reach out to one of our board members to answer any questions or for clarification. Our 2025 Board of Directors are, Mario Pompei – President / Rick Cervi – V.P. & Treasurer / Paul Baracsh – Director of 501-C3 Non Profit / Kelly Baracsh – Secretary / Doug Burchak – Court Maintenance / Lori DeMeastri – Officer. Anyone of us will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Some of us were lucky enough to go see our friends from the north and get to play in their tournament in Auburn, WA. We consider them family, but when it comes to bocce, it’s Oregon vs Washington. We are friendly, but have a great rivalry going, when we are on the courts! This tournament did not disappoint with the Paesano Bocce Club capturing most of the medals. We went in with a mission and accomplished most of it! Congratulations to all that made the trek up there and participated. It’s very important that we here in PNW support each other. Thank you to Greg Singleton and Sal Cascone of the Auburn Bocce Club for putting on a great tournament and making us feel at home. If you are interested in a sign to hang on our fence, advertisement, personal pavers and bocce swag, please go to our website at www.paesano bocce.com
Thoughts & Prayers:
Our thoughts & Prayers go out to all of our members and their families. May God bless you all and keep you healthy, happy and safe! If you want me to add anyone to our Thoughts & Prayers, please let me know as soon as possible so I can add them to our segment.
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.
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.
LaCarota Question:
Proving that you can’t win if you don’t play, Johnny “Deep Pockets” Kern came from out of nowhere like a thief in the night, to snatch up the coveted bottle of vino to add to his collection. John has also been another player that’s been getting his answers in and has been in the hunt every month. He is a competitor for sure! Congratulations “Deep Pockets”! Will John keep his streak alive, or will he be a “One Hit Wonder” for the quarter? What do the rest of you say? Can one of you step up to become the newest contender? We shall see! So, this month’s question has to do with the arrival of Spring time and how they celebrate it in Italy. My question is; Name the 3 biggest “Springtime” Festivals that take place in Italy. There are a few, but I want the 3 biggest and most famous! That is it. Simple! All correct answers will be entered to win the Holy Grail. Again, you cannot win if you don’t play, so play!! Good luck.
Final Thoughts:
As we fall into the season of lent with Easter soon to come, let’s never forget the reason for the season. Our Lord and God sent his only son Jesus Christ, to us to be sacrificed to save our souls. The ultimate sacrifice! Sacrificing your own child to forgive the sins of mankind. I could not imagine it. If you are religious or even if you are not, let’s always remember the sacrifices that our parents and relatives made for us. Every generation, no matter how old, made some kind of sacrifice that has put us in the position that we are in today. Of course, we will make sacrifices of our own for the betterment of our families and theirs to come. May we always remember to take care of ourselves but to also take care of those that need it most. May it be family, friends or even a stranger, lets always try to turn a sacrifice into a positive. Here’s to our Lord and Savior’s sacrifice and rising! Take this time to love your loved ones and help those in need! Buona Pasqua to all! Ti Salute.
Ciao, Rick