LaCarota Nov. 2022
President’s Message:
Hello everyone! As always, I hope that this month’s newsletter finds you all healthy, happy and safe! Feels like it’s been a couple months. It has been. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the whole month of September in Italy. I was with my parents in their hometown of Picinisco, in the province of Frosinone. My dad still has his family home there, where he was born, so we’re lucky enough to be able to have a place to stay. Italy is beautiful, and a trip there is highly recommended. Whether it’s your 1st trip, or your 10th trip there, it’s always a site to see and to marvel! As Italians, we have a heritage and a history to be very proud of for sure! I know that we’ve had a lot of our members go and visit this year. Some are still there. Enjoy guys! Hopefully everyone can experience it at least once in their lives.
Member’s Appreciation BBQ:
I wasn’t here, but I hear that our member’s BBQ went well. We had a decent turnout, and the weather was great. This was our annual event to say thank you to all of our members out there that volunteer their time and are dedicated to our cause. The people that show up without being asked. The people that have our club’s best interest at hand. This is just a small thank you for all that you do. I never want spending time to help out, be a forced issue. It should be natural, and something that you want and like to do. It’s a part of being a “Social” and a “Volunteering” club. You have to want to do it. We all have busy lives and other things to do, but just remember that this club doesn’t survive without the help of its membership. Thanks to all of you that attended.
Halloween Dance:
A FANTASTIC EVENT! That is what I will describe this event as. The night was beautiful from start to finish. There was a spirit and a great vibe that flowed throughout the night. From the time that our doors opened till the time that the Design Band played their last song, it was fantastic! Honestly it was one of the best dances that I’ve been to, since I’ve been attending. 1st off, I must give thanks to all our CP members that came in to do whatever they could, to make our event the best. The members that came in to help make the sauce for our famous Spaghetti & Meatball dinner. Thank you all. 2nd I must give a lot of love and thanks to Deb Hart, and her charity foundation, the “Pink Sista’s”, for partnering with us, and working so hard, to make this dance a complete success. They worked hard. They promoted and sold tickets. They came in that morning to decorate and set up their auction items. They even had a distillery to make them their own vodka to taste and sell. “Three old men” distillery made them their own vodka called “Courage” and gave them 100% of their profits. What a great cause and what a great group of guys! As always, our food was terrific, and our band, the “Design Band” were on point. They played what our crowd wanted to hear and had the dance floor packed from start to finish. What a great group of musicians. I hope to have them back soon. We almost had a “Sell out” at around 280 paid partiers. We will tally the final numbers for the next meeting. If you missed it, I’m sorry. You missed a great night. Our next dance, the “Carnevale Dance” will be held Saturday February 18th, 2023. Plan to be there!
Christmas Party:
Our annual Club Paesano Christmas party will be held on Sunday December 11th. Doors open at 3pm. The night will start out with a cocktail hour, dinner and Christmas carols. We will have a swearing in of our newest members. Old board members will exit, and new board members will be welcomed in. The night will be topped off with a visit from Old Saint Nick himself, if you are all good! You will all be receiving a call from one of our members to RSVP. This Christmas party is free for members, their spouses or partners, and any child living in the family home who is 21 yrs old or younger. Additional guests will be allowed for an additional fee. It’s always a fun time and a great way to bring in the Christmas season and spirit.
New Board of Directors & Officers: and Member of the Year:
As you all know, the end of the year brings the end of certain board position terms, and the chance of nominating and voting for new board members. Our Officers and board members that are at the end of their terms are, Jimmy Calcagno – Vice President / Domenic Guisto- Sergeant of Arms / John Benagni – Board of Directors / Geno Benagni- B.O.D / Dino Gavazza- B.O.D / and yours truly, Rick Cervi- President. These Officers and Board members are all eligible to run again for a 2nd term if they are nominated. Any members with 2 yrs of membership are eligible if nominated as well. If you are thinking of running or would like to nominate a member for a board or officer position, you will have a chance to do so at our November’s membership meeting. All nominees will be placed on our ballot and voted on at our December’s meeting. We will also be taking nominations for our “Member of the Year”. When nominating this person, just like our Board members, please think of a person who truly exemplifies the true meaning of being a “Paesano”. A person who truly gives their all and loves being a member of our club. I know that there are a lot of members like that. It’ll be a hard choice!
New Member Applicants:
November is also the time to introduce potential new members. If you have a candidate that you think would become a great member, a person with energy and who is willing to help and appreciate our club, you can sponsor them. Please have them fill out our application and bring them to Novembers members meeting. You will get the chance to introduce them, and they will get a chance to tell us about themselves and the reason that they would like the chance to become a member. If the board approves of them, then we will vote for or against them on our Decembers meeting. Please make sure that they understand that this is a “Social” club, and that we can’t exist without volunteers and support.
Paesano Bocce Club:
Our 2022 Bocce season has sadly closed, with our “Fall Season” coming to an end last week. With the great weather, our Fall league lasted for 8 weeks. We started our “Summer Leagues” the 1st week of June. It was an exciting start to our newest season as we graduated to 4 league nights. Monday’s being our “Advanced” league to Thursday’s being our “Rookie” league, with Tuesday and Wednesday nights filling in the rest. We have built our league up to 133 members now. Returning, advanced players all the way to our newest players that had never even rolled a bocce ball before. What an exciting time for our Bocce club. I saw so many happy people out there. Laughing, joking and having a good time, but putting on their game faces when it came time to play. There was so much comradery with chances to teach and learn. So many great memories, and showtime moments. I wish that we could have had cameras at times. There is so much excitement and commitment for our next season in 2023, that hopefully we can expand even more. We have 4 nights going, why not shoot for the whole week and get 7 league nights? If you have any interest in playing next season, please talk to a member of our bocce board or go to our website at www.paesanobocceclub.com to sign up. As you know, our goal is to cover our 4 “World Class” courts. With our courts being covered we could play and extend our seasons all year long. We could bring in more leagues and tournaments, inviting players from all over the nation. We need money to get that roof up. We are currently selling Bocce club apparel, Tee’s, hoodies, hats, towels and personalized brick pavers. All would make great Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. We are selling advertising signs of all sizes, for personal or businesses, that will be hung on our fences that are viewed by many from the “Spring Water Trail”. If you own a company or work for a company that would like to donate money for a tournament or to help build the roof, please let us know. Of course, any monetary donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. I’d like to give special thanks to our Bocce board, and to all that came out to help build our 2 newest courts. Without you, it could not have been done. Larry Cereghino. Doug Burchak, Dino Gavazza and our Bocce President, Mario Pompei. Special thanks for all that you do!
Fun Committee:
The Fun Committee is still rolling along with our Monday Night Socials. A great night of food, drinks, games and a lot of laughs. If you haven’t been to one yet, you owe it to yourself to come at least one time. Why not spend a few hours getting to know your fellow Paesano’s a little better and getting a Monday night out. We are currently working on some future events for our “Fun Committee’s” Night out. Christmas is around the corner and I’m sure that the area has a lot of fun activities to attend. We will keep you informed of any activities that we get confirmed.
Cedarville Shares:
“Same as last Newsletter”
Cedarville Lodge & Park Rentals:
“Same as last Newsletter”
Thoughts & Prayers:
Special Thoughts and Prayers this month for the passing of one of Club Paesano’s founding members, Ambrose Calcagno (Debbie Calcagno Guthrie’s Father and relative to many). His service is going to be held this Saturday October 29th at St. Thomas More. 10:30am for Rosary and 11am for Funeral. Also, the passing of Robert Rinkes (Jayne Pompei’s Father, Mario Pompei). Jack Benagni ( John and Geno Benagni’s Father). The speedy recovery of our own Joe Castellano and Kathy Fazio. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them. If you have anyone that you would like me to include or mention, please email me at [email protected] and I will add them to our prayer chain.
LaCarota Question:
Last month we had a new winner, (other than Mario) take home the coveted bottle of wine. The “Holy Grail” that we all look forward to winning. Our winner was none other than Jim Burch. I’m sure that Jim is a distant 2nd , just because Mario keeps adding to his wine cellar collection. I must hand it to Jim though, in 2 years of doing these questions, Jimmy has answered at least 95% of the time. The true meaning of, “If you don’t play, you can’t win.” Thanks for always playing Jim!
So, let’s get to this month’s question. It’s a simple one at that. My question is this. What’s my Dads birth place? That’s it. All correct answers will be entered to win a bottle of wine. If you don’t answer, you can’t win!
Final Thoughts:
As I was lucky enough to spend some time in Italy, I had time to reflect on our Italian heritage as I was surrounded by it. I got to spend time with my parents and their relatives. I was fortunate enough to hear more stories about the old days. The years that they spent growing up, going to school, and living through a war. German soldiers occupying their homes and being displaced to other towns, living in a camp for almost a year. They never complained. They felt lucky to be alive and they enjoyed the little things that they had. Most of all, they appreciated the time that they had with their families. They turned a pound of pasta and a jar of sauce into a party, getting together with their neighbors and friends to enjoy the life that they had. No riches, no fancy toys, just themselves and their families. It all makes me a truly proud Italian! We are proud and strong people. When times get tough, and you think that you have it bad, just take a moment to remember our ancestors and our people that paved the way for us! The way for us to have a better life! As we enter the holiday season, please remember to enjoy and cherish your families and what you have. Here’s to good health, happiness and love. Take care.
Salute,
Rick