The Lake Current - February 2023
Happy "six more weeks of winter" and welcome to the February 2023 edition of our Council newsletter!

A few quick but important items up-front before we get into the news.

  • Our next regular business meeting will be this Wednesday, February 8th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome.

  • Super Bowl Party this Sunday (Feb 12) - Join us for our annual family-friendly Super Bowl party. Doors and our Lounge open at 2 p.m. Some snacks and wedges will be provided, but the best part of the party is our Pot Luck Dinner, so bring an appetizer or entree (preferably in a foil half-tray) and enjoy the buffet! Desserts are also welcome. (Special Bonus this year: No Tom Brady!)

  • Reserve for Confirmation & Communion Parties - St. James parish has announced that 2023 Confirmation dates are Monday, March 20th, and Tuesday, March 21st, and that First Holy Communion dates are Saturdays April 29th, May 6th, and May 13th. Our Home Corporation, 6318 Associates, tries to give preference to our members for renting our Council Hall, so please book your party as soon as possible.

  • Fish Fry Staff Meeting: If you're part of our fin-tastic Fish Fry Crew -- or would like to be -- please join us for a very important staff meeting on Monday, February 13th, starting at 7:00 p.m. We will discuss ordering procedures, menu options, dining room operations, pricing, volunteer opportunities, etc. We always need extra help in our dining room, serving customers, and -- especially -- helping with cleanup at the end. We were able to resume dine-in service and maintain our take-out service last year thanks to a lot of hard work and planning. Let's do it again! All of our staff members' input and support are crucial to making it work!

Blockbuster Beefsteak!

Our Seventh Annual James "J.O." O'Neill Memorial Men's Beefsteak Dinner on Saturday, January 21st, was a sold-out smash-hit once again!

More than 120 beef-loving men were on hand to enjoy unlimited delicious food, excellent football playoff games on our UHD projection and big-screen TVs, and lots of fun and good company.

We were honored to have our parish clergy -- Father Szymon, Monsignor Martin, and Father Tran -- along with numerous dignitaries from Putnam County, on hand to enjoy the Beefsteak and support our fundraising efforts.

After a sumptuous array of appetizers and an awesome charcoal-grilled, all-you-can-eat, filet mignon dinner, we had great raffles including gift baskets donated by St. James School, a scratch-off raffle tree from our generous Ladies Auxiliary, and a hefty 50/50. Then the bidding began in our very successful live auction. All to raise even more funds for our parish and school.

We are thrilled to report that, thanks to the support and generosity of our guests and donors, as well as to the hard work of our volunteers who pulled out all the stops, we were able to raise enough to make a $10,000 donation to St. James the Apostle Parish and School!

We plan to present our donation at our March general business meeting.

Join us in thanking all of our guests and donors, and in sending a big shout-out to our Beefsteak Crew -- who did the shopping, set-up, prep, cooking, serving, and clean-up -- for another outstanding effort. At Beefsteak it's "All about the Beef" so it has to be the best. Nobody left disappointed or hungry!
Fish Fry Fridays Start February 24th!



Our beloved Lenten Fish Fry Fridays are back starting February 24th and continuing every Friday in Lent [except Good Friday] from 4:30-7:30 p.m.!

Advance ordering is required, and our ordering website will be back, so please read-on carefully!

Ordering and Service

Take out is available, and we will again open our dining room for eat-in service. Seating will be family style, but there should be plenty of room to sit where, and with whom, you want.

SENIORS HOUR: Back by popular demand, each week from 4:30 - 5:30 P.M. is for seniors' orders only. Ordering is open to everyone from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

You must pre-order in advance by using our order website: carmelfishfry.com. No phone or walk-in orders please! All orders must be placed online by 8 p.m. on the Thursday before the upcoming Friday.

When you pick up your order or dine-in, you can pay with cash, check, or credit card. While we are not requiring pre-payment online, we do ask that you notify us as soon as possible if you have to cancel an order that you placed.

Orders may be placed for service in 15 minute intervals starting at 4:30 on Fridays. Our aim is to have all meals ready for pickup at the time you specify. Dine-in orders will be filled when you arrive and brought down from the kitchen so they are as hot and fresh as possible.

Pickup will be inside our hall, and curbside pickup is available upon request.

As always, quantities on our weekly specials are limited. So order early!

While we are still in the planning stage, we regret to announce that we may be forced to make modest increases in our prices. Even though we purchase at wholesale, food and packaging costs -- which were already up dramatically last year -- have skyrocketed this year. Thank you for understanding our need to keep pace with these increasing costs, and for your continued support!


Bookmark this link to order:


Orders may be placed each week starting Monday morning for the following Friday and will close Thursday 8 p.m. each week.

Order early to ensure your choice of meals!

If you have any questions, please email our Fish Fry Crew at 6318fishfry@gmail.com.

The Menu

Our regular weekly menu gives you your choice of these sumptuous fish dishes:

- Our signature Pub-style Fish & Chips: Premium, wild-caught Alaskan cod loins, Samuel Adams Boston Lager beer-battered and deep fried golden brown (in no-trans-fats oil). Served with crispy steak fries and coleslaw. Children's portion (half order) available.

- Linguine with White Clam Sauce: Clam sauce made fresh on premises with white wine, garlic and olive oil using wild-caught clams. Served over linguine imported from Italy with our fresh, homemade garlic bread.

- Shrimp Scampi over Pasta or Rice: Traditional shrimp scampi (butter, wine, garlic, spices). Each order made fresh with jumbo shrimp and served over imported pasta or seasoned yellow rice, with our fresh, homemade garlic bread.

- Cape Cod Clam Strips: New England-style crispy-outside, tender-inside fried clam strips served with fries and coleslaw.

SPECIALS WILL BE ANNOUNCED EACH WEEK and should include favorites like New England Clam Chowder, Lobster Mac & Cheese, and Sole Piccata, as well as some new ones currently being developed in our super-secret test kitchens!

The Cause

PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CHARITY! Over the past several years, our Fish Fry Fridays have raised thousands of dollars for charities! Our Fish Fry beneficiaries have included the St. James Parish Food Pantry, Disabled American Veterans, Special Olympics NY, the KofC Christians at Risk Fund; CAREERS Support Solutions, and our scholarship fund.

Thanks to your support, we hope to continue to make charitable donations from our Fish Fry proceeds, as well as assist our community with keeping their Lenten obligation of abstinence from meat.
Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, February 16th, at our Council.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Members will be able to purchase and pick up tickets to sell for the Assembly's 2023 "Night Out on the Sir Knights" Year of Dinners Raffle.

We also plan to prepare our annual dues mailing, so volunteers are requested to assist with the effort before the meeting.

All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.








  • Brendan Toohey Breakfast Postponed - Please watch for an announcement of a new date when this event is rescheduled.

  • Mar. 12 (Sun): West/Put St. Patrick's Day Parade - Come march behind our Council banner in Mahopac on Sunday, March 12th. We are proud to once again be a prime sponsor of this parade, which is the third largest in New York State and is in its 46th year. The Grand Marshall is our own brother Knight Pat O'Malley! This parade is meant to recognize and celebrate Irish culture, heritage, and pride for those who have emigrated here from the Emerald Isle, the Irish-American community, as well as those who are Irish in spirit. There will be numerous organizations, bands, clubs, patriotic groups, Irish dancers, and a vast array of participants showing their support of the Irish community. As always, we will have a corned beef luncheon and reception with live entertainment at our council after the parade. This event is one of the highlights of our social calendar, so don't miss it!

  • Mar. 26 (Sun): 20th Annual Westchester-Putnam Chapter Awards Gala - Join us in honoring brother Knight Harry Gorman at Mulino's at Lake Isle in Eastchester from noon to 5 p.m. The cost is $90 per person, which includes a fantastic cocktail hour, dinner, desert, wine, beer and soda. Contact GK Tim ASAP if you would like to attend. Reservations by March 10th and pre-payment are absolutely required!

  • Apr. 1 (Sat): Comedy Dinner Theater - Another great night featuring delicious food and live stand-up comedy. Reservations and pre-payment required. Speak to Bobby Palazzo or Charlie Grimmer.

  • May 12 (Fri): Admission Degree - We have tentatively scheduled an Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity for May 12th at 7 p.m. If you know of a Catholic gentleman wishing to join our Council, or if you are a First or Second Degree member wishing to attain full Knighthood, please speak with Chancellor Richard Kreps or WGK Tim McDonald.

  • Jun. 2 (Fri): George Dean Memorial Golf Outing - Save the date!

Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.