The Lake Current - June 2023
Welcome to the June 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, June 14th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome. We will holding elections for Council officers and Corporation directors (see reports of the nominating committees below). All members in good standing (which mean all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote.

  • The Feast of St. James is back! Our wonderful parish feast will be celebrated over four nights from Wednesday, July 19th, through Thursday, July 22nd. Volunteers will be needed each night in the casino, with beverage sales, in the Sausage Connection booth, and in other roles. Members interested in dealing blackjack in the casino should speak with PGK Bobby Palazzo, who will train you to be a great dealer. Also, there will be a volunteers' meeting this Thursday (6/15) at 6:00 p.m. in Doherty Hall, behind St. James the Apostle church.

  • Our Lounge's "Draft Beer of the Month" for June is Sam Adams Summer Ale: An American Wheat Ale with a citrus blend of orange, lemon and lime peel, balanced with a touch of spice from Grains of Paradise, a rare pepper from West-Africa. Crisp, refreshing and easy-drinking, Sam Summer Ale is perfect for ditching the hustle and turning any summer day into a summer Friday!
Council & Corporation Elections - Wednesday, June 14th

Our Council will hold elections for all eligible officer positions at our June business meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, June 14th, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Please review the Report of the Nominating Committee and Proposed Slate of Council Officers for the 2023-24 Fraternal Year, which appears below. The report explains the rules for additional nominations.

Please speak with GK Tim McDonald or any member of the Council's Nominating Committee if you have any questions about running for any office or about the elections process.

We will also be holding elections for three Home Corporation directors. Please see the report of the Corporation's Nominating Committee below.

All members in good standing of our Council are eligible to vote for Council officers and Corporation Directors. Payment of all outstanding dues and presentation of a current membership card are required to vote.
Welcome Our Newest Brothers!

On Friday, May 12th, our Council hosted the Knights of Columbus' "Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity" and welcomed the following ten Catholic gentlemen to our Order and to our Council:

James Browning
Michael Cariello
John C. Curzio, II
Keith R. Facciolonga
Martin V. Finneran III
Christopher George
Charles Lamb
Thomas Lynch
James G. Phillips
Robert Sharp

We also had three candidates participate from Monsignor Raymond M. Collins Council # 6205, our good friends in Somers, for a total of thirteen new Third Degree members!

Please welcome our newest members when you see them and encourage them to participate in the activities of our very active Council.

A big thanks to our in-house Degree Team, which executed another outstanding and moving ceremony, as well as to our hard-working team of chefs and bartenders, the set-up crew, and the cleanup crew.

Thanks also to all of the brother Knights who turned out to observe the ceremony in support of our newest members. All attendees were treated to an outstanding dinner and refreshments after the degree.
Vinny Callahan Honored with Founders Award

Our Council proudly presented our "Founders Award" to Sir Knight Vincent Callahan at our Eighth Annual Founders' Day BBQ on Friday, May 26th.

Named in honor of founding Grand Knight Angelo Trongone, the award was presented this year to Vinny for his many years of dedicated service to our Council (including as Chief Squire) and to our Home Corporation.
In accepting the award, Vinny gave a moving speech that recounted the earlier days of our Council, and some of the challenges that it faced and overcame. Ever humble, Vinny recognized and thanked the Council and Corporation leaders who have made us the amazing success that we are today.

Before the awards ceremony, our guests enjoyed a lavish feast that featured burgers and dogs, sliced steak, Cornell chicken, sausage and peppers, clams, and other barbecue favorites. And Pigmeister Rich Dambra outdid himself again this year with the best roast pig ever, which he sourced from a local farm just for us!
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Pictured above (l. to r.): PGK Ralph Fleischman, PGK Louis Albano, PGK Charlie Grimmer, PGK Bobby Palazzo, Honoree Vinny Callahan, Worthy GK Tim McDonald, PGK Rob Firriolo, PGK Mike McDonald and PGK Steve Gheduzzi. 
2023 George Dean Memorial Golf Outing




Another memorable -- and very successful -- George Dean Memorial Golf Outing is in the books! We had 120 golfers turn out on Friday, June 2nd, for a fantastic day of golf celebrated in loving memory of our dearly departed brother Knight who ran our Council golf outing for many years.

The weather gods smiled upon us once again, and the day was bright, sunny, and unusually warm. Putnam County Golf Course was in fine shape and the golfers enjoyed a spectacular day on the links that included golfer swag, lunch at the course, beverage cart, and lots of friendly competition and fun.

After shooting a great (or not so great) round, our golfers gathered at the Council for appetizers, cocktails, a full filet mignon dinner and dessert, followed by an awards ceremony and lots of great raffle prizes.

Congratulations to the winning foursome of Anthony Falco, Ray Kolkmann, Mike Ballentoni & A.J. Falco, who won with a score of 59!

Winner of the "Closest To Pin" contest was Pete Conlon.

Winner of the "Long Drive" contest for the ladies was MaryEllen Odell, and for the men, it was a tie between Sean McCarthy and Kevin Shea.

Many thanks to our Golf Outing Committee for orchestrating another great outing. Thanks also to the Dean Family, our golfers, our sponsors, our unbeatable Council catering crew, and everybody who pitched in to make our major annual fundraiser such a great success.
Sign Up For Our Summer Blood Drive on Friday, June 30th



*** BY APPOINTMENT ***
*** EXPANDED HOURS ***
*** VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ***

BASEBALL, BEACH, BASKING, BARBECUE and BLOOD DONATION: Those are are the ingredients needed for a successful start to summer!

Along with FOP Driscoll Lodge 704, New York City Firefighters Hudson Valley East, and Guardian Revival, we'll help you check off the blood donation with our Summer Blood Drive set for Friday, June 30th at the Daniel O'Brien VFW Hall, 32 Gleneida Ave (Rt.52), in Carmel from 10:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m.

For your generous donation, you’ll receive New York Mets merchandise! (Yeah, we know the thrill and a little disgust some are feeling about now. Those in the disgust category, please come and donate anyway.)

As with previous drives, this drive is by appointment. To make an appointment via the internet, please click this link to the NY Blood Center Donor Portal.

Or, to schedule an appointment by phone, please call: 1-800-933-2566.

We will need volunteers throughout the drive but, most importantly, at set-up and break-down. Set-up will start at 8:00 a.m., then break-down and clean-up will be at 7:00 p.m

We hope you can join our members and our friends in this absolutely critical blood drive.

Donating blood is a safe, simple, and satisfying experience. Your donations help give life to the millions of Americans each year who require blood transfusions during surgery, after an accident, or because they have a disease that requires blood components.

There are many different ways to donate lifesaving blood products, including whole blood, platelet, plasma, and automated red cell donation. The process usually takes about 45-60 minutes.

You may donate if you are at least 17 years old (16 years old with written consent from parent or legal guardian), weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in good health.

Contact Denis Hanrahan at (845) 225-3048 or GK Tim McDonald at (845) 225-6318 for more info, or visit www.nybc.org.

AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!
The Penny Social Is Back! - Sunday, June 17th

Our Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting another wildly popular Penny Social on Saturday, June 17th, at Doherty Hall, behind St. James the Apostle Church (14 Gleneida Ave., Carmel), from 1-4 p.m. Doors open at noon.

This new, larger venue will more comfortably accommodate the throngs that always turn out for what's become a favorite event in our community.

The Ladies are looking for donations of gently used items other than books, clothing, or shoes. Any other donations will be greatly appreciated.

The Ladies will be collecting donations in the parking lot behind our Council Hall (10 Fair Street) this Tuesday (6/13) and Thursday (6/15) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday (6/16) from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Pull around to the back of the building and drive down to the shipping container at the back of the parking lot.

Our Ladies say, "Thank you all for your continued support. Community helping Community!"

Please contact ladieskofc@gmail.com for more information.
Fourth Degree News

MEETING & ELECTION NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, June 15th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Assembly will also be holding elections for all eligible officer positions. Get active, get involved, and consider taking an officer's position in our Fourth Degree Assembly!

All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend. All members in good standing (which mean all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote in the election for officers.







  • Aug. 11 (Fri.) - Admission Degree for College-Age Men! We are planning to hold a special Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity for the college-age sons and grandsons of our members, along with their friends, on Friday evening, August 11th. Please speak with GK Tim or Chancellor Rick Kreps if you know of a young Catholic gentleman wishing to join our Order and our Council.

  • Attention Green-Thumbs! Our Parish is looking for some volunteer gardeners! Thanks to the efforts of some outstanding volunteers, our parish's properties have a reputation for beautiful grounds, enjoyed by parishioners and visitors alike. Unfortunately, our parish's original band of volunteers have aged-out or moved away, dwindling to just a few. Can you help our parish? We all want the grounds to look fantastic for the Feast in July! No experience is necessary. If you are able to help, please call the parish office: 845-225-2079.

  • Altar Servers Needed! Our parish is looking to increase the number of Altar Servers in this very important ministry. As you have seen, many Masses do not have the standard three servers. This is due to a drastic shortage as an aftermath of the pandemic. Altar serving provides a vital service to our priests in the celebration of Mass, which is the heart of our faith. The parish needs servers both for weekend Masses and also to assist our priests and deacons at wedding and funeral Masses, Communions, Confirmations, and special occasions. Recruitment is open to all boys and girls who were baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and have received their First Holy Communion. Please contact Pat Stellacci at stjollservers@gmail.com, and a welcome packet with information and a registration form will be emailed to you.

  • Fly the Flag this week! Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, is a day honoring our national flag. The holiday commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14th as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949, Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Each year the United States President delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.
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.