The Lake Current - April 2023
Welcome to the April 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, April 12th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome. We will have samples for you to inspect of the latest Council Wear available for order, and we will also have order forms on hand so you can place your order. (See the news item below for more information.)

  • The Brendan Toohey Breakfast is Sunday, May 7th. Start by joining your fellow Knights at the 10 a.m. Mass at St. James the Apostle Church. Then come back to our Council Hall for a great hot breakfast. The Westchester-Putnam Conference will be honoring our own brother Sir Knight Bob Cuthbert, PGK, PFN, Past Conference Chair and current District Deputy, for his many years of distinguished service to the Conference. We will also be recognizing the Putnam/Northern Westchester Women's Resource Center and donating the proceeds from the breakfast to them. The cost is only $20, so bring the whole family!

  • We are hosting an Admission Degree on Friday, May 12th, at 7 p.m. This is Supreme's new "Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity," by which participants become Third Degree members of our Order. 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. All members are encouraged to attend in support of our newest members.

  • Our Lounge's "Draft Beer of the Month" for April is Kona Big Wave! This easy-drinking golden ale from Hawaii is so smooth, it’s like catching the crest of a breaking wave at Oahu’s Makaha Beach and gliding all the way into the sandy shore. Give it a try. A 'o ia!
Fish Fry 2023 Sets New Records!

Our Council's wildly popular Lenten Fish Fry came to an end for 2023 on Friday, March 31st, setting all-time records for number of meals served and numbers of orders.

Over its six-week run starting the Friday after Ash Wednesday, the Fish Fry Crew took over 260 orders and served over 1,400 meals to help our Council members and fellow parishioners fulfill our Lenten obligation of abstinence from meat. Our Crew worked hard to ensure that every meal was carefully sourced, cooked to order, and served hot and fresh using only the highest quality ingredients.

Just for some perspective on Fish Fry's growth over the years, in 2015 -- our first year -- the Fish Fry Crew served a total of around 300 meals (with the fish fried on the fire escape in a turkey fryer, if you can believe it). Two years later, in 2017, they increased that to around 520 meals. In 2019 -- before the COVID pandemic -- their numbers soared to 1,200 meals. This year they shattered their own record by serving over 1,400 meals!

Our ordering website continued to work very nicely and received lots of compliments for its simplicity and efficiency. Fish Fry also continued the "Seniors' Hour" from 4:30 to 5:30, and we offered both dine-in and take-out service.

Our kitchen crew tested and turned out several new weekly specials that were huge hits, including salmon in puff pastry with peppercorn sauce, and salmon over farfalle pasta with peas in a pink sauce, along with return favorites like Lobster Mac & Cheese, New England Clam Chowder with bread bowls, and Fish Tacos. And they introduced another new special -- the Captain's Platter -- that was so popular that you can expect to see it next year as a new entree on our regular menu every week.

Our Council is grateful to all of our loyal Fish Fry supporters, many of whom placed orders all six weeks (even on St. Patrick's Day!). And of course, a big shout out to our dedicated Fish Fry Crew that planned, shopped, prepped, maintained the order website, took orders, cooked, served, cleaned-up, cashiered, and ran the order desk every week. We had many new members step up to help this year, and we could not have done it without everybody's help.

Even though Fish Fry is only one night a week, the work that goes into it takes place every day of the week leading up to Friday. Without these tireless workers -- upstairs in the kitchen, downstairs in the dining room, shopping in multiple stores, and working from home on computers -- none of this would be possible.

Even though they're exhausted, the Crew looks forward to doing it all again for us in Lent 2024! FISH YEAH!
"April Fools - The Joke's On You" Comedy Night Leaves Crowd in Stitches

Top-name comics played to a packed house at our sold-out night of food, fun, and laughs at our Council's night of comedy dinner theater on Saturday, April 1st.

The crowd of comedy lovers started the evening by enjoying an open bar and a delicious Italian dinner catered by Luigi's Famiglia Cucina. After dinner, the show was hosted by Fran Capo and featured headliners Larry DiGregorio, Johnny Rizzo, and Paul Bond. A great time was had by one and all!

Thanks to PGKs Bobby Palazzo for organizing another great comedy night at our Council, and thanks also to the volunteers who helped set up and break down!
Order Your Custom Council Wear Today!

We are now taking orders for Council Wear!

We are offering a nice selection of high-quality polo shirts, jackets, and hoodies, all beautifully embroidered by Extreme Designs with the Emblem of the Order, our Council name and number, and our home town.

The shirts and jackets can be custom embroidered with your name for an additional charge.

You can view the items for sale below and download the order form by clicking here. Please be sure to turn in your order sheet by next month's membership meeting on May 10th.
Cash Bingo for Charity on Sunday, April 23rd

Our Ladies Auxiliary presents another fun afternoon of Cash Bingo on Sunday, April 23rd.

Doors open 1 p.m. First game is at 2 p.m.

Your $35 (if prepaid!) gets you admission and all-nighters. Extra Specials and Bell Jar tickets will be sold.

Reservations ONLY through Eventbrite. Click here to make your reservation.

Walk-ins will pay $40 at the door -- if there are any remaining seats.

Proceeds will be donated to worthy local charities and causes!

There will be a concessions table, but feel free to bring your own snacks. Complimentary coffee and tea will be available.

No persons under age 18 permitted.

Contact ladieskofc@gmail.com to reserve or with questions.
Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, April 20th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Please bring in your ticket stubs and payments collected from your sales of the Assembly's 2023 "Night Out on the Sir Knights" Year of Dinners Raffle. Please make sure to send in your 2023 dues payment if you have not already done so.

The next Fourth Degree Exemplification for our district will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Suffern, NY. Applications (Form 4) must be fully completed and submitted the Assembly immediately. Speak with PGK Steve Gheduzzi if you are interested in making your Fourth Degree. The Assembly will once again have a hospitality suite at the hotel to support our newest brother Sir Knights who will be joining the Fourth Degree and our Assembly. All members are welcome.








  • Join us in congratulating brother Sir Knight Tommy Feighery on being the 2023 honoree of the WestPut Setanta Gaelic Football Club. Our Council had a full table at Villa Barone on the evening of Saturday, April 1st, to support Tommy as he was honored for his many years of service to the club. Congrats Tommy!

  • May 20 (Sat): Boxing Event - Enjoy an afternoon of quality bouts right outside our Council building hosted by USA Boxing, the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, Weigh-in will be from 1-3 p.m. and the first bout starts at 4 p.m. General admission is $25. More details TBA.

  • May 26 (Fri): Eighth Annual Founders' Day BBQ & Trongone Award Ceremony - This is always a great way to kick-off summer, with an incredible feast for the whole family (including our fantastic pig roast!) and with our tribute to a member who has provided exemplary service to our Council over many years. Save the date!

  • Jun. 2 (Fri): George Dean Memorial Golf Outing - Get your foursome together and consider taking a sponsorship. Details and registration forms will be released shortly!

  • Donate your Columbia magazine for a good cause! After reading your monthly KofC members' magazine ("Columbia"), please consider donating it for distribution to others who may find it of interest. Thanks to the efforts of Sir Knight Dennis O'Connor, and with the assistance of our brother Knight Sheriff Kevin McConville, the magazine will be distributed in the Putnam County Jail and in other locations in our area. Give your magazines to Dennis or look for a box to drop them in, in our Council hall. Please tear off the portion of the cover with your name and address to protect your privacy.
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.