The Lake Current - January 2019

Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2019 edition of our council newsletter! Here's a few quick reminders before we get into the news: Crèche Take-Down - Monday, Jan. 7: The weather looks good this coming Monday, so we're all set to take down the St. James Nativity Scene. Please meet at 10 a.m. outside the Rectory on Monday, January 7th, to disassemble and store the crèche. We will need a few ladders, screw guns, ladders, and garden tools to clean up the hay on the lawn. Last call for Beefsteak reservations! Let the GK know you're coming to avoid the price increase and so we can prepare enough food for all. Seating is limited. See full details below. Third Degree on Sunday, Jan. 27, 3 p.m., at our Council: If you're a Second Degree member, here's your chance to complete your journey to full Knighthood in our honored Order. More information below. Our regular monthly business meeting is this Wednesday, January 9th, starting at 7:30 p.m. We'll be serving dinner for only $5 starting around 6:30 p.m. There are many activities to plan for and important business news to share with the membership, so all members should attend!

Adults' Christmas Party Nets $1,555 for Parish Food Pantry! We prove over and over again that we can have a great time together and help people in need at the same time. At this year's adult Christmas Party we had a delicious feast prepared by our in-house kitchen crew, and we raised $1,555 in supermarket gift cards for the St. James the Apostle Parish Food Pantry! That topped last year's total donation by more than one hundred dollars. This year's party also was our best turnout ever. Our members and guests dined on a free, hot buffet that included sliced steak, deep fried turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, Chicken Marbella, penne alla vodka, and Caesar salad. And thanks to our Ladies Auxiliary, we had a dessert table filled with sumptuous holiday specialties.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this annual event the best one ever, including our kitchen volunteers and everyone who donated so generously to make a less fortunate family's Christmas a little brighter.

The "JO" Men's Beefsteak is Almost Here! Join us for our Fourth Annual James "J.O." O'Neill Memorial Men's Beefsteak Dinner on Saturday, January 12th! We continue the tradition started by J.O. by gathering at our Council to enjoy lots of great food, watch the NFL Playoffs on our BIG screen TVs, and have lots of fun while we raise funds to benefit St. James the Apostle Parish! Doors open at 3 p.m. for the afternoon playoff game and cash bar. Appetizers to nosh on at 4 p.m. Dinner at 5 p.m. includes our signature, charcoal grilled gourmet filet mignon, fries, draft beer or wine, dessert and coffee. Stay after dinner and watch the evening playoff game with us. $50 if prepaid by Jan. 6 - $60 after Jan. 6 and at the door. SEATING IS LIMITED – RESERVE & PREPAY TODAY!!!!!!! Make reservations today with GK Steve Gheduzzi or mail your check and list of guests to KofC Council 6318, Attn: Beefsteak, 10 Fair Street, Carmel NY 10512. NOTE: We still need more donations of items for our live auction and raffle table, including sporting event tickets, theater tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants and other businesses, items for gift baskets, and stays in vacation homes. Please contact GK Steve about any donations you may be interested in making or soliciting for us.

Holiday Blood Drive Another Success! We raised 85 units of blood at the annual holiday Blood Drive on December 28th! That's an impressive tally, especially considering the rainy and foggy weather, and lots of colds and flu going around. The Greater New York Blood Bank always reports blood shortages around the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, and our members always come through in a pinch (so to speak). Sincere thanks to all the donors, and also to all the volunteers who help make this happen, especially our own brother Knight Denis Hanrahan , for whom organizing our semi-annual blood drives is a labor of love.

Midnight Bowling - Saturday, Jan. 26th RESERVATIONS ARE PAST DUE! Last year's Midnight Bowling fundraiser was such a tremendous success that everybody has been asking, "When are we doing it again?" Here's your answer! Join us on Saturday, January 26th at the all-new Spins Bowl in Carmel. We'll have our own lanes for some friendly competition from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight. Bowlers should arrive at 8:45 p.m. for check-in. Your $30 entry fee gets you the use of a pair of fabulous bowling shoes, three hours of bowling, pizza, and soda. ( Management requests that you do not take home any bowling balls you didn't bring with you. ) There's also a cash bar with a great selection of craft beers, prizes for the best bowlers, and of course, the potential for bragging rights. Last year's champs are already preparing to defend their titles! This is a fundraiser for our scholarship fund, and win or lose, it promises to be another absolute blast! You must make reservations! We need to reserve enough lanes and do not expect to be able to accommodate walk-ins. Reserve your spot with Ralph Fleischman , our Worthy DGK and Scholarship Fund Chairman.

23 New Members Join Our Council On Wednesday, December 19th, we had an amazing night at our Council: 23 Catholic gentlemen received the honors of the Admissions (First) Degree and joined our Council, along with five gentlemen from other councils, for a total of 28 new members of our honored Order! This was a special night of degrees that we held especially to accommodate young men who were home from college on Christmas break. Several of them are sons (and even grandsons) of members of our Council. Our newest members are: Joseph Babnik, Brian Cannon, Liam Carmody, Liam Cassidy, Dan Cetra, Sean Deans, Robert Dumont, Brett George, Nicholas Heis, Jake Lauria, Stephen Marotto, Michael McDonald, Sean McDonald, Connor McGrath, Declan McGrath, Liam McGrath, Aidan Nunez, John O’Hanlon, Robert Pirelli, Jason Schanil, Ryan Sullivan, Quinn Willman, and Kurt Wolck. All 28 also received the honors of the Formation (Second) Degree that night, along with Robert Schanil III , for a total of 29 new Second Degree brother Knights!

Please congratulate these brothers when you see them, welcome them to our Council and our Order, and encourage them to become active in Columbian life. We extend our congratulations also to all of the parents of our new members, and thank you for coming out to support them on their special night. Also, please encourage them -- and any other Second Degree Knights -- to attend the Third Degree Exemplification at our council on Sunday, January 27th . Candidates should arrive no later than 2:30 p.m. , properly attired . The degree will begin at 3 p.m., with dinner served afterward. All of our current Third Degree members -- especially those who have sponsored a candidate -- should make an effort to be in attendance to support our brothers on their journey to full Knighthood in our Order. Special thanks to our Council's very own in-house Degree Team, which conducted the First and Second Degree ceremonials entirely with members of our Council. Well done, brothers!

Come Out to Honor The 2019 St. Pat's Parade Grand Marshal: Our Own Bill Dowling! As we proudly announced in our last edition of The Lake Current , brother Knight Bill Dowling is our Council's choice for Grand Marshal for the 2019 Northern Westchester-Putnam St. Patrick's Day Parade! Please come out to honor Bill as he is officially installed as Grand Marshal at a dinner and ceremony on Friday, February 1st, at Centennial Golf Club in Carmel, from 6-9 p.m. Cost is $40 per person and the food is always very good. We are expecting a strong turnout of members from our council to honor Bill. We suggest you get there early to guarantee a seat, as there are no advance reservations. And don't forget to march behind our Council banner in support of Bill in the parade in Mahopac on Sunday, March 10th. Then come back to the Council for our fantastic St. Patrick's Day Parade Celebration, with great Irish fare and live entertainment.

A Wee Bit O' Murder: Mystery Dinner Theater on March 9 "Faith and begorrah!" Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, our Ladies Auxiliary is bringing back the hilarious ACME Mystery Company on Saturday, March 9th, for a night of interactive fun with " A Wee Bit O' Murder " mystery dinner theater! Our last show with ACME was an absolute riot , with non-stop laughs, some sharp (and not so sharp) detective work to figure out the killer, and outstanding performances by the cast and our own guests. (Who can ever forget the infamous hog-calling contest?) Your $50 (prepaid) ticket includes dinner, a drink (beer or wine), and a great comedy/mystery show that you're a part of . There will be a cash bar, and tables of eight are discounted to $360. (Hey, that's saving you five bucks a head. Buy yourself a drink!) The fun starts promptly at 6:30 p.m., so don't be late! Get your payment in by March 1st, make your check payable to the Ladies Auxiliary, and mail it to Council 6318 Ladies Auxiliary, P.O. Box 361, Carmel, NY 10512. For questions or to reserve seats, send the Ladies an email or speak with President Maria Barry. A wee bit about our program, courtesy of the ACME Mystery Company:   A Wee Bit O' Murder "Holy St. Patrick on a stick! Someone has stolen the pot of gold and now you and all the other leprechauns of Clover Union Local Number 7 have your little tails in a spin. The president of your local, Jimmy Jack Daniels O'Toole, is demanding that you get your wee bottoms over to the pub as fast as your little feet can go. If the International Fellowship of Little Knickers finds out about this, you'll all be turned into garden gnomes!"

Fourth Degree News MEETING NOTICE The next meeting of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights will be Thursday, January 17th at 7:30 p.m. at our Council. All Sir Knights should attend!

President Trump Signs Bill Championed by Knights of Columbus to Help Save Middle East Religious Minorities: The Knights of Columbus took part in a ceremony at the White House on December 11th in which The Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The KofC, which has played a significant role in assisting persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in the region, was represented at the ceremony by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. Over the last four years, the Knights have allocated more than $20 million to aid Christians and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria to provide food, shelter and clothing. Those efforts also included $2 million to rebuild the liberated Iraqi town of Karamles that had been largely demolished by ISIS. “With the legislation signed today, America speaks with bold moral clarity and political unanimity,” Anderson said. Read more about this story here. Hall Rentals for Communions and Confirmations: St. James Parish informs us that the 2019 dates for Confirmation are April 6 and April 13, and First Holy Communion will be on May 4 and May 11. Our hall is already booked for April 13, but other dates remain available, though they are expected to book quickly. Members who wish to rent our hall should contact Mike Bock ASAP by email or call (845) 225-6318 to make your rental reservation. Council Free Throw Contest - Monday, Jan. 21 : Since 1972, KofC councils have sponsored the International Free Throw Championship, which is now open to boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14. The basketball championship is set up to have the contestants compete within their own gender and age group. All competition starts at the local level, and our Council's 2019 competition will be in the St. James School Gym on the afternoon of Monday, January 21st (MLK Day). Winners move on to the district, regional, and state levels. From there, some make it to to the international level for championship competition in their group. Speak to the Grand Knight or Youth Activities Chairman Mike Rama to enter a boy or girl in the contest, or to sign-up to volunteer with the event. We'll be serving free hot dogs and ice cream to all participants. Super Bowl Party - Sunday, Feb. 3: Members and our friends and families are welcome to join us on Sunday, February 3rd, for our annual Super Bowl party. What better way to watch the Big Game than on our big screens, surrounded by good company, while enjoying a beverage and some tasty food at our cozy-warm Council? We'll be open at 3 p.m. for the pre-game shows. Our lounge will be providing some party wedges, but we're continuing what's become a great tradition of doing a pot-luck dinner. So everybody is encouraged to bring a hot or cold dish (appetizer, main, or side), or a dessert, for the community buffet table. Super Bowl Sunday has become a fun, family-friendly tradition at our Council, and this year will prove to be another event you won't want to miss. "MARCH MADNESS" Comedy Dinner Theater - Saturday, March 30th: Join us for another great night of comedy dinner theater hosted by Fran Capo with Feature Emcee Bill Chang and co-headliners Mike Eagan and Rob Falcone. Doors open at 6 p.m.; dinner served at 7 p.m.; showtime is 8:30 p.m. Your $75 ticket gets you open bar, appetizers, catered hot buffet dinner, dessert and the show. Advanced ticket purchase is required! For tickets, contact: Bobby Palazzo 845-216-1997 or Charlie Grimmer 845-222-7392.

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.

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