The Lake Current - October 2019

Welcome to the October 2019 edition of our Council newsletter! In this issue you'll find coverage of our Oktoberfest celebration and the Columbus Day Parade; announcement of our Knight of the Year and Family of the Year ; and reports on other news items and upcoming events you don't want to miss. But now h ere's a quick -- but important! -- notice before we get into the news: Our regular monthly business meeting is this Wednesday, October 9th, starting at 7:30 p.m. We'll be serving dinner for only $5 starting around 6:30 p.m. (If you loved our Oktoberfest schnitzel - or missed it - you'll want to come for dinner!) There are many BIG events still being planned for the fall, and we need our members' help and support to make these events the amazing success they always are. All members should attend!

Our EVENT OF THE YEAR : Annual Dinner Dance & Awards Ceremony - Nov. 2nd ANNOUNCING OUR KNIGHT OF THE YEAR AND FAMILY OF THE YEAR! CLICK BELOW TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION BEFORE PRICE INCREASE Join us for our 48th Anniversary Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 2nd at 7 p.m. ! Fine dining, live music, dancing, raffles, and recognition of our members who do so much to make our Council so special. The last three years have been such a great success that we are once again holding our Annual in the St. James school gymnasium so we have plenty of room to spread out, dance, and host the band. This year's Annual promises again to be MEMORABLE and HUGE FUN, so get in your reservation today! (RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST!) All the info you need to know is below, so be sure to read on. But now... Announcing our 2019 Awards Winners!

Presenting our 2019 Knight of the Year: Michael Bock This year's Knight of the Year is brother Knight Michael J. Bock ! In his six years as a member, Mike has been very active in a variety of roles and helps out at numerous events. He has served in Council officer positions including Guard and Chancellor, and continues to serve in the important role as chairman of the Admissions Committee. Mike also serves as Rentals Chairman for our Home Corporation, handling bookings and showings of our facilities. He is also the chairman and executive chef for our annual Oktoberfest celebration, bringing it to new levels of greatness. Mike retired from NYPD as a Sergeant Detective Squad Supervisor after 25 years of service, having held positions in several investigative units including Narcotics, Internal Affairs, and Special Victims. He spent his last 10 years as a supervisor in Manhattan Special Victims and Special Victims Cold Case DNA Squad supervising over 15,000 cases. Mike is now a NY and NJ licensed private investigator, with his own firm: First-Rate Investigations and Consulting.

Presenting our 2019 Family of the Year: The McDonald Family This year's Family of the Year is The McDonald Family - Timothy, Deborah, Sean and Ryan! Tim is a Third Degree member who joined our Council in 2014 and quickly became very active. Tim served as a Guard before ascending to the core officer position of Chancellor this fraternal year. He is also one of our Lounge's top bartenders and an invaluable member of our Kitchen Crew, cooking dinners for meetings and working numerous events including Fish Fry Fridays and Oktoberfest. Deb is also very active around our Council, serving as a Trustee of our Ladies Auxiliary and helping out with their many fundraising efforts. Deb is masterful at securing sponsorships and donations for events, and she was a key player in the Ladies' wildly successful fundraiser for Make-A-Wish. Never one to shrink from a challenge, Deb took on the responsibility of managing our busy dining room during Fish Fry Fridays, ensuring things run smoothly for our customers. And this year, she also took charge of our Annual Dinner Dance Journal, which is sure to be something even more special this year. Tim and Deb moved to Kent 16 years ago and live there with their sons Sean and Ryan, and dog Duffy. A Third Degree member, Sean joined our Council last year and currently works at Cassidy Plumbing. Ryan is a Junior at Carmel High School and serves as a bar-back in our Lounge. Tim is a Field Technician for Verizon, and Deb works as a Teaching Assistant at Mahopac Middle School. We're sure you'll agree these are very worthy honorees, so come to the Annual and take out a Journal ad to show your support!

Okay, you're coming. (Great! Did you let us know yet?) So what's on tap for the night besides some well deserved awards? You loved 'em, you wanted 'em back, and we're proud to once again feature the musical stylings of SOULMATES ("Music from the Heart and Soul")!

Also back by popular demand will be our FUN PHOTO BOOTH! (Bring your funniest face or take a nice couples' shot for a memento.)   And the feedback on our food last year was so positive that this year we will once again be using Sauro's Town Square Cafe , featuring outstanding Italian cuisine including antipasto, hot appetizers, a hot buffet dinner, and fine desserts.

Plus, since nobody does a carving station better than we do, we'll again be serving hand-carved filet mignon with dinner prepared by our own in-house chefs! If you enjoy our masterpiece of charcoal grilled prime beef at the Council Golf Outing, Men's Beefsteak, or the Ladies Auxiliary Appreciation Dinner, you know that this is something really special! As usual, the night will start at 7 p.m. with a cocktail hour with plenty of hors d’oeuvres, followed by a great buffet dinner, our brief awards ceremony, entertainment and dancing, and delicious desserts & coffee. Open bar all night! ------> $80 each or $150 per couple* <------ Reservations required by October 25th (*$90 each / $175 per couple after 10/25 and at the door so make your reservations now!)   Reservations are required ! RSVP to GK Steve Gheduzzi and send your check to Treasurer-Council 6318, 10 Fair Street, Carmel NY 10512. You can also reserve by clicking the RSVP link below. ------> TAKE A SOUVENIR JOURNAL AD! <------ There's no better way to remember this special event and congratulate the Council and our award winners than by taking out an ad in our beautifully produced souvenir journal. Journal ads also help us defray the cost of the event, and give you an opportunity to congratulate our honorees and/or promote your business. Click here to download this year's ad form. Ad copy may be emailed here . Contact Deb McDonald by email here or call (914) 589-6751 with questions or to place your ad. Please get in your order by 10/25!

Are you coming to The Annual? LOCATION St. James the Apostle School Gym DATE AND TIME 11/02/19 7:00pm - 11/02/19 11:00pm I'll be there! I can't make it Maybe; I WILL let you know by 10/25

Most Wunderbar Oktoberfest Ever! If you missed our Oktoberfest last Saturday, you missed an awesome time ! Over 150 guests enjoyed authentic German food, German beers, live German music, contests, raffles, door prizes, and lots of fun in our beer hall, lounge, and outdoor beer garden.

We were thrilled that Fr. Szymon from St. James served as our first annual Bürgermeister , overseeing the festivities and ensuring all of the food tasted good enough to serve to the villagers. And we were especially grateful that he blessed the German beer and granted a General Absolution to the Kitchen Crew. Starters included hot Bavarian pretzels with our homemade beer-cheese dipping sauce, potato pancakes with applesauce, and German Sliders made with beer-boiled and charcoal grilled bratwurst, served with our own special kapusta (sauerkraut). Sir Knight Bob Schanil also brought an awesome selection of homemade European specialties for all to enjoy. The headline attraction was our homemade full Wiener Schnitzel dinner with all the sides (red cabbage, mashed potatoes, green beans amandine, hunter gravy, pumpernickel rolls, pear-walnut spring mix salad), with fresh apple strudel a la mode for dessert. Nobody left hungry!

As in years past, the music from the famous Austrian Boys Band was fantastic! We were also honored with a special bagpipes performance by Assemblyman Kevin Byrne , who was accompanied by our own Jim O'Neill on the snare drum. We also had a blast cheering on the contestants in the traditional stein-lifting contests for men and ladies. Prizes for the winners were authentic German beer steins. A great door prize of Rangers hockey tickets was once again courtesy of Worthy Lecturer Anthony Falco . Thanks to all of our guests for making this another smash-hit event, and special thanks to our team of hardworking chefs, servers, decorators, bartenders, and other volunteers led by our event chair and Schnitzelmeister , Mike Bock . Even though Mike was recuperating from surgery, he made sure that the planning and execution of the event was completely up to his usual high standards. Enjoy some great memories thanks to resident photographer Harry Gorman:

We Honor the Namesake of our Order! Thank you to all of our members and brothers from other councils, friends, and family who marched to represent the Knights of Columbus in the Putnam County Columbus Day Parade in Mahopac on Sunday, October 6th. The weather was not the greatest, and we were still exhausted from Oktoberfest, but we were not deterred from sharing in the annual event where Putnam's Italian-American pride is always on full display!

Don't forget that this year the official celebration of Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 14th. Christopher Columbus is the namesake of our Order, and the Knights of Columbus proudly celebrate this holiday. In doing so we honor his heroic efforts and also the culture and heritage of the Italian people, and their many contributions to America. In April 1934, as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope, Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 be a federal holiday under the name Columbus Day.

Used Clothing Drive Fundraiser Oct. 18, 19 & 20 Our Ladies Auxiliary is raising funds for charity by taking your used clothing off your hands. (Do you really still need that Nehru jacket or elephant bell-bottoms)? Go through your closets, put your used clothing, shoes, accessories, household items, and toys into well-tied trash bags, and bring them to our Ladies Auxiliary on Friday, October 18 from 5-7 p.m., and Saturday & Sunday October 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please note the important details on the flyer below. Contact Ladies Auxiliary President Maria Barry with any questions by email or call (845) 661-1729.

Sunday Cash Bingo Returns on 10/27 to Benefit Veterans' Charities Our Ladies Auxiliary kicked off the fall bingo season with an outstanding effort on September 22nd, hosting 85 players and raising over $1,700 for pediatric cancer research! The fun continues through December! So join us for another rewarding afternoon of Sunday Cash Bingo presented by our Ladies Auxiliary on October 27th ! As we approach Veterans Day in November, there are many veterans events in our area including the Vet-2-Vet Chowdown at Putnam County Golf Course, also on Sunday, October 27th. Our Fourth Degree will again sponsor tables and the USO show at the event, while our Ladies will be doing their part through their Sunday Cash Bingo fundraiser. Our bingo features big cash payouts and a $500 JACKPOT ! Admission is only $30. Doors open at 1 p.m., first game at 2 p.m. Attendance is limited to the first 100 players. Complimentary coffee and cake. Bell jar tickets will be sold. For RSVP & payment details, speak with President Maria Barry or email: ladieskofc@gmail.com . We are also pleased to announce a few more upcoming Ladies Auxiliary events: Cash Bingo Sundays – Dec 1st (charity to be announced) Bags & Bucks Bingo – Saturday, November 16th Penny Social – Sunday, December 8th Save the dates!

Fourth Degree News MEETING NOTICE The next meeting of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights will be Thursday, October 17 at our Council. All Fourth Degree members are welcome!

Support the St. James School Flapjack Fundraiser 10/26 Bring your whole family down to Applebee's in Southeast for breakfast on Saturday morning, October 26th, 8-10 a.m., to support St. James School's Flapjack Fundraiser! For only $6 you'll get a delicious breakfast served by students and help support the only Catholic school in all of Putnam County. Details are on the flyer below. Please support this great event to help out our parish school!

Resorts World Catskills Casino Trip - Oct. 19th There are still some seats left for another fun-filled Mario Antoci Memorial Casino bus trip on Saturday, October 19th. This time we're headed to Resorts World Catskills in Montiecllo! For only $40 you get luxury bus transportation, a $10 lunch voucher, a $20 slots play voucher, and refreshments before and along the way (see below). Start with coffee and donuts at the council at 7 a.m. Then the bus will leave our council at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Enjoy a six-hour stay at the casino. Beer, soda and water will be provided on the bus! Feel free to bring your own beverages and snacks as well. Every one of these trips has proven to be a fun time for all, win or lose. So don't miss out! Seating is limited and the bus fills up quickly. To guarantee a seat, you must make a reservation! For information and reservations, call PGK Bobby Palazzo at (845) 216-1997.

Please make sure to SAVE THE DATE for these important upcoming events! Seminarian's Dinner - Monday, Nov. 4: We are once again be supporting our diocese's seminarians at St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) by taking a table and a journal ad for the annual Westchester-Putnam Chapter Charities Seminarian's Dinner at Fr. Dunphy Council in White Plains. The cost is $40 per person and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. This is always a fun night where we get the honor of meeting and dining with our seminarians -- the future of our church! Speak with GK Steve if you are interested in attending. Creche Setup & Christmas Decorating - Saturday, Nov. 30: We continue our tradition of setting up the life-size Nativity Scene on the lawn of St. James parish on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Then we head to the Council to give the building and grounds some sprucing-up and decorate them for Christmas. Lend a hand! Children's Christmas Party / Holiday on the Lake / Parade of Lights - Saturday, Dec. 7: Always one of the best (and busiest!) days of the year at our Council. Wreath sales, family activities, dinner, SANTA, our own parade float, and so much more. Be there!

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.

See what's happening on our social sites ‌ ‌