The Lake Current - May 4, 2018
According to the calendar it's only early May, but apparently spring has been skipped and we've gone right from winter into summer. Next week we'll probably see a snow storm followed by locusts, frogs, and other assorted Plagues of Egypt. So to take your mind off the wacky weather, enjoy our latest newsletter. And Happy Star Wars Day to you ("May the Fourth Be With You!").

Here are a few quick items before we get into the news:

  • Setup and decoration for our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta will be tomorrow at 1 p.m. (Saturday, 5/5) in the council hall. Our Ladies Auxiliary will be on hand to lend their talents and we can use some more volunteers to set up tables and chairs and get things in shape for what promises to be a great event. (More info below!) Our kitchen crew should report as early as possible on Saturday. El Jefe will be up there by 9 a.m. starting the prep and cooking, and there's lots to be done.

  • Our regular monthly business meeting is Wednesday, May 9th starting at 7:30 p.m. As always we'll have some good food for everybody starting around 6:30 p.m. Among other things, we will be discussing elections of council officers and the Corporation Board, and presenting reports from the nominating committees. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend!
St. James Parish Presented With $5,000 Donation

It was our honor to present St. James the Apostle and Our Lady of the Lake Mt. Carmel Parish with a five thousand dollar donation at our general business meeting on April 11th. These funds were raised by our council through our annual "J.O. Memorial Men's Beefsteak Dinner" held back in January.

On hand to accept the donation was the Reverend Szymon Kurpios, Parochial Vicar at St. James Parish. Father Szymon is not only a great friend and supporter of our council, but he's also a fellow Brother Knight and member of our council.

We received a very nice thank you letter for the donation from our Pastor, Monsignor Anthony Marchiatelli (also a Brother Knight), as well as a thank-you in last Sunday's church bulletin and some kind words from our priests after Mass last weekend.

We, in turn, thank all those who work so hard to raise funds for our parish and the other worthy charities and causes we support, as well as those who turn out in support of them. Our council is living the motto of the Knights of Columbus: "In service to One; In service to all."
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta - Saturday, May 5th

¡AY, DIOS MÍO! Our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is THIS SATURDAY! We'll be serving a fantastic hot buffet featuring home-cooked traditional dishes including queso fundido con chorizo, empanadas del Schanil, carne asada, Camerones Supremo (a shrimp delicacy), a taco bar (with beef, chicken and smoked pulled pork, plus all the fixings), guacamole, and more for only twenty American dollars. ( No pesos, por favor. )

We'll also be serving homemade sangria, margaritas, and Mexican beer specials at our cash bar.

All members and their guests are welcome to join us for a good time, good food, good drink, and of course to celebrate a victory over the French ! Our lounge will open at 4 p.m. and the buffet starts at 6. We'll also be showing the Kentucky Derby on our big-screen TVs.

¡Vámonos, amigos!
Pocketbook Bingo for Make-A-Wish on May 20th


Our Ladies Auxiliary is hosting another very special Pocketbook Bingo event to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley on Sunday, May 20th, at the St. James the Apostle School gym .

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the fondest wish of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Last year, the Ladies Auxiliary raised $5,555 for this great charity, helping to fulfill the wishes of children in our area with life-threatening medical conditions. This year the Ladies are hoping to raise even more to fully fund the wish of at least one local child.

Sponsorships are being sold and donations for basket raffles are being accepted. Admission is only $50 if you prepay by May 13th!

Please support this great event by playing bingo. taking a sponsorship, or donating goods or services for the raffles to be held at the reception after bingo.

Please download the sponsor form here . Full details on the event may be found in the flyer below.
Fourth Degree News

The Fourth Degree Exemplification for our area will be held on Saturday, May 19th , at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern. Our council is part of Mother Cabrini Assembly, which is sending nine candidates to make their Fourth Degree. Four of those men are members of our council.

The assembly will once again have a hospitality suite for members and candidates to relax and enjoy refreshments both before and after the ceremonies. All Fourth Degree members are encouraged to come and support our candidates.

MEETING NOTICE
The next meeting of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, May 17th at 7:30 p.m. at our Council. Please bring payment for any "Night Out on The Sir Knights" Year of Dinners raffle tickets you have sold. More tickets will be available for pickup at the meeting and we will be drawing winners for the first two months.
Golf With Us on Friday, June 8th!

Join us for our annual George Dean Memorial Golf Outing on Friday, June 8th! In addition to a great round of golf at Putnam County Golf Course, you'll get a delicious lunch, beverage cart, golfer SWAG, prizes, and our own fantastic filet mignon dinner, all for only $150.

Sponsorships are available: Hole Sponsor ($150, or $100 with a foursome), Lunch Sponsor ($500); Dinner Sponsor ($750) and Platinum Sponsor ($1000).

Registration 8 a.m.; shotgun start 9 a.m. Cocktails and dinner for golfers at our council immediately following the outing.

Prizes will be awarded for best foursome, longest drive, and closest to the pin.

This is our annual major fundraiser that enables our council to do the many charitable, community, and parish activities that we do on a regular basis. Please support this event by golfing, taking a sponsorship, donating prizes, or helping us get others to do the same.

For reservations, sponsorships, or more information, please contact event chairman Anthony Falco .
Founder's Day BBQ & Trongone Award - Friday, May 25th


We are proud to announce that we will be honoring PGK Bobby Palazzo at our Founder's Day barbecue on Friday, May 25th . He is this year's winner of our Trongone Award, which is named in honor of founding Grand Knight Angelo R. Trongone and presented annually to a member who has provided our council with many years of dedicated service.

A Brother Knight for 30 years, Bobby served as our council's worthy Grand Knight from 1992 to 1994. He also led our Fourth Degree Sir Knights in Mother Cabrini Assembly as Faithful Navigator and Color Corps Commander. He continues to be an active member of our council, running the casino each year in the Feast of St. James, and organizing highly successful council outings and fundraisers such as the Mohegan Sun casino trips, comedy nights, and excursions to Citi Field to see the Mets play.
 
Our summer kickoff family BBQ will feature burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, sausage and peppers, sliced steak, corn on the cob, baked beans, salads, desserts, and more! This year we're also planning on doing a pig roast! All that for only $20 for adults, $10 for kids, and kids 6 and under eat free.
 
We'll need a headcount for food purchase and planning, so please let GK Rob, DGK Steve, or PGK Mike McDonald know if you're coming NO LATER THAN May 18th! We will have sign-up sheets for volunteers and for guests at our monthly business meeting on Wednesday, May 9th.







  • REMINDER: Our council's "Appreciation Dinner" for our Ladies Auxiliary is Thursday, May 24th. This is the opportunity for the men of our council to show our appreciation for all that the Ladies do for our council and our community by preparing and serving them a special dinner after their monthly meeting. Volunteers are still needed to prepare and serve, so let GK Rob know if you want to help out.

  • We are hosting First and Second Degree Exemplifications on Thursday, May 31st. Candidates should report by 6:30 p.m. properly attired. The First Degree will begin promptly at 7 p.m. followed immediately thereafter by the Second Degree. We have also confirmed that we're hosting a Third Degree Exemplification on Sunday, June 10th, at 3:30 p.m. Any men wishing to participate in any of these ceremonies should contact Chancellor Ralph Fleischman or GK Rob for more information and to ensure a place in the degrees.
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.