December 2015 Newsletter

16 Pages·2015·4.15 MB·English

December 2015 PRST STD
U.S. POSTAGE
Issue No. 1215
PAID
PERMIT #64
PORTLAND, ME
04101
40 Westland Avenue
Portland, ME 04102
To:
President Frank Reali’s Message
I would like to wish all of our members and their families a Merry Christmas, Happy
Holidays and a VERY HEALTHY NEW YEAR 2016.
We hope to see all your children and grandchildren at the Breakfast with Santa on
Saturday, December 5.
Another wonderful event will be on December 6 with our own CHORAL GROUP
lead by PETER DONATELLI at 2:00 p.m.
New Year’s Eve is very popular at the Italian Heritage Center with KINGPIN
playing. Get your tickets early as this will be a sellout. Not many places give what
we give for this value.
Thanksgiving has passed and I hope that you got to share your time with family and friends. I love this
time of year with all my kids and grandkids around.
Thanks go out to Carl Paquette and his Committee and other Volunteers for the excellent job on
voting day with pastries and pasta dinners. The proceeds go to the IHC Scholarship Fund.
Our Annual Craft Fair was a HUGE SUCCESS led by KIM TOPPI. It takes a lot of Volunteers to make
this work and we have the TEAMWORK it takes. Thank you to EVERYONE who donated their time.
I would like to welcome our newest members to the Italian Heritage Center. They are: Candace and
Joseph Loring. Please enjoy what the IHC has to offer.
As always, I would like to thank all of our members for their continued support.
Frank Reali, President

December 17, 2015 Board Meeting & General Assembly
Board Meeting - 4:00 pm
General Assembly - 6:30 pm Cost - $12 per person

Dinner will be served at 5:30 pm. Please call 772-2500, ext. 15 for dinner reservations. Reservations
must be made no later than December 14. This is a members only dinner and meeting. You will need
your key card when paying for your meal.
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Officers & Board of Directors

Officers: Directors:
Frank Reali President 772-5831 Barbara Pileggi 797-5473
Vincenza (Vicki) Dunn Vice President 774-5003 Nikki Cox 829-5604
Ron Taliento Treasurer 797-2372 Rocco Toppi 773-3038
Carmela Reali Membership Sec. 772-5831 John Dascanio 671-1109
Adele Harnois Recording Sec. 807-6569 Kim Toppi (Activities Director) 329-0845
Martin Joyce III Past President 838-3581

Committee Chairpersons

Parliamentarian Camillo Breggia 772-3864 Membership Vicki Dunn 774-5003
Administrative John Hughes 650-3336 Scholarship Carl Paquette 956-3588
Technology Vicki Dunn 774-5003 Marketing Melissa Martin 615-2203
Facilities IHC 772-7715 Finance Ron Taliento 797-2372
By-Laws Paul Connolly 799-1131 Cultural Jim DiBiase 767-2292
Activities Kim Toppi 329-0845 Health & Welfare Mary Keaney 767-2440
Charity Kathy Paquette 272-0573 Sergeant of Arms Robert Doyle 776-8834
Contact the President . . . Health & Welfare Committee …

If you know of any IHC members who
All members may contact President Frank Reali by are ill, or recently deceased (including
family members), and would like the
calling 772-5831 or 318-9567.
IHC to send them or their family a get
You can also send your email message to: well card, sympathy card, or mass
card, please contact:
[email protected]

Mary Keaney at 767-2440

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General Manager - Kim McDonough
I want to thank my wonderful staff for a tremendously successful Fall season with a busy year coming
up! November just flew by. We hosted many meetings, corporate parties and "Dancing with the
Dentists". This event comes every two years and is a charity event which raises money for donated
dental services and the Root Cellar. We had a crowd of over 400 guests and the dancers were
amazing; and yes, they were all dentists and their partners. We are now looking forward to the many
upcoming holiday parties that are booked.
With 2016 fast approaching its never too early to book your Wedding or event for next year. Our
calendar is filling up with weddings, reunions, corporate and social events. I am working with many
club members on their upcoming events and I want to thank you for choosing us and referring the IHC
to family, friends and co-workers.
Happy Holidays from myself and the staff.
Kim

Membership News - Cammy Reali
Members for Vote . . . The following will be voted on at the December General Meeting:

Regular Members Italian Name Sponsor
John F. Misiewicz Grassi Francesca Grassi
Marie & Terrance Wogan Spaltro Victoria Sullivan
Associate Members
Shawn Pierce Cammy Reali
Notes from the Membership Secretary
If you have any correspondence regarding membership, please send it to:
[email protected] or feel free to call me at 939-8570. If you are not
receiving your newsletter via email and you would like to, please send me a message to the above
address or give me a call. You will receive our newsletter much faster via email.
Cammy
LA CANTINA
Friday Night Entertainment

December 4 Country Theme with Jeff Rockwell
December 11 Karaoke with Jeff Rockwell
December 18 Debbie Bassett
December 25 Closed
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Activities Committee - Kim Toppi
Calendar of Events Movie Night, Carne and Trivia in
_______________________________________________ La Cantina
December 4 Country Theme Night ____________________________________
December 5 Breakfast with Santa December 5 Italian Movie Night
December 6 Christmas Concert
December 19 Carne
December 18 Debbie Bassett
December 26 NO TRIVIA
December 31 New Year’s Eve with Kingpin
____________________________________
_______________________________________________ January 9 Italian Movie Night
January 8 Joan Kennedy Band January 23 Trivia
January 15 Traditional Christmas Dinner
January 30 Carne
January 22 King Pin in La Cantina
____________________________________
January 22 Members Art Show
February 6 Italian Movie Night
January 28 Member Appreciation Party
February 20 Carne
________________________________________________
February 27 Trivia
February 4 Sam Scola in La Cantina

February 26 Ocean Avenue in La Cantina

February 28 History of Italian Relics
_______________________________________________
March 5 Yard Sale
March 10 2nd Annual Wine Tasting
Saturday, December 19
Registration starts at 6 pm No Trivia for December
Games start promptly at 7 pm

Entry fee is $10 per card/person. All
See you in the New Year for lots of fun and
members and guests are welcome.
challenging Trivia!!

Join us for a little pre-holiday relaxation in La Cantina. Our next happy hour is on Thursday, December 3 from
4-7 pm. So come on down and take advantage of drink specials and light snacks.
SAVE THE DATE: next Happy Hour is February 4 (please note that there is no happy hour for January)
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Breakfast with Santa
Saturday, December 5
9:00 am

Pancake Breakfast, Magic Show, Visit from Santa
Please call Kim Toppi at 329-0845 with how many children you will be bringing.
Remember to bring a wrapped gift for each child with their name on the outside so
Santa has a gift for each child.
Kids eat FREE; Adults $5.
Country Theme Night in La Cantina Debbie Bassett in La Cantina
Friday, December 4 Friday, December 18
7:00 pm 7:30 pm
Please join us for Country Theme night with Debbie is the lead singer for Two Bass Jon. She will
DJ Jeff Rockwell. be singing fan favorites and holiday classics. You will
surely not want to miss this.
Due to 4 functions being held that day, we will
not be able to serve food at this event. Pub Fare will be served from 6-8 pm

To Our Members:
I would like to remind folks that it is important to purchase tickets to an event as early as possible.
Unfortunately, waiting until only a few days before an event is to take place makes it difficult for
scheduling staff, buying food, and general planning. Once an event is advertised in the newsletter,
tickets are available for purchase.
We hope you will take this into consideration for the next event you plan to attend.
Thank you.
Kim Toppi
Activity Director
Snacks for sale in La Cantina
Effective immediately, I will be in charge of managing the sale of snacks that are located in La Cantina.
If you have any suggestions, please contact me at: [email protected].
Thanks, Barb
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Scholarship Committee - Carl Paquette
The members and friends of the IHC Scholarship Committee really measured up in the month of November. The two major
scholarship fundraisers netted enough money to completely fund the 2016 IHC Scholarship.

The garden quilt raffle raised $675 toward the fund. The quilt was created by IHC Scholarship Committee member Carol
Ferrante. Thanks are not enough to express our appreciation for her time and talents. Members of the IHC Scholarship
Committee sold raffle tickets at various events prior to the final push at the Fiera Di Natale. Thanks go out to all who sold and
bought tickets and also to Victor and Renee Serio and Tom Noonan for manning the raffle booth at the Fair.

The second fundraiser was the election day pastry and bake sale. The IHC Scholarship fund netted over $1,300 on this
event. An event of this type requires the assistance of many people-from bakers and sellers, to cooks and runners. All of
these people volunteered their time and skills to make this event even more successful than previous years. Thanks go to our
bakers: Marie Pardi, Maureen Sidelinger, Carol Ferrante, Kathy Paquette, Theresa Colucci, Cammy Reali, Kim Toppi,
Ellie Small, Anna Stanklewitz, Susan Smythe, Deb McNally, Vicki Sanwick and Benita Anderson; to our election day
sellers and runners: Martha Milton, Carol Noonan, Tess Hakkila, Barb Pileggi, Vicki Dunn, Carol Ferrante, Kathy
Paquette and Marie Pardi: to our cannoli makers: Carol and Joe Ferrante, Julie Ann Johnson and Carl Paquette and
to our Head Chef President Reali. We would also like to thank Ann, the IHC Chef extraordinaire, for her help in the kitchen
and Kim McDonough for her behind-the-scenes assistance which helped make the event a flawless success.

The IHC Scholarship Committee is going on a well deserved hiatus but we will be back in early March with scholarship
information. Spread the word! A $1,500 IHC Scholarship will be awarded to a deserving member or dependent.

Thanks to everyone for your support.
Carl Paquette, Chairperson
Marketing Committee - Melissa Martin
A report from the Marketing Committee:
We dropped an EDDM (Every Door Direct Mailer), which is a high quality, over-sized postcard to generate new business. It is
a general postal mailer that conveys that we host an array of events from bereavement to weddings, to corporate meetings,
etc. The mail dropped the second week of November. We chose several zip codes including Cape Elizabeth, South Portland,
Portland, and Falmouth and targeted a combination of businesses and residences. Approximately 1,700 mailers have been
sent.
We hope to track the effectiveness by asking: (1) Where did they hear about IHC?; and (2) If they say a mailer, what is their
zip code? We hope by tracking the mailers we can establish areas of success and prove that our investment was fruitful.
Going into the new year we plan on targeting trade shows, conventions and political events. We are looking forward to 2016
and welcome anyone interested in joining our group.
Melissa Martin-Marketing Committee Chair
La Cantina Operating Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Lounge opens 4 pm; last call 9:30 pm; lounge closes 10 pm
Happy Hour Thursday - last call 10:30 pm; lounge closes 11 pm (Happy Hour night only)
Friday Nights
Lounge opens at 4 pm; last call 11:30 pm; lounge closes 12 am
Saturday Nights
Lounge opens 5 pm; last call 9:30 pm; lounge closes 10 pm
Trivia/Carne Shoot - last call 10:30 pm; lounge closes 11 pm

Lounge is closed Sundays and Mondays (no liquor service)
Please note: The Cantina is open to members Monday through Friday at 8 am. On Mondays, the Cantina closes at
noon. Tuesday through Friday the Cantina is open all day until posted closing times above.
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Halloween Dance-October 30 Halloween Sing-a-Long October 31 Ocean Ave- November 13
John & Brad - November 14
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Baking for the Craft Fair –November 1
Craft Fair –November 7
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Cultural Committee – Jim DiBiase

DECEMBER ITALIAN MOVIE NIGHT
Saturday, December 5th, 7:00 pm in La Cantina
“SENSO”
A classic film. This lush Technicolor tragic romance from Count Luchino Visconti stars Alida Valli as a 19th century
Italian countess who, during the Austrian occupation of her country, puts her marriage and political principles on the line by
engaging in a torrid love affair with a dashing Austrian lieutenant, played by American actor Farley Granger. Gilded by
ornate costumes and sets and a rich classical soundtrack, and featuring flawless performances, this operatic melodrama is
an extraordinary evocation of reckless emotions and deranged lust, from one of cinemas great sensualists.

As an added feature Italian History Professor Fiorello Ventresco from USM will briefly explain the historical
significance of what was going on in pre-unification Italy at the time, as portrayed in the film.

Donations accepted to defray cost of DVDs.
Join us for snacks and a CLASSIC Italian film.
_______________________________________________________________________________

JANUARY ITALIAN MOVIE NIGHT
Saturday, January 9th, 7:00 pm in the Cantina
“Detective Montalbano”

Italian Movie Night and Montalbano are back, and we’ve got them! Based on the International Best-Selling Mysteries by
Andrea Camilleri, Luca Zingaretti stars as Detective Montalbano in Episode 5, “The Artist’s Touch”. It appears the
goldsmith rigged his wheelchair into a suicidal electric chair. Questions arise when it’s revealed that his will, which leaves
everything to his brother, is a rigged document. Two brothers’ love for the same woman and revenge is just the beginning
of this puzzle for Commissario Montalbano.

Movie is in Italian with English subtitles. Very brief, tasteful nudity and a little salty Italian language.
Donations are accepted to defray the cost of the DVD.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

REVISITING CHRISTMAS DAY
ITALIAN-AMERICAN DINNER

Friday, January 15, 2016, Doors Open at 6:00 pm, $30 per person
This year the Cultural Committee decided to prepare a Christmas DAY Dinner instead of the traditional Christmas EVE
Dinner for those who may have allergies or aversions to fish.
It’s a celebration of Christmas Day in an Italian-American household without the stress of gift-giving. While holiday meals
are an integral part of our social culture, Christmas Day is a special time for families to gather together after opening gifts
and partake of traditional Italian food.
Traditional Christmas Day Menu
Menu Tradizionale Del Giorno di Natale

Antipasto: Peperoni arrostiti, melanzane e funghi marinati, olive imbottite fritte, assortimento di vari formaggi e salumi. Il
tutto fatto in casa! (Antipasto, family style: homemade roasted peppers, marinated eggplant & mushrooms, fried stuffed
olives, insalata and an assortment of Italian cheeses and cold cuts)
Primi Piatti: Pasta fresca fatta in casa, IHC Lasagna Classica, Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese (Homemade Lasagna and
Tagliatelle Bolognese)
Secondo: Cotolette di pollo servite con fette di limone con contorni di rape saltate in padella con aglio e olio d oliva, ca-
volfiore fritto. (Chicken Cutlets with a wedge of lemon, Broccoli Rape, Fried Cauliflower)
Bevande: Una bottiglia di vino rosso e una di bianco su ogni tavolo; Cestino di pane fresco! Bar in contanti. (Two
bottles of wine (one red, one white) and Italian Bread at each table! Cash bar)
Dolci: Torta di ricotta, biscotti tipici tradizionali, caffe' (Ricotta pie, Italian cookies, coffee)
Please call Marianne Reali @ 415-6341 or Jim Dibiase @ 767-2292 for reservations.
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