Brother Knights, another month has come and gone. We have had good news and bad news. The bad news is that two brother knights have died. They are George Antinozzi and Gilbert Spaeth. It was also reported that our Chaplin, Father George Kolath collapsed Sunday the 16th of February after mass. The good news is that we have two new 2nd and 3rd degree members. Their names are Joseph Ingerbredtsen and Bob Cuddigan. They took their 2nd and 3rd degree on February 9th in Anoka.
Some of the events of the past month have been the concertina party held on January 25th and the Second Sunday Brunch on February 9th. I want to thank all of the knights and their ladies that helped with both events.
The loss of any member is felt on many levels. The loss of our members this year has hit home rather hard. Their loss has had a direct effect on the council. We are at a negative numbers for the year in membership even with the new member. If you know of someone who might want to be a knight ask him and tell him about the lady's auxiliary so his wife can join us. They won't join if they are not asked. We certainly need them to maintain the health of the council.
In a past article I wrote about volunteerism and how to be mindful of the ideas you may have on how to run an event. Well, I need to talk to you about another side of Volunteerism, and that side is getting volunteers. We have roughly 300 members, and from month to month we see a core group running the meetings and attending events. That core group is dwindling due to many and varied reasons that don't need to be gone into. My point is that we need to see new faces at both our meetings and events. I would appeal to you as a Catholic Gentlemen and a Brother Knight to evaluate your time and see if you can allocate some to your brothers. I can only speak for myself, but I have transitioned from just a member and for a long time just a dues paying member to a fully active member and the transition has been that easy.
Our next major event is the first fish fry to be held on February 28th. We can always use help on this event. It was brought to my attention at the last general meeting that we are very short on help for all of the fries. I will be putting out a signup sheet for all of the upcoming fish fries to make sure we have enough help. I hope to see some new faces there helping to make this successful event.
Lastly, it is time to really start thinking about officer elections again. Please, if you have not held a position in the past but thought about it, come to a meeting and see what we do. If you have a position you are interested in, but would like a description of it, we can get it for you. I assure you that the time commitments are minimal, but the comradery and friendship from this group are immense.
Please keep in your prayers the families of deceased knights George Antinozzi and Gilbert Spaeth. Please pray for Father George Kolath as he continues to recover and Tom Fluegel and family; his mother-in-law had surgery. Also keep in your prayers the men and women of the armed services who are being asked to defend our way of life. They uphold the fourth element of our order Patriotism to the nth degree.
"Coming together is a beginning;
Keeping together is progress;
Working together is success."
Henry Ford
A parishioner who was in the US Air Force was scolding a priest for his habit of starting mass five or ten minutes late. He mentioned that in his years with the Air Force when the general scheduled them to take off at 0700 hours, he didn't mean 0705 or 0710. The priest smiled and said "My general outranks your general."
The membership meetings will now be held in the hospitality center starting at 7:30. Lunch will follow the meetings. Keep in mind the April meeting will be a steak fry.
A note to inform you that we have a new e-mail address to send articles to. Our address is now gta1958@msn.com.
Thanks.
Carol & Gerald Arel
On January 25th, the ladies ran the coat check at the Concertina Bowl. This was my first year there, and I had a great time, even though we ran out of room to hang coats. Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time to help! The money that was raised is being donated to Our Lady of Good Council.
On February 8th, we went down to the Ronald McDonald house to serve dinner. Many heartfelt thanks to Mary Hosford on arranging this outing. We served meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, salads and dessert. Everyone there was truly appreciative of our being there. I have never enjoyed volunteering more than I did that night. The people there are wonderful! We also gave them a large box of teddy bears donated by Dick Smith and the Nicollet Assembly.
On February 19th, we met at my house for the Birthright Shower. The potluck was scrumptious as ever. We played a game and looked at all the wonderful baby items that are being donated. Thanks to everyone who came!
It is now time for the Lenten Fish Fries and Bake Sales. I have the cupcake shop ready to run production. Please try to come out and help our Knights with this event. This is the ladies only fundraiser for the year. Thank you to Margo and Roberta for running our bake sale table again this year.
Our next meeting is Wednesday March 19th. This is the meeting for nomination of officers. If you are interested in an officer position, please attend this meeting. We will vote for the 2003-2004 officers in April.
Spring is almost here which means the State Convention. It's on April 26th in Bloomington. If you would like to attend the convention contact me by March 31st. Remember that we are hosting the convention next April. Now is the time to start working on a theme and getting a chair for this event. If you are interested, please contact me.
Please remember those who are sick in your prayers. We will see you in March!
Sandy Resler
sresler@msn.com
President
The 25th annual concertina bowl went really well. We had a record 781 paying customers. Many thanks to the some 38 Knights and ladies who volunteered their time to make the day a success. The KC ladies auxiliary coat check and the St. Tim's men club pull tab booth also did a good job. Thanks also to Art Ohotto, the overall chairman who worked many hours behind the scenes. All profits from the event go towards charities.
Dick Dols
We wish to thank the fine folks who donated prizes given away January 25th at the concertina bowl.
Barnacle Bill's Joe DiMaggio's LeRoy Kulla Tequilaberry's Bob's Produce Ranch TGI Friday's Pizza Flame - Fridley Olive Garden Knights of Columbus 5141 Denny's Perkins Restaurant Blainebrook Gasthof Zur Gemmutlichkeit Bachman's Sandee's Restaurant Nicklow's Mayslack's Polka Lounge Applebee's Jacobson's Family
Restaurant Menard's - Coon Rapids Bayrischerhof German Restaurant -
Montrose Tasty Pizza Grill - Blaine Riverdale Art Gallery - Elk
River
This summer the KC International camporee will be held in Surgeon Bay, Wisc., in the heart of Door Country. Many activities are being planned. Motel rooms, RV's and Campers and tenters are welcome. A few from our council are going. RSVP's are due March 31st. Any interested families please call Duane Arett.
A casino trip is being planned for April 27th. The bus will leave St. Tim's at 12:15 and return at 8:30. The trip is being planned to Hinckley and will cost $5.00. When we arrive at the casino we will get the $5.00 back. So save your coins and call Lorin Yenor to sign yourself up. Look for more details in next month's guidepost.