Veterans of Lansingburgh, Inc.

777 - 1st Avenue

Troy, New York 12182

PHONE: (518) 233-8656

WEBSITE: www.thelansingburghvets.com

APR - JUN 2017 Edition

2017 ELECTION OF OFFICERS:

Nominations for Officers and Board of Directors were held at the

March Meetings. Son and Auxiliary Officers ran unopposed. All

Executive Officer positions ran unopposed. There are 4 Board of

Director positions up for elections (Tom Dougherty, Bill Nedoroscik,

Tom Rooney, and VanWie (vacant). Elections for Board of Director

positions will be held on May 8th from noon to 7 pm. Results of the

Elections will be announced during the meetings. You must be an up to

date paid member to vote during the election. Elected Officers and

Board Members will be sworn in at the May meetings.

THANK YOU!

Many thanks to the Sunday DART LEAGUE who donated $762 to the roof

fund, and the Veterans of Lansingburgh would like to thank the FRIENDS OF

112TH STREET for their $500 donation to the roof fund!

VETERAN OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: PAUL HIGGITT, JR. TREASURER: TOM DOIN VICE PRESIDENT: BILL ATCHINSON FINANCIAL SECRETARY: RICH LAYTON SECRETARY: LISA SAUNDERS ASST. FINANCIAL SECRETARY: VACANT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: PAT ABRAMS LISA HIGGITT TOM ROONEY NED DOUGHERTY MIKE KANE TOM YAISER TOM DOUGHERTY BILL NEDOROSCIK VACANT

SONS OF VETERANS OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: MARK SITTS SECRETARY: MARK BAIRD VICE PRESIDENT: MIKE GUENETTE TREASURER: STEVE MAIER

LADIES AUXILIARY OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: PATRICIA SMITH SECRETARY: DONNA BETKE VICE PRESIDENT: ANTOINETTTE GUENETTE TREASURER: SUE BROWN

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Spring is here and the Club has begun to come back to life after an extremely cold and long winter. Most of

us are finally done digging out from Mother Nature’s cruel trick during the middle of March. It is time to

start cleaning up and getting ready for a busy spring and summer.

Our 21ST ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY PARADE will be here before we know it. The Parade Committee has

already been hard at work for a few months preparing for the Memorial Day weekend activities. This is our

largest club event of the year. We do the parade for the local community, to help them remember the

ultimate sacrifice that many of our comrades have made so that we can continue to live in the most

democratic and free nation in the world. This year, the GRAND MARSHAL for the 2017 MEMORIAL DAY

PARADE is TOM BURTNICK and HONORARY GRAND MARSHAL is BOB PATRICK SR. Both are lifetime

members of the VETERANS OF LANSINGBURGH, former Board of Directors and have devoted decades of their

time to both the Lansingburgh Veterans and the local communities.

We do this parade so our fallen comrade’s memories are not forgotten. I’m requesting that all members

wear your colors and help honor those who have served. If you can’t march, I encourage you to ride on one

of our floats. We have three floats for the Veteran, Sons and Auxiliary members. Help show the community

what the VETERANS OF LANSINGBURGH are made of. In addition to the parade, we can always use help in

preparing for the Memorial Day Weekend activities. We need help with the various parade committees,

fundraising, flag placement on graves, etc. If you are interested, please contact me. We also do our semi-

annual GI Party on May 13th to give both the inside and outside of OUR Club a good cleaning prior to the

upcoming festivities. If you can assist for a few hours, we would really appreciate it.

Lastly, keep the men and women who are deployed throughout the world fighting the Global War on

Terrorism in your thoughts and prayers. They are doing their part to keep us safe and out of harm’s way.

When you see a service member or Veteran, thank them for their service, it doesn’t cost anything and lets

that individual know that someone cares and appreciates what they are doing, or what they have done to

preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Submitted,

PJ Higgitt, President

LADIES AUXILIARY NEWS:

Hello Ladies! We are off to a good start this quarter. We are trying to pull in more members, and also have all of our members join us at the Club for activities that we are bringing back. Last month we had a “Paint-n-Sip” fundraiser. It was a great success and we raised money for the Auxiliary, the Boy Scouts, and everyone had a wonderful time! We are going to start having “TRIVIA NIGHT” once a month starting April 1st. We will also sponsor a DJ on the 1st Friday of each month. The Sons will sponsor a DJ on the 3rd Saturday of each month. The only thing missing is attendance. Please open your calendar for our events and “SAVE THE DATES”. Plan on joining us and bring your friends. Let’s make OUR CLUB fun again! We need to know we have members that will back us in what we are trying to do.

There are 16 people who have not returned their questionnaires to me, and I need you to know how important it is for me to receive them. I will use the information from these forms for a multitude of things. Please fill them out and return them immediately to me or address them to “Pat Smith” and leave them with a bartender.

We have a good membership list this year, and hopefully we will get a lot of things accomplished. Memorial Day will be upon us before you know it and there is plenty to do. Each and every one of us can contribute in some way. Think of what you can do to help and contact your Team Captain to tell them you are willing to help. Don’t wait for us to call you.

Please try to attend our monthly meetings, held at 6 pm on the 2nd Monday of the month, so we receive your input. Our meetings are less than 1 hour, and we only meet 10 times a year! Contact me with any questions and if I don’t have the answer, I will get the answer.

Patricia Smith, AUXILIARY PRESIDENT Phone: 491-6901 /sebringp98@yahoo.com

SONS OF VETERANS NEWS:

Well it looks like we swerved around another harsh winter; I hope everyone had a good one! The

SONS have a lot on their plate this year - a new roof for the Pavilion, the annual Club Steak Roast,

Clam Steam, and Lobster Bake, and entertainment once a month for everyone’s enjoyment.

The SONS OF VETERAN members meet at 6 pm the 1st Wednesday of each month at the Club. It’s

important that you attend these meetings. Election of Officers will be at our April meeting. I want to

urge everyone to come to the meetings and participate. We are still looking for a Chaplain. If you are

interested please see one of the SONS Officers.

I ask everyone to take a moment and reflect on a great loss to the community as well as the Club, as

MIKE GULLY, a fellow SON passed.

As always, I look forward to seeing everyone at the Club and hope to see you participate in our

endeavors.

Mark Sitts, SONS PRESIDENT

Phone: 253-9306

VETERANS OF LANSINGBURGH MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

GRAND MARSHAL, HONORARY GRAND MARSHAL,

VETERAN, ASSOCIATE, and AUXILIARY OF THE YEAR WINNERS

GRAND

MARSHAL

HONORARY

GRAND

MARSHAL

VETERAN

OF THE YEAR

ASSOCIATE

OF THE

YEAR

AUXILIARY OF

THE YEAR

1997 Peter D’Allesandro

Paul Higgitt Jr.

1998 Zannie Smith Michael Van Patten Donald Skaarup

1999 Steven Olmstead

Marty Mahar

2000 Terry McNamara George Garrett

Edward Patrick Jr. Donald Skaarup

2001 Clarence Dart Thomas Sharpe Thomas Sharpe

2002 Paul Gregware Robert VanPelt

Joseph Manupella Joseph Manupella

2003 Bruce Jensen Donald Skaarup Lisa Higgitt

2004 Christopher Douglas Robert Webb Earl LaBounty William Bowles Kathleen Fiffe

2005 Roy McDonald Thomas Doin Humbert Grande William Heffern Alice Patrick

2006 Joseph Taluto Austin Wilcox

Bob Patrick Jack Hallett Dorothy

Higgitt-Horton Patricia Walker

2007 Marissa Strock John Mennillo William Gordon Harry Gully Mary Gavitt

2008 Michael McNulty Myers Smith

Thomas Rooney Todd Konifka Elaine O’Grady John Boyko

2009 Robert Reiter Edward Malone

George Patrick Sr. Mark Sitts Stephanie Kosko Crawford Lattimore

2010 Cornelius Gray Edgar Davey

Robert Gallagher Robert Jubic

Alice Collum John Taylor Robert McAllister

2011 Charlie Johnson Robert Gallagher Hank Miller Jason Peyser Lois Kewley

2012 Frank Wicks Patrick Abrams Kenny Sunkes Steve Williams Patricia Smith

2013 Peter Guenette

(posthumously) Thomas Yaiser Thomas Doin Jack Cooper

Mary Ellen

McCarthy

2014 Timothy Forbes Thomas Dougherty Edward Jackson Edward Goodwill Lori Winne

2015 Daniel Travers Chris Cincio Richard Layton Virginia Kellogg

2016 The O’Grady Brothers Gord Romard Bill Nedoroscik Mark Baird Stella Mirocki

2017 Tom Burtnick Bob Patrick - TO BE ANNOUNCED AFTER THE PARADE -

PARADE COMMITTEE: We need your help to prepare for this year’s 21st ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY PARADE. Please see the sign-up

sheets on the cooler door. YOUR help is needed to make this event a success. Make a commitment to help YOUR Club! Most important is getting a good turnout to walk or ride in our parade. Plan to attend! If you need to order shirts, see EARL MORRISSEY as soon as possible to ensure he can order before the parade.

PARADE CHAIR, PJ HIGGITT

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE: Applications are due by April 6, 2017 (No Exceptions!) The interview portion of the application process will be held at THE VETERANS OF LANSINGBURGH, INC. on April 23rd (Noon - 1:30 pm). Individual interviews will be approximately 20 minutes per student. No time schedule will be set up. We will interview on a first come, first served basis. The winner of the $1,000 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD will be notified by telephone on April 23rd. The monetary award will be presented to the winner immediately after the MEMORIAL DAY PARADE during the award ceremony at the Vets Club. Donation checks should be made out to the VETERANS OF LANSINGBURGH and sent to: The Veterans of Lansingburgh, ATTN: Scholarship Committee, 777 1st Ave., Troy, NY 12182.

Lisa Higgitt & Ned Dougherty Scholarship Committee

WANTED: BARTENDERS! / OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS VETS/SONS/AUXILIARY) Interested? Pick up an application. See Rich Layton with any questions!

JACK HUNT BUFFET - April 15th (12-4 pm)

HAPPY EASTER! - April 16th - CLUB IS CLOSED Enjoy this day with your family and friends!

$100 Club Drawing to benefit the Parade!

May 6th (12-4 pm). See a bartender if you want to sign up for a

ticket. *WE ARE ALSO

DOING A RAFFLE AND

NEED DONATED ITEMS!

In an effort to clean the inside/outside of the Club prior to the parade our

Semi-Annual CLUB G.I. PARTY!

Is MAY 13th from 8 am- Noon.

ALL MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE.

Club will be closed to those not cleaning during this time.

MOTHER’S DAY & FATHER’S DAY!

Join us for Brunch on: MOTHER’S DAY (May 14th) and

FATHER’S DAY (June 18th)! We’ll be serving food from 8:30-11:30. We’d love to see you. Please also consider helping in the kitchen to prep/cook/serve/clean. Thanks!

GRAVESIDE CEREMONY /SATURDAY, 27 MAY (9 A.M.) We depart our club at 9 a.m. (rain or shine) for the Oakwood Cemetery where we lay a wreath at the monument near the flagpole at the crematorium. The staff of Oakwood Cemetery holds a brief service. Thereafter the procession will move to the Veterans plot in Oakwood Cemetery and flags will be placed on the graves of the deceased veterans by our club members and volunteers from the Boy Scouts. After Oakwood Cemetery, we proceed to other monuments within Lansingburgh to place wreathes. The ceremony concludes with a wreath laying ceremony on the Hudson River at the Vets Club, whereby flowers are tossed into the Hudson River in honor of each of the Armed Services.

COMEDY FOR A CAUSE! SATURDAY, MAY 27TH

THE CLUB is in need of a new roof. Join us as we laugh while fundraising! Doors open at 6 pm / First Act on stage at 7 pm / RAFFLES between acts

LIMITED TICKETS: $20 per person OR $120 to reserve a table for 8 people Tickets are non-refundable and will not be sold at the door. Open to the public!

See/Call LISA (235-0476) for tickets before they sell out! *CAN YOU DONATE A RAFFLE ITEM? CONTACT LISA TO HELP!

Sponsored by: The BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PARADE ROUTE - MONDAY, 29 MAY (11 A.M.) The parade starts at 11:00 a.m., rain or shine. The parade route is from 123rd St. and 5th Ave., South to 115th St. and 5th Ave. Turn down 115th St. to 2nd Ave. North on 2nd Ave. to 121st St. and 2nd Ave. The Reviewing Stand will be located on the East Side of 2nd Ave. in front of Standard Manufacturing Co.

WALL OF HONOR: We will again be offering Memory Cards to honor Veterans. They will be posted at

the Club during our Memorial Day weekend. The cost is $10 and can be purchased from the Bartenders.

BBQ GRILL RAFFLE - TO BENEFIT THE ROOF REPAIR Hybrid & Charcoal BBQ - 4 burner gas grill & charcoal grill with gas side burner

See a bartender to take a chance ($5 ea / $20 = 5 chances) Drawing on Flag Day - June 14th 6 pm

STEAK ROAST - Saturday, June 17th SPONSORED BY: The SONS of the Veterans!

Limited Tickets on sale - Starts at noon (steak dinners served at 5:30 p.m.) Tickets include entertainment, hamburgers, hotdogs, watermelon, draft beer, soda, steak, potato,

corn and more! Must be 21 to attend/ No coolers!

KITCHEN REPORT Thanks to all who have helped out during the last few months.

I am ALWAYS looking for help in the kitchen. No need to wait for a phone call! Contact me if

you want to book a party, help in the kitchen, or have any questions. Thanks!

KITCHEN PHONE: 238-0105 PAUL HAYES, Head Chef

APR 02 –BRUNCH APR 07 –Steak APR 14– Pork Chops APR 15 – JACK HUNT BUFFET APR 21 – Baked Ham APR 28 –Meat Loaf MAY 05 – Fish MAY 12 –Lasagna MAY 14 – MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH

MAY 19 – Veal and Peppers MAY 26 –Chicken Parm JUN 02 – Steak JUN 09 – Fish JUN 16 –Pork Chops JUN 17 – CLUB STEAK ROAST (limited tickets) JUN 18 – FATHER’S DAY BRUNCH JUN 23 – Baked Ham JUN 30 – Meat Loaf

MOST FRIDAY NIGHTS: Chicken wings, chicken tenders, subs, wraps, soup, burgers, fries

From the Editor: Hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. If you aren’t reading this newsletter online, please go to our website - www.thelansingburghvets.com) to stay up-to-date with all club activities, events and veteran links. Interested in taking

over the newsletter? See me! Thanks! Lisa Higgitt