This was the new slate of Officers and Directors for 2006:
Bob Iacopi, President
Kathy Pavacich, Vice President
Bob Puppo, Vice President
Carleen Corsello, Secretary
Connie Orlando, Treasurer
Lorraine Cappellieri
Bill Durante
Ed Flory
Virginia Gavin
AI Harris
Frank Sunseri
Myron Zaccheo
Our Second Annual Wine Tasting was held on January 15 and attracted a crowd of about 90. We had a wide selection of wines, antipasti and desserts, and karaoke music by Ed Knott. The event was free of charge to all members who had paid their dues by December 31, 2005. Cost to the Club was about $890, with several bottles of wine left over for raffles and use at future events. The 2006 Membership Package was distributed to those in attendance, and later in the month, all other members received their package.
The February 11 Valentine’s Day party was chaired by Virginia Gavin, with lots of help from Monica Facchino, Aloha Anderson, Ed Flory, and Marie Durante. Invitations were included in the 2006 Membership package, but because of a limited response, a second mailing was made in late January. We entertained 83 guests with a great dinner of antipasti, ravioli, chicken, salad and tiramisu from Norma’s Catering, and the Milt Posnick Trio provided music for listening and dancing. As in 2005, the Club provided Polaroid photos to everyone in attendance, with Rayetta Adams serving as official photographer. Cost was $20 for members and $25 for non-members.
Our “Santo Patricko” Day Dinner on March 17 attracted about 85 participants. Chairperson Kathy Pavacich arranged for a full corned beef and cabbage dinner, catered by Norma, and again had the Irish Dancers for entertainment. Ed Knott provided music for an Irish sing-along. Prices were $20 for members and $25 for guests,
May 15 was the date of our second annual Bocce Tournament at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos. Bob Puppo organized competition for 30 players, and all those, plus a couple of extra people, had a fine buffet lunch of pasta, pizza and salad provided by Campo di Bocce. Prices were $28for bocce and lunch and $18.50 for lunch only. The Club broke even on the event, and participants voted by a show of hands to do it again in 2007.
At the June 15 meeting, the Board voted to invest $5,000 of Club monies is a six-month Certificate of Deposit at Downey Savings, at 5.3% interest. The Board also decided to close the Club to new members on September 30. Later in the year, The Villages Accounting Office advised President Iacopi not to file a tax return to cover the interest on our Downey Savings CD. Because we are under The Villages umbrella, the IRS will not pay any attention to the small amount of income, all which goes into the Italian Club treasury for use on member events and charitable contributions.
Our very popular Barbecue and Bocce event was held on June 24 at Gazebo Park. Attendance topped 140 members and guests. Myron Zaccheo ran a very smooth event from start to finish, with help from Bill and Marie Durante and many others at the bocce courts. Bocce winners received individually wrapped biscotti and free raffle tickets. Music was provided by Ed Knott. Members paid $10 and non-members paid $15 for a barbecued steak dinner, plus sausages, bread and salad. The members provided antipasti and desserts. The Club realized a profit of more than $700 because of a very successful raffle.
The cookie sale at The Villages Fourth of July celebration was not as successful as in past years, primarily because we didn’t have enough cookies to sell. Total profit was about $150. At its July 13 meeting, the Board decided to continue the sale for at least one more year, but to develop a stronger participating cast for the 2007 event. Connie Orlando will remain as Chairperson.
In early September, a letter was sent to all Club members, asking for volunteers to serve on the Board of Directors. Connie Barretta and Nick Lickwar sent positive responses, and their names were added to the 2007 candidate list. After the subsequent resignation of 2006 Board members Carleen Corsello, AI Harris and Connie Orlando, Connie and Nick were named as their replacements.
The Ed Pasquale Golf Classic on September 23 attracted 76 golfers and more than 100 dinner guests. Norma’s Catering provided a full dinner, featuring chicken cordon bleu. Despite a delay in serving some dinners because of a scheduling mishap, everyone enjoyed the food and the prizes, which were great as usual. Chairman Myron Zaccheo made sure everyone went home with something. Dinner prices were $20 for non-golfers, and $25 for golfers.
The October 6 Opera Night Dinner at the Villages Clubhouse, chaired by Kathy Pavacich, was a big success. About 150 party-goers enjoyed a fine dinner prepared by the Club house staff; entree choices were chicken parmigiana, Yankee pot roast and grilled Pacific salmon. Trio Amore was the featured entertainment for the third straight year, and Reno Di Bono provided music for dancing. Prices were $30 for members and $35 for non-members.
At its November 8 meeting, the Board decided to cancel this year’s New Year’s Eve Party because we were unable to get suitable musicians.
A General Membership Meeting was held on November 19 at Foothill Center. Nick Lickwar chaired the event, which included a showing of the movie “Mediterraneo.” Rosa Sunseri graciously prepared a great dinner of salad, pasta, meatballs, sausage and garlic bread to about 95 hungry members. President Bob Iacopi gave a brief status report on the Club and announced two important financial changes:
- Dues for 2007 would be automatically billed to house accounts.
- Annual dues were set at $12 per member, regardless of when a new member joined during the year.
This new slate of 2007 Board members was introduced:
Connie Barretta
Lorraine Cappellieri
Bill Durante
Ed Flory
Virginia Gavin
Nick Lickwar
Bob Iacopi
Kathy Pavacich
BobPuppo
Frank Sunseri
Myron Zaccheo
In late November, President Iacopi wrote a letter to the Villages Board of Directors, asking for some help in finding storage space for the accumulated Club dishes, decorations, flag, etc. We received a letter telling us that nothing is available now, but we will be considered if any space becomes available in the future.
At its December 7 meeting, the Board elected the following officers for 2007:
President: Bob Iacopi
Vice Presidents: Kathy Pavacich and Bob Puppo
Secretary: Lorraine Cappellieri
Treasurer: Ed Flory
In other actions, The Board voted:
1. To have the Clubhouse provide food for the January 14, 2007 Wine Tasting Party, with a cost not to exceed $9 per person
2. To leave decisions regarding expenses for each event, including gratuities, to the discretion of the event chairperson.
The Christmas Party on December 10, had 95 attendees, who enjoyed a dinner of antipasti, salads, pork loin, and desserts, provided by Norma’s Catering. Frank Ybarra’s five-person group did a great job, starting with background music at the 5 p.m. starting time and continuing with dance music until 9 p.m. An elegant selection of door prizes was given out via a drawing of free tickets given at the door to all members and guests. Lorraine Cappellieri was the chairperson, and she had lots of help from husband Cappie, Bill and Marie Durante, and Virginia Gavin. The Club realized a profit of about $200 on the event.
At the end of this very busy year, we had about 220 members.
Click on year to go to Italian Club History for that year.