Christoforo Columbo Lodge #1534

The Cristoforo Columbo Lodge #1534 in Reno, Nevada hopes you have a wonderful L’autunno.   Fall is in the air and soon the holidays will be upon us.

June was our scholarship meeting.  We gave $3000 scholarships each to Ella Ricci who graduated from Galena High School with a 4.5 GPA and to Annabella Laird who graduated from Reed High School with a 4.1 GPA.  Both recipients will attend the University of Nevada, Reno. Their pictures are with this article.

Casale’s Halfway Club was the winner of the Italian Business of the Year 2025. This is the first year we set up a committee to honor a local Italian business.  The committee was headed by Jim DiMartini. Casale’s is the oldest restaurant in Reno, established in 1937.  Third generation co-owners, Maria Rogers and Haley Kramer, attended our meeting to accept the award.

We lost a very special member in June, Elizabeth Rassiga.  She passed away suddenly and will be missed by us all.  Her family had a wonderful Celebration of Life for her.  We learned so much about her that we never knew. Rest in peace, Elizabeth.

We have no meeting and no newsletter in July and August. August was our annual picnic.  This year the picnic was held at a new venue, Rancho San Rafael Park.  What a wonderful location and a perfect day.  The weather could not have been better.  There were about 80 people in attendance.

Thank you to Barbara Wisniewski for agreeing to step in as Vice President.  We have been without one for several months and Barbara has agreed to take that position.  Thank you to Hugh Ricci who graciously agreed to step in a Vice President until a new one was found.  We can always count on you.

September we will vote on the increases the Board suggested for all our scholarships and charities.  We did so well at our big fundraiser, we want to be sure to share the wealth!

October 11 is the Great Italian Festival again at the El Dorado in Reno.  It is always a fabulous day with great food and entertainment and lots and lots of people.

We continue our Share the Wealth Board at each of our meetings.  Our dinner count continues to increase most every month. We have two winners each month who usually receive about $87 each.  Margaret Spano continues to coordinate the monthly Amici Lunch Bunch which is very well attended.

Thank you for reading about our Lodge.  Tutto e’ bene cio’ che finisce bene (all’s well that ends well).   

Please visit our Face book page at Reno Sons of Italy and our website for more information: www.renosonsofitaly.org.  Learn more about our Lodge, your Italian heritage and upcoming events.