Dolly Sinatra Lodge #2400

Everyone’s life has taken drastic changes since the middle of March (or sooner perhaps) unfortunately. A strange virus swept the world, and disrupted everything, for everyone, and who isn’t fervently praying for it to go away, and let life resume as it was. We miss amongst everything our right to free passage, even perhaps our weekly Lodge gatherings. And if you didn’t come weekly, at the very least you had that option. But our Lodge is closed, and like everything else it’s not your choice of how things should be. And it’s indeed the unknown that is so disconcerting, but this too shall end and life will eventually return to normal.

And the doors to our Lodge will swing open, most likely on the first Wednesday of October, as it would seem we won’t get open before the end of May, when we regularly close for the summer. And there will be Frank Di Salvo tuning his guitar and setting up the musical equipment, for a night of entertainment. Larry Capeloto will be wandering around rehearsing his corny jokes for the evening! Maybe Michael DiAngelo will sing a few and dance down the aisle. And perhaps Larry DelRose, who’s marooned somewhere off San Diego, across from The Del Coronado Hotel, will swim ashore and bring his bag of surprises and entertain! In other word’s maybe life will return to normal and we can all come to the Lodge, where our President Joe La- Porta will be there to greet us, along with dancing Renee and her brilliant crew of volunteers.

So look for a call from Lori Harvey asking, “are you coming this Wednesday, we’re back open”! Then we can take up where we left of, and Jack Brennan and his guests can kick start the Italian wine economy with their weekly consumption!

We also weren’t able to hold our Annual Dance and Honoree of the Year Award Dinner. We were going to be indoctrinating this year’s Honoree, George Ciampa. He still awaits his day. George, our incredibly deserving Honoree, will be 95, so we damn sure can’t keep allowing this wonderful event to be postponed. Obviously we will reschedule the event ASAP. George, who took his film crew and seven other veterans from WWII back to Normandy for the 75th year anniversary of DDay, June 6th 2019. There he filmed and produced his sixth documentary on the WWII, and has plenty to tell us about. And he may even draw the winner of the big package from Aqua Caliente Casino, for which we all bought tickets!

George kindly sent me a copy of the 95 minute documentary he just completed, and I just finished watching it. The video is very moving and a must see! The seven veterans, and three that came separately, and he speak of their personal experiences, interspersed with film footage from the actual DDay storming of Normandy. As moving as that all was, and it truly is, it was the reception they received from the French citizens that reminds you how grateful they were to be liberated by our forces. They don’t forget for a moment their history, nor should you! It’s all here for you, and is a reminder how fortunate we are to have George and his lovely vivacious wife Dottie as fellow members of the Lodge. I would strongly suggest you buy a copy before our induction of George. It will serve you well to really know what a hero he is! For information on the availability of his DVD, a 95 minute documentary just call George at Let Freedom Ring at 310 408 2345! You can also go to his website WWW.LETFREEDOMRINGFORALL.ORG for more information! George is making the DVD’s available for just $15.00 each, and he’s paying the postage in California! That is quite a bargain from regular pricing!

Here’s hoping and praying we can all come together soon, and I sure look forward to seeing you!!