Weed Lodge #1269

Happy New Year! We have entered 2023 with a positive attitude and extreme hope for what the year is to bring.

To recap highlights of late 2022, we hosted our first sit-down dinner in several years with our Polenta Dinner in October. What a joy to see our community gathered and appreciating conversation and good food!

Unfortunately, Weed suffered another fire in September, destroying homes in Lincoln Heights, Hoy Road, and Lake Shastina. We valued the outreach from lodges and state officers concerned about our wellbeing.

Our Honoring Veterans Breakfast in November was well received and gave us a chance to try new ways of preparing breakfast. Our guests stayed long after eating, enjoying loud and animated chats.

We were saddened by the passing of our longtime member, Sister Nancy Lemos who joined the Lodge at the age of eleven, for a total of 70 years. Our sympathies and prayers are extended to her entire family.

Sally Acquistapace and her husband, Richard, recently moved to Fallon, Nevada, to be closer to their eldest daughter. Sally held various officer positions over the years and was our treasurer at the time of their move. We certainly miss her expertise and companionship.

We’ve all heard how change is good since new ideas, issues, and events stimulate the brain. Our membership is covered for a few years due to:

~a new insurance provider due to the classification of our building residing in a “wildfire area”

~a new waste disposal company

~a new tax preparation firm

We have also chosen to add new events to our calendar:

~spaghetti and meatball dinner in May

~soup and salad dinner in September

New members who will soon be initiated are:

~Alan Shoemaker

~Matthew Oates, our first junior member in a very long time!

Many of our officers have opted to retain their positions: President Richard Negro, Vice-President Paula Rossetto, Past-President Brenda Zandona, Orator Jeanette Vinall, Recording Secretary Peggy Soletti, Financial Secretary Sharon Dohrn, Guard Brad DeBortoli, Trustees Linda Elsnab, Craig Barbieri, and Gloria Bagley. Joining us is newly installed Treasurer Jeff Cella. Open positions are Master/Mistress of Ceremonies and Chaplain.

We thank former Mistress of Ceremonies Kim Greene for her many years of serving as an officer. She and her husband, Ross, will be moving to Washington state in the very near future to be near their son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. Kim remains as our Building Rental Manager and Head Bartender until that time.

Charlene Carnini has been our chaplain since 2016 and resigned from that position. Thanks for your commitment. She will remain as our Sunshine Committee chair.

We have continued to operate without a State Deputy since the retirement of Jim Lamanna in July of 2019. We miss his valuable insight and advice.

On February 18, our annual crab dinner will take place with tickets selling for only $48.00. We will sell our project board squares where two people go home $100.00 richer, as well as a raffle of donated items. You might want to make a trip to Northern California and join us.

The Weed Lumber Museum Dinner is the first weekend of March, which we cater. It’s always a packed house with plenty of roasted chicken and ravioli.

Siskiyou County lakes, rivers, and streams are filling due to all the recent rain and snow, just like the rest of the state. We’re hoping it continues to have an effect on the drought. If only we could tame this wind!

Ciao until next time.