MESSAGE FROM YOUR STATE PRESIDENT

Hello again!  The Il Leone deadline crops up faster and faster each month!

Busy month cleaning up after Christmas – putting decorations away, donating unused stuff and installations!

I have made several trips to the Grand Lodge and working toward our Open House March 23.  Grand Council will be held March 21 and 22, 2025.  Remember, Grand Council is always the third (3rd) weekends of March and September starting on Friday and convention always starts on the 4th Thursday of June with Grand Council meetings prior to Thursday.  Mark your calendars!  We will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of California on the Friday evening at convention!

I attended the January meeting of the Sacramento Lodge, a delicious soup night and proudly installed the new 2025-2026 officers.  Congratulations to President Dan Marinelli and to all the new officers.

While cleaning I found an old charter that belonged to one of the Sacramento Lodges that merged with the current Sacramento Lodge and presented it to them.  They will have both charters on display at their 100th anniversary celebration.

Congratulations Sacramento Lodge in your 100th Anniversary! Quite an accomplishment and I am thrilled that there were so many 100 year celebrations this past year.  Watch for photos in the next issue.

It was a treat to finally visit the Napa Lodge where the hall was filled to capacity for the monthly dinner and meeting.  I don’t think I have ever been to a monthly meeting with so many members in attendance.  Great job President Marissa Miller.  I loved the Italian culture part – got some of the questions correct!  It is great to see some new members stepping up to the plate and becoming officers. Thank you State Deputy Mark Rossi and State Recording Secretary Lori Rossi for assisting with the installation.  The lodge also brought in three new members that evening! I enjoyed meeting some of their members and renewing friendships with members that I have known over the years.

Our volunteer from the Clovis Lodge who will be redoing our large lion drove all the way to Orangevale and the Lion didn’t fit in her car! We will try again.

My last visitation prior to this article was attending the monthly meeting of the Watsonville Lodge.  I have attended their meetings before and am never disappointed.  They had a delicious buffet dinner, meeting and installation of new officers and initiation of four new members was held!  This is a very active lodge in their community and in the Grand Lodge and I commend President Janey Leonardich and her officers for always doing a great job.  They are very charitable and donate too many causes in the area.  Again it was wonderful to see a few new faces being installed as an officer.  Thank you for your dedication.  Third State VP Alan Spano was also present and assisted in the installation of the new officers along with State Deputy Frank Locicero who is faithfully at every meeting.  Janey and I then initiated the new members.  Way to go Watsonville Lodge!

At their upcoming picnic being held in July, they will now have bocce ball courts as they have donated them to the park where they hold the picnics!

Well this is it for this month as I am at the deadline – HAPPY VALENTINES DAY everyone and remember our OPEN HOUSE March 23.

If you need me for anything, just contact me!  Ciao for now.