Rodolfo Valentino Lodge #1449

The good news is that we are all still here; more good news is that the seasonal flu vaccine is available across the valley; your own health care provider will be more than glad to “shoot” you to help you survive the season. The bad news is that Covid-19 vaccines are not yet available … as they say: pray for the cure.

The Fresno County Fairgrounds contains the Fresno County Historical Museum which hosts Italian American Heritage Project; as such, they are seeking stories of Italian immigration interest in our area. If you have photos or stories that you would like to submit, contact Olivia Gallegos at 251-5992, or Sandra West, Friends of the Fair, 1121 S. Chance Ave, Fresno, CA 93702, (559) 650-3247. Contribute according to your ability by contacting Sandra if you wish. They are also accepting names for plaques to memorialize your family in the Valley. (yes, we said this before, but get your family’s name engraved somewhere in the valley so that everyone knows we are here).

The place we love, Notre Dame Hall, is still not available to us, and as a rule, groups of ten or more are still not encouraged to get together indoors. We will let you know when “normalcy” returns fully for us. Meanwhile, The Clovis Museum, Luna’s, Andiamo, La Hacienda and Old Town Waffle Shop (Rodeo Shopping Center), DiCicco’s, and others are taking in customers on a limited basis. Call in your reservation. The Clovis Memorial District Building is helping with fire victims, so, it is off-line too. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet, said that “To err is human”: so does this explain it?: Wisdom tells us that a tomato is a fruit; experience tells us to not include it into a fruit salad; we get experience by making mistakes; we make mistakes because we do things; we do things because we are human.

The United Lodges of the Central San Joaquin Valley: with regrets, we had to cancel the September luncheon.

This Month, Monday, November 16, 2020, our meeting will most likely not be held, but stay tuned.

“Hello” and “Ciao” to our friends and readers in San Francisco!

Wear a servant’s apron so you can be ready to help others.

These are the times that we need to support our friends: get your take-out orders from our old stand-by restaurants: Lunas, at 299-4141; Andiamo’s, at 299-4141; Boo Boo Bean Bakery, at 570-8093; and Clovis DiCicco’s at 299-3711; and, don’t forget to tip.

-Critical Italian word to know: “Apericena”, meaning ‘pre-dinner drinks accompanied by free food”. Except for the “free drinks”, it sounds like “Happy Hour”, but not quite.

NON È TUTTO ORO QUELLO CHE LUCCICA [All that glitters is not gold]; This proverb is actually like another two: l’apparenza inganna (appearances can be deceiving) and l’abito non fa il monaco (clothes don’t make the man). The three of them are used as a warning to avoid being superficial, and to be careful when judging someone or something from appearances. You need to analyze things very well, because the first impression could be misleading.

If you were happy with the food at McCoy’s Café (Clovis Ave & Kings Canyon Road) I am sure you were sad to hear that it burned to the ground. This was especially hard for our friends at the Fresno Lodge; they enjoyed their services for some of their meetings. Let us hope that the shop rebuilds.

If you want to change the world, you need to get smart; “smarten up” with help from our scholarship program by calling Isabel Ronzano; large national and state SDoI scholarships are also offered; just ask her.

Join Us: Except for the near future: If you have friends or family that are looking for good fellowship and a place to hang out on the third Monday of each month, invite them to join you at our meetings, 6:30 PM, at Notre Dame Hall, 333 8th Street, at DeWitt Avenue. We feature short meetings, great companionship, and superb food. Our web site is http://rodolfovalentinolodge.com/.