As we set sail into a new bowling season, with a new president, new board members, new website and, most importantly, 25-plus new members, it’s time to make the case for Club Committees. This club is run by a volunteer board of officers and trustees. The real work, however, of keeping the club viable, relevant and fun to belong to happens in the various committees that handle different aspects of club life.
Below you will find the names of each committee, what that committee does and the contact info for the its chairman. What we are looking for are guys who would like to step up and have a real say in the direction and functionality of what is, quite literally, your club. All it will take is a lot of interest, a little time, and a desire to make the club better in any number of ways. Please read this through and contact the chairman if you are interested in joining one (or more) of the following groups:
Entertainment, Trip Dixon, chairman; 862-596-5162, tripperino@aol.com.
Responsible for the creation and running of all social events at the club, which include staples like the Open House; Cajun Night, Super Bowl Party, Sunday Family (Italian) Dinner, BBQ Competition, Thirsty Thursdays, Bowling Tournaments, Golf Outings, etc. The CC Comedy Circus on November 20th is an example of a new event we’re going to try out, and we are always open to new ideas for any event that will engage our membership.
Membership, Peter Zaret, chairman; pzaret@comcast.net.
Responsible for the welcoming of new members to the club, including tours and orientations so that each new member has a good grasp of the club, its activities, rules and place in the community.
House, Rich McMahon, chairman; 973-951-7962; rfmcmahon@gmail.com.
The House committee strives to maintain the physical plant of the club house through the work of member craftsmen (or those who are handy and interested in helping out) and outside contractors. It’s an old building and needs a lot of upkeep, so this is a critical committee to join and make a discernible difference.
Communications, John Anderson, chairman; 646-591-2008; jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com;
Responsible for getting the word out to the members and the community at large regarding all things Commonwealth; publicizing events, general information, maintaining and updating the website, Facebook pages and Instagram page. Can always use some tech-savvy people with good ideas who want to help out.
Bowling, Keith McKune, chairman; 973-819-8082; kmckune2008@gmail.com
The bowling committee, i.e., Keith, runs all aspects of the bowling league, which is the lifeblood of the club; he records the weekly results, standings and averages for over 120 team bowlers and subs. Rumor has it that is is looking to groom a replacement after over 20 years on the job.
Community Action Initiative, John Anderson, chairman; jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com; 646-591-2008
This is a simple concept: create a mechanism, and, hopefully, a culture, within the club that allows and encourages our members to become more actively involved within our communities. Now that our membership is on the upswing after the pandemic, it’s seems fitting, if not obligatory, that the Club becomes a beacon of social responsibility; where members represent the club in a positive light through their actions within their communities. To that end, we have formed a Community Action Initiative in order to help implement this activity.
The idea is to help the membership to get involved by becoming an active resource for opportunities to volunteer, to participate in fundraisers, to help out various youth organizations, in short, to become more fully engaged in the fabric of where we all live. We are looking for more folks to become a part of this committee.
This initiative, if successful, is a win-win for the Club in terms of positive public relations, possible new members and rentals, and, most of all, for the difference we can make in our communities by getting involved and being engaged. I hope that many, if not all, of you will join us in this endeavor.
One of the events that falls under this heading is the annual Costume Portraits for Groceries that will happen at the Club on this Halloween Sunday, October 31st. We normally get around 80 families who come by and exchange a bag of groceries for a professional portrait by our own Michael Stahl. We could really use 5 or 6 volunteers between 1:30 and 6pm to help with crowd control and the collection and sorting of the groceries, which are going to Toni’s Kitchen and Human Needs Pantry.
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Big Fall Golf Outing
The Club’s second annual fall golf outing was held at Rock Spring again on Monday, October 11th. 75 golfers, including many guests, participated on a rain-free and ultimately sunny day. Craig Mohr’s foursome of Brett Muney, Ron Dapuzzo and Dan Hearne took first place at 6 under par, followed by the Herons Four of Neil O’Keefe, Tim DeLorme, Darren Klein and Rich Mahadeen at -5. Also coming in at -5 was Tom and Brian Alati, Don Bowles and Jeff Bromley.
Welcome New Members!
After an extremely successful Open House, the Club would like to welcome it’s 25+ new members! Included in that number are several junior members, almost all of whom are sons of current members, and they have formed their own team that will participate in the 2021 bowling season, which kicks off on September 21st.
Other upcoming events of note are the Club Fall Golf Outing at Rock Spring on October 11th (guests are welcome) and the Club BBQ Bash on October 17th, which is always a great time featuring delicious home cooked foods and is open to the public.
The Club has also signed up for the Toni’s Kitchen Food Drive, so food donations can be left inside the game room up until 11am on Sunday, September 26th.
It’s a great thing to be up and running again at full functionality after a very challenging year. We are really looking forward to moving forward with a recharged sense of energy and purpose.
Annual Dinner Begets Leadership Shuffle
The Club held its Annual Dinner and business meeting on the evening of June 3rd, after missing last year’s event due to the Covid shutdown. This was the first large event for membership in well over a year and it was gratifying to see so many familiar faces turn out. The main order of business was to assess the state of the Club in the aftermath of the pandemic, and to map a path moving forward. We lost a significant number of members because the Club was closed for many months, and the goal is to recoup those members and add many more by the Open House on September 9th.
New officers and trustees were also elected; Rick Montalto takes over as president, following two terms served by Bohdan Polanskyj; new Trustees are Avi Shvetz and Gimi Giustina, while Joe Cordasco and Bert Vecchiarelli agreed to serve another term.
Great Golf Outing!
The Club held it’s once-postponed Spring Golf Outing under glorious skies at Rock Spring Golf Club. A record 63 participants enjoyed a picture-perfect day of golf, lunch and prizes, won by the foursomes of Alex Comini and Craig Mohr. To top it off, we enjoyed the 19th hole at the grand reopening of the Rock, which just happened to begin as our rounds concluded.
Toucans Defeat Loons for Covid Bowling Title
Toucans Defeat Loons for Covid Bowling Title
In a fitting climax to the Club's Covid-truncated bowling season, the Toucans beat the Loons in two tightly contested games that were decided by a total of 15 points. We applaud all of the bowlers who came out to bowl every week under difficult circumstances, with no positive tests or ugly incidents. We are looking forward to the start of Summer Bowling on June 16th and a resumption of the full league in the fall.