CORNING AMERICAN LEGION American Legion Commander: Dave Warunek Auxiliary President: Jackie Williams SAL Commander: Kirk Jarvis Newsletter Editor: Steve Schwarz JANUARY 2015 HIGHLITES AT THE POST MEETINGS BOD: 7th 7:30 PM LEGION: 8th 7:00 PM SAL: 5th 6:00 PM AUX: 14th 6:30 PM Lunch Served Dailey Mon-Fri, 11-2 Wings Mondays 4-7 Tuesday Night Dinners 4:00 PM until gone Hot Dogs- Hamburgers/Meat sauce Thursdays 5-7 Fish Fry Fridays 4:00-7:00 PM Quilts of Valor January 26 9:00AM-3:00 PM THE EATON EDITORIAL The Newsletter of American Legion Post #746 Volume 1, Issue 3 FROM THE POST COMMANDER Newsletter Date Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and were able to spend time with family and friends, and to reflect on what s important in our lives. It s also a time to establish goals or resolutions, and to re-dedicate ourselves to promises of improvement made in previous years. The concept of renewal and improvement also applies to our Post organization, the leadership team, our programs, and our events, all of which are made possible by our membership. I committed to you Photo courtesy of Schwarz ProFoto back in June to accomplish a series of goals related to our existing programs and business lines, and to initiate and complete a series of new ones. Upon reviewing that list I realize that we re not where I want to be across the board, and that we re still challenged by concerns about profitability and cash flow. Given that, I plan to redouble my efforts relative to profitability and to reprioritize my goals for the year. I also invite every member to assist me in this endeavor, and consider getting involved with a program or an event, or to patronize Legion Family events as often as possible. Our relatively small group of regular volunteers could definitely use the help, and events like Tuesday Night Dinners, Fish Fries, and Ethnic Meal nights could become more profitable with your patronage. Along the lines of profitability you will notice that we needed to increase drink prices effective January 1 st. Our costs of doing business at the bar have naturally increased over the last few years and we need to increase our drink prices commensurately. We ve also been compelled to increase our food prices in recent months, primarily due to the need to cover NYS sales tax, but we need to ensure that we are recovering our costs and are generating sufficient profit to pay the mortgage, utilities, payroll, etc. We appreciate your patience and understanding with these increases, and hope to minimize their magnitude, while still being able to provide patron appreciation programs such as the drink specials, bottled beer stickers, free food, and others that we ve come to enjoy. We ve got plans for the winter and spring to continue with the ethnic meal specials, with DJs and bands, and events TBD (to be determined..by YOU). Valentines Day? St. Patricks Day? Please feel free to identify your favorite idea and run with it. We need your help! At year s end we also reflect on our Legion Family members who have passed. I can personally say that during my seven year association with Post 746 I have met and worked with an incredible group of patriot volunteers, and have become close friends with many of them. Losing our members is never easy, but we take comfort in knowing that we are made better, both personally and organizationally, for them being in our lives. May God bless and keep them.
Page 2 I look forward to tackling the challenges that our Post faces this year with your help and support, and I wish all of you and your families a very healthy and prosperous new year. Thank you! Dave Recent Events: 13Dec Army-Navy Game. A good time was had by all, especially Navy Vets, as the Post hosted a party to celebrate the 115 th meeting of these arch rivals. It was close game but the Navy ended up winning 17-10. All fans however were treated to some classic military dishes like Navy Bean Soup, S.O.S. (chipped beef), and good old fashioned baloney sandwiches. We also had a challenging Army-Navy trivia contest, with prizes donated by area Recruiters, and drink specials including the Army Mule and Navy Grog. A great time was had by all. Thanks to all who helped pull it together. 14Dec Children s Christmas Party the Ladies Auxiliary did a fantastic job this year giving 42 children an extra special Christmas. From gift buying and gift wrapping to decorations and treat preparation, this ever popular event was made possible through the hard work of Mary Anne Mineo, Emma West, Mary Pipe, Nancy Huber, Diane Gridley and Jackie Williams. Thanks to all involved! 20Dec Christmas Party Brew-Moon was on tap and put on an incredible show. With great music, some karaoke, interesting games, and lots of laughs, Brewster and Mooney set the stage for a great evening with near capacity attendance. The nacho bar and spiked eggnog also helped to create a festive mood, and Bad Santa arrived just in time to provide some adult gifts for some not so well-behaved patrons. Rumor has it that all vices were represented as Bad Santa made his way around the room. We also raffled off the two Medal of Honor Trains with the 1 st prize going to Rick Rossettie, and the 2 nd to Gary Rutkowski. Congratulations on receiving these collectors items, and thanks to Don Palinkas and Bod Rockwell for managing the raffle. Very successful events such as this do not happen without the dedicated efforts of our staff and volunteers. Thank you! Fish Fry Dec 5 th /12 th /19 th We had some really good attendance for these events and train raffle ticket sales were sufficient to push us over the breakeven point. Thank you to our patrons and thanks to our volunteer crews who make it happen. **We regret the confusion over the 12/19 FF. We ended up challenging the kitchen crew to put on both a party in the hall and the fish fry in the lounge. Great job! 31Dec New Years Eve Party Great music, lots tasty hors d'oeuvres, plenty of libations, and good friends made for a great evening of fun and frivolity, and a wonderful way to welcome the New Year. Thanks to all who attended and helped put on this fantastic event. Note that we needed to move the raffle of the Armed Services wind chimes to St. Patrick s Day in order to recover the costs of the prizes. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but as a reminder the chimes are crafted by local artist and Legionnaire Pat Carroll, there is one for each service, and tickets are $2 per, or 3 for $5. Just fill out your name, number and indicate which service(s) you d like your ticket to go for. These items are not sold anywhere and are of the highest quality. Don t miss out! Upcoming Events: Tuesday Night Dinners: 6Jan Stuffed Pork Chop 13Jan Chicken-n-Biscuit 20Jan Chicken Fried Steak 27Jan Meatloaf Fish Fry scheduled for: 9Jan 16Jan 23Jan 30Jan
Page 3 **Here Comes the Booze Wagon raffle that is. You may have noticed a wagon full of booze and prizes at valued at nearly $500. Don t wait to get your raffle tickets for this monumental prize. Raffle scheduled for St. Patrick s Day. PHOTOS FROM THE ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY Photos courtesy of Marty Wheaton
Page 4 Ritual Team/Honor Guard Full Military Honors were provided for the following individuals. Michael B. Shwart, an Army and Navy Vietnam War veteran at the Pleasant Valley cemetery in Hammondsport on 11/15/14. Robert B. Tetor, a Marine veteran at Bath National Cemetery on 11/15/14. William H. Dorman, an Army WWII veteran at United Methodist Church in Corning on 11/24/14. Richard Aherns, a Navy Vietnam veteran at the Woodlawn cemetery in Canisteo on 11/25/14. Paul E. Potter, an Army Vietnam veteran at Carpenters funeral home on 12/5/14. Carol Bacon, a WWII veteran at Chapel Knoll cemetery at Coopers Plains on 12/10/14. The VFW ritual team also participated. On 12/7/14 a candlelight remembrance service and flag presentation at our post. Haughey Funeral Home sponsored the event. Also on 11/23/14 this service was presented at the Victory Highway Wesleyan Church. On 12/7/14 our team provided a rifle salute for the Wreaths Across America ceremony at Bath National Cemetery. If interested in joining the Ritual Team/Honor Guard, contact any team member or Post officer Respectfully submitted, Frank Sansone If you know people who are eligible to join The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, or the Sons of the American Legion, Please invite them to join. REMEMBER: It s not the price you pay to be a member; it s the price you paid to be eligible Back by popular request, the monthly drawing for a free bar drink is here!! Tell the bartenders your name is one of ten drawn for a free drink in this months newsletter and they will get you hooked up!! Floyd Schutt Bonnie Call Charleen Green Tracey Loid Chris Card Chuck Felker Dave Bulkey Rita Pope Christopher Linan Gary Lee Johnson
Page 5 THE EATON EDITORIAL This has been a very tough year for our post. We have lost some folks who, in some form or fashion, cannot be replaced. All of our members who pay there membership contribute to the success of our post and the well-being of all the veterans. These comrades who have passed in 2014 stood apart from the rank and file in numerous ways. Some volunteered their time for almost any activity they were asked to be part of, they were members of our ritual team, some became involved with the operation of our post, some became officers within the post, and some were just great friends who will be dearly missed!! As the post newsletter editor, I will miss them all--dearly!! In addition to the post newsletter, I take professional photos for the post. In this capacity, I was honored to photograph sets of photos for one of our fallen comrades-first, at Phillips Funeral Home and then at Bath National Cemetery. As the snow fell at both locations-i could not help but think How can this be more befitting of our comrades The snowy backdrop created one of the most amazing and pristine settings I could imagine. Please enjoy the photos and think of our fallen heroes in your thoughts and prayers.
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Page 7 Ritual Team/Honor Guard, November, 2012 On 10/18/2012 Full Military Honors (FMH) were provided for Merl D. Naylor a Navy, Viet Nam veteran at Chapel Knoll cemetery. On 10/29/2012 we provided FMH for Robert D. Atanesian a Marine veteran at Bath National Cemetery (BNC). On 10/22/2012 we provided FMH for Bruce R. Grant, III a Marine and Army, Viet Nam veteran at BNC. On 11/2/2012 we provided FMH for James P. Murphy an Army, WWII veteran at BNC. On 11/10/2012 beginning at 11PM and ending at 11AM on 11/11/2012, our Honor Guard proudly walked their post around the Civil War Monument in honor of all veterans. On 11/11/2012 we provided an Honor Guard, presenting the Colors at the annual Veterans Day ceremony. We are currently recruiting qualified personnel for our team. Additionally, training for our members is being conducted twice a month. Respectfully submitted, Frank Sansone
CORNING AMERICAN LEGION 8 River Road Corning, NY 14830 Phone: 607-654-7735 Fax: 607-654-7961 E-mail: info@corningamericanlegion.com Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus POST MANAGER MARY PIPE CLUB HOURS Monday-Saturday 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM Sunday 12:00 noon to 9:00 PM We re on the net www.corningamericanlegion.com American legion John P. Eaton Post 746 8 River Road Corning NY 14830