Nobles, Ladies, and Friends of the Rhode Island Shriners,
Welcome! Another issue . . . another two months
have passed. Where does the time go? It's already June! Yes . . . six months into the year already. Wow!
The
past two months have been very busy, and quite enjoyable. On April 23rd, we had the St. Patrick's Day Party. Everyone was Irish on
that day, If you didn't attend the event, you missed a great time. The chairmen did a great job making sure there was plenty of Guinness
on hand!
The end of April brought the Rhode Island Shriners Potentate's Visitation! Words cannot express the
outcome . . . it was superb! A big, BIG thank you goes to Andy “Bogey” Hencler and his Lady Janet for an outstanding job in making
the weekend a success! The weekend would not have been as successful if it weren't for all the volunteers, especially Bob and Sue
Correia, along with the unending help of Carol Plemmons who did a marvelous job with the Hospitality Room. Thank you, Carol!
And another thank you to all the Ladies who cooked, baked, and helped with decorations; to my personal aides Domenic DiStefano and
Tom Holton, along with their Ladies, Kerie-Lyn DiStefano and Maria Holton, for making sure everything went smoothly . . . and boy!
did it ever go smoothly! I am truly indebted to them and to all the aides who helped with the visiting temple representatives, making
sure they had a wonderful time. Most of all: a big thank you to all the back-stage volunteers who helped with the set-up, cleaning,
transporting, etc. The names are too numerous to mention, so a blanket thank you goes out to all of you. Lady Jill and I truly enjoyed
ourselves. We genuinely hope that the weekend was up to Lady Jeanne Mello's expectations and that it was something that John would
have been proud of.
May 2nd was the May Breakfast, and although the numbers served were low, I am proud of
the job that was done by all the volunteers and cooks. Thank you all for a job well done! A personal thank you goes out to 1st Ceremonial
Master Gil Fontes for an outstanding job in making it come together.
In May, our Parade Season started with
the Saylesville Parade. Thank you, Nobles, for coming out and supporting the Shrine, for showing the public that the Rhode Island
Shriners are always ready to have a little fun. More parades are coming, and your support will be truly appreciated.
Nobles and Friends . . . if you haven't been to the restaurant lately, you are missing out on a few things. The menu is changing,
the specials are different, and different beers are now available on tap! Come on down. See what you have been missing.
At the April Stated Meeting we obligated nine new Nobles. Welcome, Nobles . . . and do not be strangers. Come to the Shrine Center,
enjoy the hospitality and camaraderie, Look at the different Units. Get involved! Have fun! Our purpose is to have fun and to help
children with crippling disease to someday have fun also!
Many exciting events are coming; the Strawberry Festival, the 2010 Imperial Session, Shrine Night at the Races (at Seekonk Speedway),
Hanover Weekend, Shriners/Pawsox Night, the Mello Yellow Duck Race (that's on August 15th) . . . and so much more. Check the Scimitar
for details.
So, come on down, enjoy the fun and get involved. Let’s have FUN AGAIN IN 2010 . . . just IMAGINE!
Fraternally,
Frank “Sparkey “DiMascio
Potentate/CEO
2010
