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March 2019

College Club of Buffalo Monthly Newsletter

The College Club of Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14222

716-885-4404

Mission Statement

The College Club of Buffalo is a community of women

who promote the advancement of education through programming,

scholarship endowment, charitable activities, and social interaction.

Hello College Club Members,

March is here so spring is just around the corner-at least, that’s what they say!

Growing up my mother always did spring cleaning and I am sure that happened in many of your homes and maybe still does. Being the only girl with three brothers, I was always recruit-ed to help.

March can be a fun month. March 2nd is read Across America Day. We celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday! The Buffalo Federation of Women’s Clubs (of which the College Club is a member) is collecting Dr. Seuss books. The goal is 1,00 books by 2020. So as you Spring clean your bookshelves and happen to find any gently used Dr. Seuss books please give them to either Bev or Barbara Kuvshinoff or myself. We will pass them along. There will be St. Joseph Tables throughout the area. They are wonderful; give some thought to experiencing one. St. Patrick’s Day smacks mid- month and of course everyone is Irish for the day.

We will be busy here at the College Club. The speaker for March 4 is Linda Drajem

March 11 is Brian Hayden from Visit Buffalo Niagara

March 18 is Bridge/ Scrabble luncheon

March 20 The Victorian Dancers will entertain us after dinner and our last March meeting on the 25th will be the budget review and basket auction.

Don’t forget the other bridge days, and movie nights.

Take care and let’s hope for a lovely spring. Betty

Officers and Board

President…Beverly Thomas; 1st Vice President…Jean Singleton; 2nd Vice President...Mary Ellen McGowan

Treasurer…Lillian Gondree; Assistant Treasurer…Carolann Besch; Corresponding Secretary and Newsletter

Editor…Rosina Alaimo; Recording Secretary...Pat Krims

Directors: Bonnie Botsford; Nancy Davidson; Betty Kulpa; Mary Vacanti

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Monthly Bridge Activities

Party Bridge March 6 Party Bridge is the 1st Wednesday of the month. Please sign up for this event with Linda Franchell (949-7742). Since play begins at 11:00 AM, plan to arrive by 10:45. Bring your smile, your quarter and your lunch. Goodies will be provided. Mark your calendar; Make a sandwich; Bring Mike’s bridge lessons, if needed!!!! Mother Nature threw some snow and ice into our plans making it treacherous to be outdoors thus causing us to bridge in February. Play will resume on March 6th! Bridge Hostess: May Mary Vacanti June Barbara Kuvshinoff

Duplicate Bridge: March 13 Duplicate Bridge is the 2nd Wednesday of the

month at 10:45 AM. Please be on time.

$25.00 is due paid to Nancy Thomas.

Call Bev if you cannot play. Otherwise you are ex-

pected to be there. Desserts are welcome— Just let

Bev know what you plan to bring. If you

cancel the morning of bridge you will be expected

to provide a sub.

Again, Mother Nature trumps our Bridge session!

Bridge and Scrabble Luncheon:

March 18 12 noon $20.00

Lunch is served at 12:00. Sign-up sheet is available at the Club. Please reserve your seat at a table and for lunch by the Friday before the event. If you need to cancel, call Camille Beecher at 862-9517. This is important both for an accurate lunch count and to insure that we have 4 players per table. If Scrabble’s your game, make your reservation with Shawna Kay at 881-4373.

Kitchen Bridge March 27 11:30 AM Lesson

12:15 PM Play Bridge

Kitchen Bridge is on the last Wednesday of each

month. Play begins at 12:15; If a lesson is planned ,

the lesson will begin at 11:30. Remember to bring a

lunch and a quarter. Treats will be provided.

Hallie will call potential players to confirm.

Call Hallie Howell at 885-4190 if you wish to sign up

or if you cannot play.

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Cultural, Literary, Educational, and Social Activities

From Book to Movie 1st Thursday evening of the Month

Join us on Thursday, March 7th to watch a fabulous movie based on an even greater book. We don’t know what the movie will be yet. But anticipation is part of the fun. Based on Ann Patchett’s best-selling novel, BEL CANTO is a dramatic love story that follows a famous soprano (Julianne Moore) who travels to a military dictatorship in South America to give a private concert at a party for a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Ken Watanabe). Just as the glittering gathering of diplomats and politicians convenes, the mansion is taken over by a guerrilla rebel group demanding the release of their imprisoned comrades. Threats are made, lives are lost, a tense negotiation begins, and a month long standoff ensues. While they are confined to the house, the hostages and their captors, who speak different languages, are forced to find ways to communicate. Music, especially the beautiful arias performed by Moore’s character, a songbird in captivity, sparks a shared sense of comradeship and even love, uniting the disparate housemates as they form unexpected bonds, overcome their differences, and discover their shared humanity.

Fun Movie Night 3rd Thursday of the month Join us on Thursday, March 21st to watch a fabulous movie. We don’t know what the movie will be yet. But anticipation is part of the fun. There will be wine. There will be popcorn. There will be fun!

New Newsletter monthly feature!

Our College Club family is very important to us. We meet for lunch, for Bridge, for book clubs, for entertainment and

for dinners. And yet, we don’t know very much about each other. We are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts.

We have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that are “bragworthy.” Heck, we have pets that are

“bragworthy.” So, with your help, I would like to use this space for us to brag! For instance, as a tease, do you know

that Betty Kulpa has a very good reason to brag about her son? Do you know that Lillian Gondree and I have been

friends or over 50 years? So, my email is [ralaimo@gmail.com]. Feed me your “brag” and I will print it! Deadline for

inclusion in the March newsletter is February 9th! I want to hear from you!

**I haven’t heard from anybody! Does this mean that there is no interest in this type of information? I’ll give it one

more month—if your silence is very loud, I will abandon the idea.

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Monthly Program Dinner: Wednesday, March 20

Our monthly program dinners are scheduled for the- 3rd Wednesday of every month. The cost for the dinner is $25.00. Reservations must be made by noon on the Monday before the dinner by calling Carolann Besch at 883-4482. AND, if you must cancel, you MUST call Carolann with that information to avoid being charged for your dinner. **Reservations and cancellations must be made with Carolann Besch at 883-4482.

Wednesday, Mar. 210—Cost $25.00

5:15 PM Wine And Hors d’oeuvres

6 PM—Dinner and Program

Program: The Victorian Dancers

The Amherst Victorian Dance Society learns and practices dances popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. The focus is on 1837 to 1901 and includes dances such as the Grand March, Waltzes, Quadrilles, the Schottische, Reels, Two Step, Polkas, Gallops and many more couple and group 19th century social dances. Members also learn about the customs and manners, dress, music and history of the Victorian Era.

In addition to our twice a month instructional meetings lead by our dance master, the Socie-ty is available to give Victorian Dance demonstrations. We would be honored to put on a dance demonstration at your next event. Use the Contact page to get in touch with us and book a demonstration. The Society also sponsors an annual Victorian Ball with live period music, pre-Ball workshop to learn the dances on the dance card for the Ball and the leadership of a skilled dance mas-ter throughout the workshop and the Ball itself. Use the Contact page to get in touch with us if you wish to attend the Ball. The Ball is usually held the Saturday of Veterans Day week-end. New members are welcomed at all times ! Couples, singles and families are invited to join. Come and try us out for up to three meetings before joining and see what fun we have dancing and socializing with a Victorian flare !

Program Luncheons

This month we have two program luncheons planned: Mar. 4th and Mar. 11th. Our tasty lunches will be catered by Tom O’Keefe and served by Jere-miah McCarthy. **Lunch is served at 12:00 PM im-mediately followed by the program. Carolann Besch is our very capable luncheon reservation manager. Please sign up with Carolann by phone (883-

4482) or at the Club by noon on the Friday immediately before the luncheon so she has an accurate count for the caterer. The cost of the lunch-eons is $20.00. We encourage you to pay by check.

Monday, March 4 Speaker: Linda Drajem

Program: Memoirs: Reading Others’ Lives

Memoirs have exploded as an appealing genre in the last few decades. Celebrities, retired presidents, their wives, and politicians running for president have written best-selling books. We are all curious about others' lives. Even ordinary folks who are not always in the media have written popular works. J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy comes to mind. Today’s presentation will discuss some current memoirs that have much to offer

readers. . Linda Drajem is a retired Buffalo teacher who taught high school for over 25 years. After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo she taught in the English department of Buffalo State College. Currently she is a writer and a docent at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

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***March 11th (There will be a Board

Meeting at 10:30 AM for all officers and board of directors.) Speaker: Brian Hayden Program: Visit Buffalo Niagara

A communications manager for Visit Buffalo Niagara (VBN), Brian is responsible for promoting Buffalo Niagara tourism by serving as VBN's point person for media relations, writing for VBN's website and visitor guide and assisting with advertising copy and sales collateral. In 2018, he helped facilitate more than 200 stories about Buffalo in publications like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Sunday Times of London. Brian received Destination Marketing Association International's "30 Under 30" award in 2015. He graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 with a degree in journalism.

Monday, Mar 25th Speaker: Lillian Gondree, Treasurer Program: Budget Membership Meeting Lillian Gondree, College Club Treasurer, will present the 2019-2020 budget for your consideration and approval. Our budget guides us throughout the year and allows us to conduct club business in a fiscally efficient way. It is important that all of our members be invested in the financial side of our Club. So, put this meeting on your calendar and make it your business to come, listen, and vote!

And Participate in the Basket Auction by buying a few tickets!

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Our monthly dinners are very well attended. We try to provide fun and stimulating programs for you to

enjoy. We appreciate your participation. Our dinners have been fabulous. The Aronicas’s, Jim and Sue,

have set a very high standard. We are confidant that our new caterer will meet and exceed that

standard. Hors d’oeuvres and wine add to the ambiance. We thank our members for providing wine and

goodies. To make it easy to remember who is providing wine and Hors d’oeuvres on any given month,

please save this chart. Feel free to add your name in the appropriate box if you wish to contribute to our

dinner. And make sure to let Nancy Davidson know your plans!

Wine Hors d’oeuvres

March Jean Singleton

Rosina Alaimo

Carolann Besch

Kathy Howells

April Rosina Alaimo

Mary Ellen

Jean Singleton

May Mary Ellen Shaughnessy

June Barbara Nelson

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College Club News & Information

At the recent general meeting of the Club, the attendees decided to assist Harvest House in their mission to care for infants and young children. There will be a basket at the sign in table where donated items can be placed. If you would care to donate any articles of clothing (size infant to 14), stuffed animals, toys, blankets etc., just place in basket and a representative from Harvest House will gladly pick them up. Items can be new or gently used. Harvest House cared for almost 6,000 children last year. Each child receives 4 outfits, pajamas, shoes, socks, underwear, a stuffed animal and a toy. So, any of these items would be greatly appreciated. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We have a new caterer. Sue and Jim are no longer able to act as our caterers so we found it necessary to find someone new. We are grateful for the wonderful job they did for the past year and a half and we wish them well. On March 4th, we welcome Tom O’Keefe who will be handling the cooking and baking and to Jeremiah McCarthy who will be serving. We are looking forward to a new era of fine dining at the Club. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April Birthday Gals will be the first to experience the new “perk” approved by the Board: “The Board of

Directors supports the monthly birthday celebration and appreciation luncheon. Beginning the second

Monday of April. Birthday celebrants will enjoy their lunch at half the cost of the regular luncheon. So,

Happy Birthday to our April Birthday members, Carmella, Barbara, and Marjorie.

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March 25th—Basket Raffle

Needed: more baskets, more “stuff” to fill baskets, or donations of money to buy “stuff” to fill baskets.

The more baskets we have, the more choices we all will have. And the more choices we have; the more

fun we will have. And the more fun we have; the more successful the raffle will be!

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***Are you in charge of a committee with a budget line? Have you submitted your reimbursement form

yet? Since our fiscal year begins on April 1st, you need to submit request for expenditures to Lillian

ASAP.

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Trip to Ireland

Our Recording Secretary, Pat Krims, recently went to Ireland with her family. Here, she gives us a glimpse into her amazing trip.

My daughter, son in law, grandbaby, and I took the most amazing trip to Ireland this year. My daughter found very reasonable airline tickets and before we knew it we were flying to Dublin, Ireland. My daughter planned an ambitious schedule for us to see as much of Ireland as we could, with a different hotel every night of the week. We rented a car, and on the first day we toured the Guinness Storehouse Brewery to see how beer was made. We drove over to the West side of Ireland and stayed in Galway and had fun eating and shopping in the town. From there we drove to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. The scenery was amazing, even though it was windy and misting a little we took lots of pictures. That evening we had the best mussels ever in a pub in the little town of Doolin. We drove south to the Dingle Peninsula and stayed in a B&B where there was professional chef. The food there was fantastic. We were also surprised to find every meal we had in Ireland was nicely prepared and very fresh. And of course all the pubs served fried cod and “chips,” all day long. While driving in countryside we saw the most incredible scenes, with beauti-ful views of the ocean, and we stopped frequently to take pictures. My daughter turned out to be a skilled driver adapting to driving on the left hand side of the road, and negotiating tight turns on very narrow roads built for horse and buggies. We checked out the historic Beehive Huts that were built of stone in the 12th Century and pondered what life was like back then. Next on the list was the 600 year old Blarney Cas-tle and Estate. We climbed all the way to the top where I managed to kiss the Blarney Stone to receive the gift of gab. The Blarney Castle had some well-manicured grounds and a “poison garden” that amused my daughter and son-in-law. We shopped at the Blarney Woolen Mills for souvenirs and gifts and had dinner there. We toured the famous Kilkenny Castle. As we were leaving the castle grounds, the sun came out, and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the mist. We stayed in Cork City and visited the English Marketplace food market, constructed in 1788, where we had another great meal. We continued our trip around the southern part of Ireland and back to the Dublin Airport where we returned our rental car.

Ireland is situated in a very unique geographic location. Even though Ireland is the same latitude as New-foundland, the Atlantic current maintains a maritime climate that is temperate. There are even “palm trees” growing there. We were there in November, and we were told misty rainy weather was typical of Ireland’s weather year round. In the summer, the days in June are long, with some days having 20 hours of daylight, (more opportunities for taking pictures.) Driving can be perilous on the country roads with stone fences built exactly at the edge of the lanes. There are very few places where the country roads have a shoulder or a turn out, and driving on these windy roads requires a keen eye. But for those who do not have to watch the road, there is much to see, pretty landscapes with rolling hills, stone fences, sheep, and harbors with boats.

We fell in love with Ireland, and, as the legend goes, yes, there is something magical about it.

PS And the Guinness Chocolate Truffle candy bars we ate at the Guinness Storehouse, are quite magical too, and a real taste treat, and not to be missed. We ordered more when we got home.

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It’s time again to renew your membership to the College Club of Buffalo!

Annual fees are due by April 1st. Please note the small change in your annual assessment

caused by the need to increase our revenue to keep pace with the increased costs of

maintaining both our Club House and our association. Please complete the renewal

form below and submit with your check Carolann Besch.

Membership Form

College Club of Buffalo, Inc. Payable by April 1, 2019

College Club membership fees are assessed annually. They may be paid in full by April 1st or

semi-annually in 2 installments due April 1st and July 1st. If paying in full, the amount due is $364.00;

if paying in two installments, the amount due is 2 equal payments of $182.00.

Member’s Name__________________________________________________________

______Annual dues of $364.00 payable by April 1, 2019

______I will pay $182.00 by April 1st and $182.00 by July 1st.

Please make check payable to College Club of Buffalo and Send to:

Carolann Besch

264 Summer Street

Buffalo, NY 14222

Carolann Besch

180 Linwood Ave

Buffalo, NY 14209

or

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March 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4

12:00 Noon

Program

Lunch

5 6

10:45 AM

Party Bridge

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6:30 PM

Book to

Movie Night

8 9

10 11

10:30 Board

Mtg

12:00 Program

Lunch

12 13

10:45 AM

Duplicate

Bridge

14

15

16

17 18

12:00 Noon

Bridge

Luncheon

19 20

5:15 PM Wine

And Hors

d’oeuvres

6 PM—Dinner

and Program

21

6:30 PM

Movie Night

22 23

24

25

12:00 Noon

Budget

Meeting

26 27

11:30 Lesson

12:15 Bridge

Kitchen

Bridge

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29 30

Happy Birthday to all our March birthdays!

March 4—-Diane Liddell

March 5—Elaine Kurasiewicz

March 11—Dorothy Medler

March 19—Hallie Howell

March 24—Dorinne Ebel

March 25—Gloria Fenston

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