Italian American Marching Club Newsletter

ITALIAN AMERICAN MARCHING CLUB

JANUARY 2010 NEWSLETTER

2010 PARADE MEETINGS ARE COMING UP SOON!

February 18, 2010 February 24, 2010 March 3, 2010

Our 40 ^th Annual St. Joseph's Parade will be on Saturday, March 6, 2010. Our parade meetings will be held on the above dates at the meeting hall of our merchandise supplier– Beads by the Dozen. Beads by the Dozen is located at 331 Edwards Avenue between Jefferson Highway and the I-10. The meeting hall is a dark green building on the first driveway next to the railroad tracks. It is across from the Cox Cable building. There are no names or numbers on the meeting hall. We will distribute merchandise beginning at 7:00 p.m., and our meetings will start at 8:00 p.m. sharp. Mark these meetings on your calendars! Make sure your paisanos do the same!!

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ANNUAL DUES

Please note that your 2009-2010 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE NOW DUE! As you all are well aware, we have maintained the same membership dues schedule for the past several years. However, like everything else these days, the costs associated with our parade have risen over the years. While we must now raise our membership dues, we do so with you in mind. We have made sure that our dues remain affordable to all who wish to share in our celebration of St. Joseph.

Our new membership dues schedule has been revised as follows:

$75.00 if paid on or before December 31, 2009;

$85.00 if paid from January 1, 2009 through March 5, 2010; and

$100.00 if paid on Parade Day – March 6, 2010.

We have enclosed a self-addressed envelope to make it easy for you to send in your dues today. Please remit your check or money order made payable to "Italian American Marching Club" today. Now is the time to take advantage of the benefits of our organization. If you know former members, invite them back. If you know potential new members, invite them to join. We have also enclosed an Application for Membership for your convenience. Please feel free to make copies of this application for returning and/or new members.

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IAMC PARADE MERCHANDISE PROMOTION!

As you know, the only beads allowed in our parade are our IAMC tri-color and special beads. No other beads will be allowed. This year we will have a special merchandise promotionduring our February 18, 2010 parade meeting only. All members whose membership dues are paid in full by the February 18, 2010 parade meeting who purchase a substantial amount of merchandise during the February 18, 2010 parade meeting will receive up to two (2) dozen free beads from Board Member Don Giordano. Don't miss this opportunity to load up with extra beads for this year's parade! We have enclosed a Merchandise Order Form for your review prior to our parade meetings.

Our income is based not only on the nominal membership dues, but also on the income derived from the sale of our official throws and flower canes. Thus, our organization survives on our members purchasing official IAMC throws. Without the member's generous cooperation in purchasing official throws (and lots of them), we will not be able to remain in existence. Accordingly, we urge all members to purchase these authorized throws and flower canes from our club. Your help, cooperation, and purchases are greatly appreciated.

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PARADE ROUTE FOR MARCHERS FOR 2009!

This year's St. Joseph's Parade will be comprised of floats followed by our marchers. The marching part of the parade will begin on Canal Street and Charters at 6:00 p.m. We take Charters to St. Peters. We then take a left on St. Peters, march one block, and turn left onto Royal Street. When we reach Bienville, we turn right and march one block to Bourbon Street. We turn right onto Bourbon Street and march for over six blocks until we reach St. Ann . We turn onto St. Ann and proceed back to Royal Street. We then take Royal Street all the way back to Canal Street. This route keeps us in the busier parts of the French Quarter for an extended period of time! Make sure you have enough throws for the entire parade!!

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GODFATHER LEGION

All members interested in riding in the parade in a convertible as a "Godfather", please contact Peter Gilberti at (504)458-2791. You can also see Peter at the upcoming parade meetings. You must provide your own driver and convertible. You must also present your insurance policy on said vehicle with minimum coverage of $100,000.00. The cost to enter the convertible in the parade is $400.00. Each convertible can hold up to three "Godfathers" plus the driver. No convertible will be allowed in the parade without a special Italian American Marching Club sticker applied to the windshield. Any convertible seen in the parade without the sticker will be removed and detained until after the parade.

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PARADE DRESS

The dress for our parade is a black tuxedo with black socks and black shoes. If you need to rent a tuxedo, visit our friends at New Orleans Tuxedos, Inc. or J & L Formal Wear.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2010

PRE-PARADE MEDIA MAID PRESENTATION

AND FATHER-DAUGHTER LUNCHEON

The annual Pre-Parade Media Maid Presentation will be held on February 28, 2010 - the Sunday prior to our St. Joseph's Parade - from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The presentation will be held at the Piazza D'Italia in New Orleans. This is your opportunity to see our beautiful Maids prior to the parade. Bobby Lonero will entertain us, and refreshments will be served.

Later on the afternoon of Sunday, February 28, 2010, we will host a Father (Grandfather) - Daughter (Granddaughter) Luncheon. This luncheon will be set for 3:00 p.m. We are currently in the process of finalizing the location of the luncheon. The luncheon is open to only the Maids and their fathers and/or grandfathers. Maids will dine for free. Fathers and/or grandfathers will dine for only a nominal amount. We always make sure to have a wonderful menu for this special event. If you have any questions regarding the Father (Grandfather) - Daughter (Granddaughter) Luncheon, please contact Marlo Vacarella Christensen at (985)674-7742.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2010 PASTA PARTY

On Friday, March 5, 2010, we will have our annual St. Joseph's Pasta Party at 12:00 noon at Kabby's located in the New Orleans Hilton Hotel Riverside. During this event, our Grand Marshal, our Honorary Parade Marshals, our Queen , and our Caesar will be presented to the public. We then present the world's largest bowl of pasta con le sarde. There is also plenty of music and wine. Join us for this special free event. It's a great way to start our weekend celebration!

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FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2010 HONOREE DINNER

Our St. Joseph's Honoree Dinner will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010 at the New Orleans Hilton Hotel Riverside. There will be a cash bar cocktail reception from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at 8:00 p.m. The Hilton Hotel Riverside always provides a wonderful dinner, and we will make sure that our meal is accompanied by fabulous Italian wines. Bobby Lonero will provide classic Italian music throughout the evening. Tickets for the dinner are $50.00 per person. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet and dine with our Grand Marshal, our Caesar, and our Queen. There is always plenty of food, wine, music, and fun. Please contact George Cortello at 891-8573 or 831-2458 to purchase your tickets.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010 PRE-PARADE PARTY

We are still in the process of finalizing the location of our 2010 Pre-Parade Party. We will confirm the location of the Pre-Parade Party at our upcoming parade meetings. The party will be open to members and their ladies at 3:00 p.m. This year's party will feature fantastic food from our favorite area restaurants - Chef Marc Gilberti's Italian sausage with onions and peppers, pizza, Italian meatballs, pasta salad, daiquiris, Italian wines, beer, and Coca-Cola soft drinks. You can even meet our Grand Marshal at the party. All ladies must have a ticket. Tickets can be obtained at the parade meetings. Members are encouraged to come early in order to pick up their secret badges and flower canes. Extra throws and beads can also be purchased at that time.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010 POST-PARADE GALA

As usual, we will have our St. Joseph's Gala and Maid Presentation immediately following the parade at the Hilton Hotel . We will have a great band, and, of course, Bobby Lonero will do his Louis Prima routine. We may also have a few other guest singers. There will be muffulettas and delicious Italian cookies for all.

Tickets to our St. Joseph's Gala and Maid Presentation purchased prior to March 6, 2010 are just $40.00 per person, and tables of ten (10) are $400.00. Tickets purchased on March 6, 2010 are $45.00 per person. For information concerning the St. Joseph's Gala and Maid Presentation, please contact George Cortello at 891-8573 or 831-2458. Please make sure to see Joe Cannizzaro at any of our upcoming parade meetings to review available tables and to purchase tickets. We strongly suggest that you purchase your tickets and tables at the parade meetings in order to obtain the best seating available.

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RESERVATIONS AT THE HILTON

We have once again made special arrangements with the Hilton Hotel to obtain special discount prices for the weekend of our celebration. However, only a limited number of rooms have been allotted. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you contact the Hilton Hotel Reservation Desk at (504)561-0500 now in order to ensure your reservations.

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GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

You can advertise your business in the Business Card Directory of all of our 2009-2010 parade season newsletters for only $100.00 total. We send out approximately six to seven newsletters per season to over 700 members. We will also post our Business Card Directory on our official websites for the entire parade season. This is a tremendous opportunity for you to show your pride in your heritage and to get the word out about your business! For more information concerning our Business Card Directory, please contact George Cortello at (504)891-8573 or (504)831-2458.

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VISIT MIKE'S DELI, THE ORIGINAL ARTHUR AVE. ITALIAN DELI

David Greco, the owner and operator of Mike's Deli, The Original Arthur Ave. Italian Deli, in the Bronx in the heart of Little Italy in New York City, is a great friend of our organization. You may have seen David on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. David beat Bobby in an Eggplant Parmigiana competition.

For the past several years David has made the trip from the Big Apple to the Big Easy to join us for our celebration of St. Joseph. However, David does not just come to New Orleans for our parade. David has been instrumental in helping us secure several of our recent Grand Marshals through his constant promotion of our organization in the New York area.

When David comes to New Orleans to celebrate with us, he brings unbelievable products from Mike's Deli for everyone to enjoy. Last year, David really made sure that everyone had a great time. He prepared over 400 pounds of fantastic pasta con le sarde for our Friday Pasta Party. We hope to have David back this year to do it all again!

Do yourself a big favor and visit the Mike's Deli website at www.arthuravenue.com. Better yet, give them a call at (718)295-5033. The quality of David's products is unsurpassed, and his prices are fantastic. David ships all over the United States so you can send the highest quality items to all of your family and friends no matter where they are! David truly lives his deli's motto – "Mangia bene, vivi bene!" ["Eat well, live well!"] He has earned our respect and our support.

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LET'S HAVE A SAFE TIME

As usual, the Italian American Marching Club will strictly enforce all safety precautions in order to ensure that all of our Maids, members, parade participants, and spectators enjoy a fun and safe parade. Everyone's safety and welfare is of the utmost importance to our organization. All members must start and finish the parade with their respective legions and chariots. Members are to remain with their designated parade group. No members are ever to march with the floats and Maids. No members are ever to march behind the Fire Truck at the end of the parade.

Any and all members who become intoxicated or cause any type of disturbance during the parade will be removed from the parade. All of our members are asked to keep an eye out for their fellow marchers. If you need any type of assistance, the organization's officers and/or the police are prepared to help.

Additionally, all of the drivers in our parade are prohibited from consuming any type of alcoholic beverage prior to and during the parade. Any driver found drinking prior to or during the parade will immediately be removed from his vehicle – no exceptions and no discussions.

We want everyone to have a great time. However, we want everyone to have a safe parade!

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IAMC WEBSITES

Please visit our websites at www.italianamericanmarchingclub.org, www.italianamericanmarchingclub.com, or www.italianclub.org. Add these websites to your Favorites to make sure you have access to our organization's history, benefits of membership, photographs, recent newsletters, and contact information. There is even an Application for Membership which can be printed so your friends can easily join our organization.

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DATES TO REMEMBER

January 1, 2010 - Maid Registration Deadline

January 10, 2010 - First Maid Meeting

February 18, 2010 - First 2010 Parade Meeting

February 24, 2010 - Second 2010 Parade Meeting

February 28, 2010 - 2010 IAMC Maid Media Presentation

February 28, 2010 - 2010 IAMC Daughter-Father/Grandfather Luncheon

March 3, 2010 - Third 2010 Parade Meeting

March 5, 2010 - 2010 IAMC St. Joseph's Pasta Party

March 5, 2010 - 2010 IAMC Honoree Dinner

March 6, 2010 - 2010 St. Joseph's Parade and Gala