Sep 1, 2024 | Potentate's Message
I really don’t have a lot to say this month. August is over, and fall is upon us – where did the summer go? September brings us lots of joy as our kids return to school. For all of you teachers out there, I hope you enjoyed your break and thank you for all you do to broaden our kids minds.
This month we have a “Help Wanted” article looking for volunteers to assist with upcoming shrine fundraisers. Please consider donating some time to help raise funds for lsmailia. Cassiopeia Triangle will be holding a fundraiser later this year – look for their article titled “Paint the Potentate”.
A big thank you to the Lockport Shrine Club. They held their annual Cigar-B-Cue on August 10, and it was another successful event with roughly 60 people in attendance. Thank you for all you do to help the kids and thank you for being a Shriner – and to all of our Ladies, thank you for putting up with us.
Enjoy your September and remember to watch for stopped school buses and kids crossing the streets on their way to and from school.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Aug 24, 2024 | Potentate's Message
August is upon us, and I must say it has been a fun summer. This past weekend was the Ismailia Potentate’s reception which was attended by a little over 140 people with representatives from every NYOSA temple as well as representatives from Cairo in Rutland VT, Syrian in Cincinnati OH, Zem Zem in Erie PA, and Irem in Dallas PA. Saturday started off with a cornhole tournament at Russell’s which raised $520.00 for both our local triangle chapters’ respective charities: Beloved Queen Zooey Arcand was given $260 for Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Mikaela Brown accepted $260 on behalf of Beloved Queen Minna Cederman Kobayashi for her charity Shriners Childrens. We had roughly 16 kids in attendance as well and the front dining room was turned into a battle zone and game room with a Nintendo switch and about 15 nerf guns and 1000 nerf darts. Protective eye- wear was provided, and I believe all the kids had a blast (pun intended). I’d also like to thank my Divan and whomever else donated to my personalized bottle of Wood- ford Reserve. When I decide to open that, you are all welcome to partake. We have a new fundraiser starting: it’s a daily number drawing but unlike the ones in the past this one is good for a whole year and the cost is $20 a ticket. Thanks to Justin Brown for spearheading this. Sportsman and Jewelry raffle tickets are also available. The sportsman raffle is on 9/14 and we hope you can make it. August 10 is the Cigar B Cue at the shrine. Unlike in years past, walk-ins are welcome. Well that’s all I have for now. I hope you all have a happy and safe rest of your summer; enjoy your time with family.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Jul 18, 2024 | Potentate's Message
I would like to start this off by hoping all of you dads out there had a very Happy Father’s Day. July is upon us and that means BBQs, swimming, camp-ing, fun time around a fire with family and friends; please stay safe with whatever it is you plan on doing. On May 24 and 25 there was a Bluegrass festival to Benefit Shriners Childrens Erie which raised almost $11,000.00. Thank you Nancy Rose for putting this on and a special thank you to the members of the Gowanda Shrine club who showed up in support of the event. June was another eventful month starting off with members of the elected and appointed divan and their families attending the Zem Zem potentates ball and Erie Hospital days where we presented the hospital with a check for $5000.00. On June 9 I attended Kalurahs prohibition-themed potentates ball. We went Miniature golfing on Friday evening and Saturday the ball kicked off with ride on a carousel, and we had an excellent dinner hosted by Illustrious Sir Joe Peters and Lady Kirstin. Also on June 9 was the Ransomville parade. I would like to thank the members of the Allegany Shrine Club “Mini Karts” for traveling over 2 hours to participate. Your dedication to lsmailia is greatly appreciated. On June 14 and 15 was an Amish auction in Little Valley where we sold Sportsman raffle tickets. Thank you Chief Rabban Jim Mirruso, Noble John Markuse, and Karen Kuether for selling tickets. On June 17 lsmailia had its annual golf tournament and steak roast, June 18 was the Grand High Priestess of the Ladies Oriental Shrine visit to lsmailia. On June 22 Shriners from all over NY state gathered at the request of Most Worshipful Steven Adam Rubin and marched in a parade in Utica at the Masonic home. Also on June 22 was the West Seneca Days parade. Thank you to all who partic- ipated. June 29 – July 5 is the Shriners Imperial Session in Reno, NV. Look for an update in the August Smile. July is set to be another eventful month. The weekend of July 12 DeMolay will be hosting a regional conclave and lock in at the shrine. If anyone has kids or grand kids ages 9-21 and would like more information on Demolay please come on out to the event. Also on July 13 is the Passel and Rogues annual pig roast. For more information please reach out to Noble Christian Henderson. July 20th is lsmailia’s Poten- tate’s reception. The hospitality room will be open Friday evening and onSaturday starting at 11 a.m. Around 1 p.m. we will be having a cornhole tournament at Russells with the proceeds being split between 2 charities and a Hawaiian themed luau featuring a pig roast, brisket, and smoked chicken, as well as kids options. The front dining room will be turned into a kids zone with video games and a Nerf battle zone. I hope you and your families can attend. Just a reminder just about every Wednesday the PHDs meet for lunch at the temple. The food is good and it’s a fun time. Jewelry Raffle and Sports-man raffle tickets are available at the shrine office. Please pick some up to sell. With that all being said, thank you for all you do for the kids in our area, thank you for being a Shriner, and have a safe July.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Jun 17, 2024 | Potentate's Message
Happy June everyone! My year is halfway done, and I have had a blast so far. I am really looking forward to the next 6 months. On Friday May 10 we had our spring Ceremonial and welcomed 6 new Nobles into lsmailia. Let’s make them all feel welcomed when they are at the temple. As some of you may have seen the Silent Messenger statue is back and I would like to thank all those involved with raising him: Gary Crewson, Greg Wolf, Richard Mix, Donald Keipper, Mark Herle, George Herle, and our friend Steve. Thank you gentlemen for all your hard work and dedication. On Saturday May 18 our temple was “All Shook Up” by Terry Buchwald, as he performed all the Elvis favorites to almost 150 people. A big thank you goes out to all who helped put this event on: our crack bartenders David Cammarano and Kenny Beckwith, Patty Cammarano, the Directors Staff for doing the food, but most especially the,Caldwell family – Dennis, Bertie, Tammy Caldwell Patterson, and Ashley Kennedy for planning, organizing, and decorating the,temple for Elvis. Everyone had a great time.
There are a few upcoming events I would like to point out. First is Erie Hospital Day on June 2. Ismailia will be well represented by Nobles and their families. Second is St. Johns Day in Utica. Grand Master Rubin has asked the Shriners to participate in the parade the morning of June 22 @ the Masonic Care Community. June 29-July 5th is the Imperial session in Reno, Nevada, and lastly the potentate’s reception will be on July 20 and will be a casual Hawaiian themed party featuring a pig roast, brisket, smoked chicken and all the fixins. You can register by calling the office or going to the website and downloading the forms. This is a casual family-friendly event. Please wear your best Hawaiian clothes (Hawaiian shirts, shorts, Mumu, sandals, etc). In other words, no formal or semi formal attire. Prior to the reception on Saturday @ noon we will be having a corn hole tournament at Russells. All of the proceeds from the tournament will go to 2 different charities and there will be prizes awarded. Well that’s it for now. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend – see you in July.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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May 21, 2024 | Potentate's Message
May is upon us, and I am happy to say spring has finally sprung. I hope you all enjoyed the eclipse; I know for our family it was uneventful due to the cloud cover. April was a busy month. April 1 was the Dyngus Day Parade – thanks to those who were able to attend. April 9 I had the honor of attending the Gowanda Shrine Club meeting; the Divan along with PP Doug Blajszczak, PP Don Holben, PP Gary Crewson, PP Earl Knauss, & John Markuse traveled to Erie Hospital and presented them with checks totaling $5500.00 for their “Timmy’s Day Out” program. The donation was made possible thanks in part to the Directors staff, the Lockport Shrine Club, the Oasis, and the fish fry wait-staff tip money. The NYOSA conference was April 19-21 and was attended by Chief Rabban James Mirusso and Lady Sue, High Priest and Prophet Ted Clark and Lady Kary, PP Doug Blajszczak, Lady Janet Lachut, & PP Michael Hackford and Lady Kimberly. I unfortunately could not at- tend the spring session as I was recovering from oral surgery. I was however able to represent lsmailia by attending the Lockport Triangles Beloved Queens installation on Saturday April 20. It was an honor to be there and see our Chaplain Brian Ar- cand’s daughter Zooey get installed as Beloved Queen. Zooey chose Sleep in Heavenly Peace as her charity which provides beds and bedding to underprivileged youth across the country, so next time you see Zooey volunteering at the shrine whether it is bussing tables or helping at the Feztival of trees please be sure to con- gratulate her. April 26, I attended the OES Grand Matron and Patron visit to the Niagara Orleans District, and rounding out April was the Rameses Potentates Ball on April 27. Congratulations to Illustrious Sir John Domonkos and Lady Elizabeth. There are quite a few happenings in the coming month. May 8 is our stated session, May 10 is our spring ceremonial – please come and welcome our new nobles and bring your families if you are so inclined. May 18 is the Terry Buchwald concert, and lastly Memorial Day weekend looks to be an extremely busy one this year. May 24 and 25 – not only is there the Amish Relief Auction in the Conewango Valley but there is also the bluegrass feztival to benefit Erie Hospital at the Chautauqua County fairgrounds in Dunkirk. Please if you are able come and attend. Wear your Fez and show your support; the music will run from 5-10 on Friday and 1-10 on Saturday. That weekend is also full of parades across Western NY that our various shrine clubs and units will be participating in. One quick housekeeping item: please if you go into the back garage for any reason make sure the garage door closes before you leave. We have had way too many instances of late where the garage has been found wide open early in the morning, the last time being Friday April 19. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the amazing moms who read this a very Happy Mother’s Day. May your day be filled with love and relaxation. Lastly St. Johns Day weekend is June 20-23 and Deputy Grand Master Steven Adam Rubin has asked for Shriners to be there to march. Not only has he asked for Shriners but he is requesting anyone who has a mini car or is a clown to come and participate. Once I have more specifics I will let you know.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Apr 21, 2024 | Potentate's Message
Well, it’s now April – where has the time gone? The year is moving at a fevered pace, the fish fries were a success and as always it takes a lot of volunteers, and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who have volunteered in the kitchen, dining room, and selling basket raffle tickets. All your help is greatly appreciated by all. This past weekend was the sportsman show at the Erie County fairgrounds and we sold close to 100 tickets. A special thanks goes out to Michael Hackford, Don Holben, Richard Mix, Greg Wolf, Christian and Dick Henderson, Tim Noll, Ted Clark, and my wife Lady Suzanne for manning the booth and selling tickets. Tickets for the sportsman raffle are currently available in the shrine office. Tickets for our annual jewelry raffle are also available in the shrine office. This year there are 23 items on the ticket including 2 gift cards one of which is for $500 donated by Robertson and Bach Jewelers; thank you Bob Robertson and Roxanne O’Malley for your donation. On May 18 Terry Buchwald will be performing at lsmailia and the directors will be selling food for the event. July 20 is my potentate’s reception which will be a Hawaiian themed party that will be a casual affair featuring a pig roast, brisket and some smoked chicken. Now onto some housekeeping: after consulting with our insurance agents, it has been determined that the use of shrine vehicles should be reserved for official shrine business and the transportation of patients to and from the hospitals. With that said we are always in need of “roadrunners” to trans- port our patients. If you have some spare time and are interested in doing so please get your name, date of birth, and drivers license info to the shrine office and Charlie Turner so your name can be given to our insurance company. Thanks to the tips that were received from the fish fries we purchased 2 changing tables for the bathrooms, 1 of which has already been placed in the ladies room, the second will be placed in the men’s room before you read this note. Also, I was notified the other day by the chairman of the Erie hospital board that April 17 the board will be recognizing lsmailia at their monthly board meeting. I plan on attending the meeting – hopefully we can have a good showing from lsmailia. Lastly, I would like to wish PP Ron Bigger and Lady Rita good fortune as the embark on their next chapter and relocate to the St. Louis Missouri area later this month; God speed and good fortune Ron and Rita.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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