Notes from the Editor

 

    State and County Fairs have run their course, the National VFW Convention has come and gone, school has started, and we are now looking forward to the three day Labor Day weekend. When that concludes, summer will truly be over! But don’t worry, there are enough activities taking place in September to satisfy everyone! The month starts off with the three-day weekend, followed immediately by Post and Auxiliary meetings on Tuesday, September 3rd. Fall Festival is the big event this month, on September 6, 7, & 8. This three day event will require plenty of volunteers, so please help out!

 

    Please read through the entire newsletter, attend your respective VFW or Auxiliary meetings, and take advantage of the events the VFW/Auxiliary has to offer; come on down and support your organization!      

         

    For all you grandparents out there, Sunday, September 8th is your special day - Grandparents’ Day! If possible, make sure to give your grand-kids a extra squeeze, or call them up to say Hi! I know it should be the other way around, but don’t wait for that to happen!  

 

   -Tom Cleland, Editor

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A Simple Answer

    My wife has these days when she “wants us to talk about things."  We were discussing aspects of our future, so when it was my turn

I asked her,  "What will you do if I die before you?”

    After some thought, she said that she'd probably look for a house-sharing situation with three other single or widowed women who might be a little younger than herself, since she is so active for her age.

    Then she asked me, "What will you do if I die first?”

    The last thing I remember saying was, "Probably the same thing."

 

    Starbuck’s is going to start selling beer and wine; apparently it’s getting difficult to sell sober people a $12 cup of coffee!

   

Best Help Wanted Ad Ever

Construction Workers Needed: Please do not apply if you oversleep, have court often, do not have a babysitter every day, have to get rides to work later than our work day begins, experience flat tires every week, have to hold on to a cell phone all day, or will become an expert at your job with no need to learn or take advice after the first day. Must be able to talk and work at the same time. Must also remember to come back to work after lunch. Should not expect to receive gold stars for being on time. If you qualify, leave name and number.

   

    I got gas today for $1.39. Unfortunately, it was at Taco Bell!

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VFW and VFW Auxiliary Monthly Meetings

 

   The VFW and the VFW Auxiliary both hold their monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month (this month it is September 3rd) at 7:00 PM at the Post Home, 11385 2nd Street.

 

    There will be a joint meeting of the VFW and the Auxiliary at 6:30 PM.

   

    All VFW and Auxiliary members are invited to attend their respective meetings.

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From Commander Ruben Hernandez:

   First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for your volunteerism during the month of August; during the meat raffles, monthly dinner, Hall events, horseshoes, karaoke, etc. Teamwork is of the essence. It is very much APPRECIATED.  

 

    CONGRATULATIONS to Tom Cleland for having been awarded the Congressional Veterans Commendation by Adam Kinzinger, Representative in Congress for Illinois’s 16th District. This award was presented on August 19, 2019 at Oglesby, IL, and highlighted Tom’s military and civic service. There is a picture of the presentation in the Korsh Room.

 

    Thank you to Jeff Weaver for setting up the TV/video bulletin board highlighting the VFW Officers and Board, the Auxiliary Officers, and current monthly events. Let’s make an effort to keep this up to date.      

 

    Remember that every Friday is RED Shirt Friday, Remembering our Deployed Troops! This starts at 6:00 PM. Thank you for your support.

 

    We now have a window air conditioner in the kitchen, installed by Gene Mund. Thank you, Gene. Thanks to all those involved in setting up the parking barriers in the back parking lot.

 

    Thanks to everyone who helped with the Post dinner last month to make it a success!

 

    Don’t forget to volunteer for the Fall Festival September 6th - September 9th. Also don’t forget the parade on Sunday, September 9th  at 11:00 AM.

 

PRIORITY MISSION GOALS:

    1. Membership Retention & Recruitment

    2. "Veterans First" for our Veterans and their Families

    3. A Reflection of Who We Are

 

    LET'S REMEMBER THAT THE VFW IS NOT A CLUB, BUT A POST FOR ALL MILITARY VETERANS WHO SHARE COMMON EXPERIENCES.

 

    LET US BE RESPECTFUL AND TACTFUL TO EVERYONE.

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From VFW Auxiliary President Ann Stenberg:

    Seems like time just flies by.  I cannot believe it is already September.  

 

    August had the Auxiliary going out in the local neighborhood handing out certificates of appreciation for flying the American flag.

We met a lot of interesting neighbors and heard interesting stories. One that really touched us was the flag they were flying was her Dad’s flag. We gave out 10 certificates, and received a lot of smiles. We hope to get out again in September.  

 

    The Auxiliary is hosting the meat raffle on September 7th.  Come out and support the Auxiliary and possibly win some meat to put on your bar-b-que!  

     The Auxiliary will also be doing the monthly dinner on Wednesday, September 18th. We will be serving Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and bread for $8.00. We will also have a bake sale.  

 

    We are always looking for new members, so if you know of anyone interested please let me know. Enjoy the nice weather we are having and be safe!    

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2019 Fall Festival

    This year’s Fall Festival will be held on Friday, September 6th through Sunday, September 8th. We will be serving food all three days. The menu will consist of Roast Beef sandwiches, fried foods, such as french fries, onion rings, cheese curds, etc., and pickles-on-a-stick, plus soda and water.

    The Fall Festival Parade will be held on Sunday, with the Roscoe VFW Color Guard leading the parade. Step-off will be at 11:00 AM.

    Set-up for Fall Festival will be Thursday, September 5th at 4:00 PM. Help will be needed for set-up, and for serving and cooking all three days of the Fall Festival; Friday, Sept. 6, 5 - 10 PM; Saturday, Sept. 7, 10:00 AM - 10 PM; and Sunday, Sept. 8, from Noon - 6:00 PM.

    Please volunteer to help, if only for a couple of hours!

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VFW Golf Playday THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!!

    The VFW is sponsoring a Golf Play-Day on Saturday, September 14th at Beaver Creek Golf Course. The cost of the outing is $50.00, with a 9:00 AM tee time. Included in the cost are: eighteen (18) holes of golf, including a cart and two free beer tickets, followed by a steak dinner at the VFW. If you would like more information, call the Post Home at 815-623-7663.

    Everyone is invited to participate; young or old; male or female. There will be contests for both male and female golfers. This is an excellent opportunity to enjoy some golf, good food and comradeship.

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Co-Ed Horseshoe League

    A Co-Ed Horseshoe League will be forming and playing on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. The league will run from September 5th - October 17th, at a cost of $2.00 per person per week. Singles and walk-ins are welcome. For more details, call or text Kelly at

847-217-9563. You can sign up at the bar now.

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Auxiliary Dinner

    This month the Auxiliary will be preparing and serving the monthly dinner on Wednesday, September 18th from 4:30 - 7:00 PM.

The entree will consist of Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread and coffee. The cost of this meal will be $8.00 per person.

    Help will be needed for preparation and serving of the meal, and clean-up after the meal. Contact President Ann Stenberg to volunteer, or for more information.

    Come on down and enjoy a great dinner!

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6th District Meeting

    The next 6th District meeting will be held on Sunday, September 15th at 2:00 PM at Clifford E. Johnson VFW Post 9759,

2018 Windsor Road, in Loves Park.

There will be a luncheon served at 1:00 PM, prior to the meeting. Please let Commander Ruben Hernandez or President Ann Stenberg know if you are attending, so they can make reservations for the luncheon.

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RED Shirt Friday

    The Post has begun a RED Shirt Friday; the purpose of which is to Remember Everyone Deployed. Here is how it will work:

  Program limited to Friday from 6:00 PM until “last call;”

  Program limited to one free drink per day per person wearing a red shirt;

  Program covers wine and domestic can or bottle beer only;

  Any red shirt may participate;

   Yellow chip for beer; Blue chip for wine;

  When a red shirt individual purchases a drink, the bartender will give either a yellow or blue chip of equal or lesser value to

     that person only;

  For example, a person wearing a red shirt purchasing multiple drinks will receive one chip only;    

  Customized Post 2955 T-shirts may be purchased for $15.00 each;

  Customized shirts with collars may be ordered with a pre-payment of $30.00;

  Program rules may change at a future time.  

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VFW Summer 2019 Blood Drive Results:

    The Rock River Valley Blood Center was set up in our Hall on Wednesday August 13th. We had a total of thirty-two people attempt

to donate blood, with 26 pints of blood collected! This included nine first-time donors!

Thank you to all who donated!  

    Our next Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, November 13th, from 3:00 - 6:30 PM. We are looking for an equally large turnout

of Volunteer Donors at this Blood Drive.  Thanks for giving!

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Post Member Appointed State Director

    Post Life Member, and Past 6th District Commander, Chuck Ingle has been appointed VFW State Community Activities Director by Department Commander Brad Gould. For the second consecutive year, Chuck will direct Post community activities and oversee the reporting of those activities throughout the state. Congratulations, Chuck, and Good Luck again this year!

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Kitchen to be Closed

    The kitchen will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd. On that day, several items will be available across the bar. They include: pizzas, hot pretzels and garlic cheese bread.

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Karaoke

    There will be karaoke in the Canteen on Friday, September 6th and Friday, September 20th, starting at 7:00 PM. Come on in to listen to the music, sing along with your friends, or even try your own voice at the Karaoke machine. Everyone is welcome to sing or just listen!

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Pig Roast and Bonfire

    The VFW will be hosting a Pig Roast and Bonfire on Saturday, October 5th. There will be food, corn (hopefully), beer, music and raffles. Mark your calendar for this event! More details in next month’s newsletter or on the video display just inside the Canteen door.

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How Children perceive their Grandparents

    Grandma was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I'll probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye.

 

    My young grandson called the other day to wish me happy birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 80. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"  

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Historical Happenings

September 2   - VJ Day - 74th anniversary of the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies. This signing took place onboard the

                                          US battleship Missouri.

September 2   - Labor Day  

September 8   - Grandparents’ Day

September 11 - Patriot’s Day

September 14 - Ladies Auxiliary organized - 1914 

                          Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key - 1814  

September 17 - US Constitution approved  - 1787

September 18 - USAF established - 1947

September 20 - POW/MIA Recognition Day

September 23 - Autumn begins

September 29 - VFW established - 1899; Gold Star Mothers’ Day