Camp Merritt Post 21
Newsletter
Summer has finally arrived, somehow spring eluded us this year. Now that summer is here please enjoy and be safe.
In April, Caldwell Bankers, Jeffery Van Zant and his wife presented a Mortgage Seminar that was interesting, informative, and we learned of the changes to the industry of home buying.
On April 14th “The Party of Five” performed our Doo Wop night, it was well attended and enjoyed by all - and we made a profit on the night.
We are now using CALLING POST, a phone tree service, to advise our post members who do not have computers to keep them informed of upcoming events. At a reasonable cost of $25 per month. We have used it with success, now there is no excuse to miss anything.
May is Poppy Month
Please let’s all try and give some time and get out there to collect donations for our veterans and their families.
● Kings is available - May 19th & 20th from 9 am to 1 pm or 2 pm. Continuous coverage would be great.
● Benjamin’s Brothers in Tenafly is - 9 am on Saturdays and at the
● Cresskill Hot Bagels - Saturday & Sundays starting at 8 am. We will have the poppies in bags with collection jars this week. You can pick them up at the post.
Boys State
Our post will be sending five boys to Boys State this year at a cost of $1250.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, May 20th at 9 Am – Flags at Mount Carmel Cemetery- please meet at the post to pick up the flags for placing flags on the graves of our veterans at Mt. Carmel cemetery.
Thursday, May 24th at 2:15pm - Merritt Memorial School
Camp Merritt Legionaries to attend the flag dedication to a deceased Veteran.
Last year’s flag flown for one year at the school was Kevin Sullivan’s Flag. I will be contacting Phyllis Tedesco to reconfirm she would like her husband’s flag be flown this coming year.
Monday, May 28th Memorial Day Parade
Meet at the legion and we will have cars to bring you up to the monument. The Short ceremony will commence at 10 am sharp. Rain or shine. March down to Veteran Square for the Ceremony. After the ceremony hot dogs and refreshments will be served at the Post. We will require a car for our Grand Marshal possibly two.
Thursday, June 14th - Flag Disposal – invitations to the three schools will be sent out shortly. We will need readers and help during this ceremony, is about 1 ½ hour.
Saturday, June 23 - Texas Holdem
Get ready all you serious poker players
Early Oktoberfest
Yes, that’s right we’re working on an Early Oktoberfest sometime in the near future. Earlier than October, before all the other Oktoberfest begin. We will let you know.
June or September 22nd - first Pig roast and BBQ.
Dates will be discussed.
Saturday, October 6th - possibly Cresskill and the Legion will get together in our parking lot. We will invite BBQ Vendors to sell their delicious BBQ meats. Beer sold in the parking lot and we will try to have a band.
Saturday, October 20th Second and last one for the year
Saturday, October 27th 5 to 8 pm
Ladies Auxiliary
Pasta Dinner
$10 per person
Garage Sale - Legion Parking lot.
There has been some interest for this venue and we will try to put this together. We have discussed this from time to time with no good outcome.
We have one volunteer so far, should anyone be interested please let us know. If we have interest then we will proceed to schedule it.
Donations
Camp 4 Heroes is under Adopt a Soldier Platoon project
Our post donated $3,000 over the year plus personal donations from the following:
J. Calabrese, J. Cooley, J. Cutolo, F. Demarest, R. Hofmann. G. Kennedy, J. Mace, D. Moloney, M. Monahan, R. Tolentino, H. Olmo, total donations $975. Total contributions from our post $3,975. Since the cabin has now been completed and fully paid for the excess funds will be used to furnish the cabin. A Plaque with our posts name and members who donated will placed in the cabin.
This is a great project for our veterans and their families to go - to totally free for those who have problems from their service to our country.
We along with other Legion Posts raised over $50,000 to build a cabin for our Wounded/Recovering Veterans at Camp4Heroes in Fairmont, NC.
Nam Knights Tim Kelley bikers squad $100
Boy Scouts of Cresskill Pasta Dinner $25
Thanks to all who attended
Adopt – A- Soldier Platoon
Helping packing
Packages for our men and women on active duty
We have our petition for local X-Ray facilities -to date we have 539 signatures, some posts have not turned in their petitions. If anyone wished you can take a blank and have your friends, neighbors, church members sign our petitions if you feel this is appropriate. You need not be a veteran to sign this petition.
Thanks to Richie Armstrong, we now have two new Bose speakers. Richie helped install them, please be kind, don’t play the music too loud.
Kitchen fryers have been cleaned and new cooking oil put in preparation for
our next breakfast.
Weather Stripping was put on the delivery entrance door to stop bugs and dust from entering.
We have uninvited visitors “Termites” which will be dealt with next Thursday am - cost $500.
Our New park benches arrived today at our post thanks to Warren Bruno and crew. They will be installed next week. As our beautiful donated park benches are much wider than our concrete slab which now has to be extended, this will be done next Wednesday.
For God and Country
Commander Joe Cutolo