Benvenuto to the Dolly Sinatra Lodge… Palm Springs’ Home for the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America

Our 2023-2024 season is in full swing… join us most Wednesday evenings for our fabulous Pasta Socials !!!


The Coachella Valley’s favorite place for Italian-Americans and everyone who wishes they were Italian-American!!!

A Note from our President, Larry Capeloto…

Welcome to the website of the Dolly Sinatra Lodge, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America! Feel free to take a look around, find out more about the Lodge and its activities, and perhaps learn something new about Italian American culture, food, and history. The Lodge welcomes folks of all backgrounds (everybody is Italian when they smile!) and invites all of you to come visit us at our Wednesday Night Pasta Socials or any of our other events and programs. We’re always on the lookout for new members to join the Lodge and share in the fun, so please don’t hesitate to give me a shout if you’d like more information or just want to say hi…

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Ciao,

Larry Capeloto


Come for our famous Wednesday Night Pasta Socials!

Mangia!

Put a little BadaBing!! into your Wednesday nights and join us for our regular weekly pasta socials. Enjoy good Italian food, good company, and a good way to get past hump day. Wonderful live music (heavy on the Sinatra, of course…) almost every Wednesday (see the Calendar of Events section on the home page for the current talent line-up). The Lodge opens at 5:00pm, dinner service begins at 5:30pm. Just $18 for members, $23 for guests, and $6 for kids under 12 (due to state regulations, guests must be accompanied by a paying member). Every Wednesday from October 11, 2023 through May 15, 2024 (NOTE: Closed during some holiday weeks). Proceeds help support Lodge activities. Check the Calendar of Events section on the Lodge website’s homepage at www.dollysinatralodgeosia.org for the latest details about prices, music lineups, and holiday schedules.
So you won’t be turned away, make a reservation for the Weekly Pasta Social by texting or calling Joanne Minard at 1-760-902-0742 or emailing her at jo4840@gmail.com today!

Calendar of Events

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PASTA SOCIALS: To make a reservation for you and your guests at any of our Pasta Socials, please text or call Joanne Minard at 1-760-902-0742 or email her at jo4840@gmail.com NOW!!! We need to make sure we have enough room to accommodate all of you, so PLEASE call ahead. All Pasta Socials are $18 for members, $23 for guests, and $6 for kids under 12.

Wed., Mar. 6, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Michael D’Angelo

Wed., Mar. 13, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Eve Holmes

Wed., Mar. 20, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Larry Capeloto

Wed., Mar. 27, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social (Special Guest Entertainer TBA)

Wed., Apr. 3, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Leslie Tinnaro

Wed., Apr. 10, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Larry Capeloto

Wed., Apr. 17, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social with Special Guest Entertainer Michael D’Angelo

Wed., Apr. 24, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social (Special Guest Entertainer TBA)

Wed., May 1, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social (Special Guest Entertainer TBA)

Wed., May 8, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social (Special Guest Entertainer TBA)

Wed., May 15, 2024: Weekly Pasta Social (Special Guest Entertainer TBA) – LAST PASTA SOCIAL FOR THE 2023-2024 SEASON


Announcements!

PLEASE NOTE NEW RESERVATIONS COORDINATOR… Our good friend and tireless reservations queen, Ms. Lori Harvey, is headed to the Sunshine State and we wish her good fortune and happy times in her new digs! Taking over for Lori will be Ms. Joanne Minard, who will now be the one you call to grab a spot at our very, very popular Pasta Socials as well as any other event the Lodge is putting on. Please give Joanne a text or a call at 1-760-902-0742 or email her at jo4840@gmail.com to reserve your seats and try to do so in advance as far as possible so we don’t drive her crazy right off the bat in her new role. And if you run into Lori before she departs for Florida, please thank her for so many years of service to this Lodge and its members!

PLEASE NOTE NEW PRICES FOR THE PASTA SOCIALS… As of January 1, 2024, all Pasta Socials are $18 for members, $23 for guests, and $6 for kids under 12.

OUR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS ON!!! Help us build for future years of service to the community and fun for our members! The renewal rate for members is $75 per person and the rate for new members is $90 per person. We really appreciate your support in these troubling times and your renewal will insure that the Lodge is as strong as always going forward. Also, please tell your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers about our fabulous Wednesday Night Pasta Socials and invite them to become members. The only requirements (other than the membership fee!) are that they are good people and love all things Italian. Pretty simple! Talk to Joe LaPorta (call him at 1-760-219-9171; email him at joeydoor@dc.rr.com ; or just come to a Pasta Social and ask for Joe) about signing up new members or if you have questions about joining up yourself.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need help in the kitchen. Please call 1-760-219-9171 if you are interested.

SUPPORT OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM! Our Scholarship Fund depends on your donations throughout the year and the generous gratuities you kindly place in the bar’s Tip Jar each Wednesday night. For an incredible example of one Lodge member’s thoughtfulness, please see the photo of Mr. Ron Latteri below! Please talk to Larry Capeloto about how you can help.

CONGRATS TO OUR LATEST SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, JUSTIN LAPORTA AND ELEEN RENEE D’ELIA! Justin will be off to Chattanooga State Community College and Eleen will be attending College of the Desert right here.

KNOW A GOOD KID WHO DESERVES HELP TO GO TO COLLEGE? High school students planning to attend college after graduation can apply to our Scholarship Committee for one of the Lodge’s annual scholarships. The student should be related to a Lodge Member and be of at least partial Italian decent. The applicants’ top three preferred college or university choices should be submitted in writing as soon as possible along with contact information and a short biography. In addition, a transcript of their high school grades should be submitted by May 1, 2024 via U.S. mail to: Sons and Daughters of Italy, c\o Joe LaPorta, P.O. Box 637, Palm Springs, CA 92263

IN MEMORANDUM Our condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends of our recently departed Lodge brothers Joseph Sassarosso and Donald Sullivan. Please keep them in your thoughts and hearts…


He Did It Again… Ron Latteri Just Donated $2,500 to The Lodge Scholarship Fund!!!!

The Incredibly Generous & Thoughtful Ron Latteri and Our Prez Emeritus Joe

Yep, this is a man who keeps on giving! Mr. Ron Latteri clearly knows how important it is to give the next generation a solid education so that they can have a prosperous and fulfilling life, take care of their children, fix the world, solve all of our problems, and learn to be courteous to us old folks. Last season he added $2,500 on top of the $3,000 he’s already donated to the Dolly Sinatra Lodge’s scholarship fund! Wow… Take a page from Ron’s book and dig into your wallet today with a contribution of any size (even a few bucks would be greatly appreciated!) so that additional deserving youngsters can go to college and make us all proud. Talk to Joe La Porta to see how you can help in this very worthy cause. Thanks!


Who we are…

The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America is a national organization of men and women who represent the estimated 17 million Americans of Italian heritage, dedicated to promoting our culture, our traditions, our language, the legacy of our ancestors, and our contributions to the U.S. and the world. We are sons and daughters, grandmothers and grandfathers. We are corporate executives and we are union members…young students and retirees…teachers and attorneys…doctors and firefighters…bakers and Wall Street brokers…and everything in between. We are philanthropists and we are model global citizens with purpose beyond ourselves. And we are proud and patriotic Americans of Italian heritage. We exemplify the very best of what it is to be Italian American.


Photos from Our 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament!

November 2022


ANDY’S CORNER

DOLLY SINATRA LODGE #2400

PALM SPRINGS, CA.

By Andy Casey

JUNE 2022

We always welcome visitors from OSDIA Lodges all over the country to our special little home, the Dolly Sinatra Lodge here in fabulous Palm Springs, California. It’s an honor to have them visit, and when you receive a thank you, as wonderful as the following one, it brings home the message of just how fortunate we are here at our Lodge! Our entertainment is spectacular, as the thank you says! And the regular entertainers bring special, very talented guests occasionally, and I would like to illustrate with three recent nights at our Lodge, which illustrates just how SPECTACULAR we do have things here at Dolly Sinatra Lodge!! But first the thank you email Lori Harvey received recently…

Thank you so much for including us in your weekly dinner. I’m sure it will be the highlight of our trip but please don’t tell the bride & groom whose wedding we are attending! The food was great, the entertainment was spectacular & sharing our Italian heritage is the best. I certainly hope to return sometime in the future. We would welcome any of your lodge members who may find themselves in Maryland to the Annapolis Lodge 2225. Mary Rose Pagnotto Barron (written May 4, 2022)

Larry Capeloto regularly brings guests to his show, some from his weekly show at the Indian Wells Hotel, and others that are just friends. Such was the case for his show March 16. The guest, Jerry Siggins, who was with, The Diamonds tribute band, for 26 years, amongst other performances by this very talented, might I say, spectacular entertainer. And Jerry saved the day when Larry had an equipment failure and couldn’t play background music. Jerry just strapped on his guitar, and he and Larry started singing Irish favorites amongst many classics. Jerry and his guitar saved the evening and we had a night of SPECTACULAR entertainment!

Mr. Larry Capeloto & Mr. Jerry Siggins

Not long after that Michael D’Angelo was having his regular show, and his friend, and friend to many of us, Roberta Linn, former Champagne Lady from the Lawrence Welk Show, and popular Vegas entertainer in the 50’s and 60’s with Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, arrived, and was soon singing and entertaining with Michael, which was just SPECTACULAR! Such are the nights here at our Lodge, when you just don’t know whom will be here! This, anything can happen, anyone can show up, all goes to the excitement and wonder of our Lodge.

Ms. Roberta Linn and Mr. Michael D’Angelo

And every now and then, from down under, no, not Australia, but San Diego, specifically Coronado, they let Mr. Entertainment leave, and return to his old Lodge, and bring his SPECTACULAR show and guests to us. I once said not even God knows what Larry Del Rose is going to unleash, but we know now! This time at least!

Mr. Entertainment! (the fabulous Larry Delrose)

Principally he brought his buddy, Tony Calabrese, an outstanding comedian. Tony is a story teller, and his stories are funny, very funny. He talks of his family, his life, with a wit and deep humor. He also told a story that tried, and indeed succeeded, to explain crypto currency which was indeed hilarious! Larry also had Frank Monteforte do a reprise of his stint with a baton, that he originally did at a charity event, proving that he missed a career as a band leader! Larry also passed out kazoos again, and nobody can still figure the bloody things out, thus I do believe this is the last of them! And Larry sang and bantered with us, and we all look forward to his next turn at our stage!!!

Mr. Tony Calabrese

And thus another season has ended, as we all look forward to cursing the summer heat, it can be brutal, and the reopening of our Lodge on October 12, 2022! And Frank DiSalvo will be here to entertain, and the amazing group of volunteers that hold the Lodge together with President Joe LaPorta, leading the way! Joe told me to remind everyone our Third Annual Golf Tournament and buffet will be on November 14th. Not to be missed!!

A Typical Night at the Dolly Sinatra Lodge!


We’re Rebuilding Our Website and We Need Your Help!

As you may have noticed, the design of our website has changed considerably from the format used from 2010 through the fall of 2020. Our website hosting company required us to update the site due to a compatibility issue, so we’ve been taking the opportunity to rethink about how best to present Lodge information to our Members. The new version displays much better on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, but there’s a lot more we can do. Your help is really needed here because right now we desperately need “content”, which is tech-speak for interesting stuff to read and view, such as favorite Italian recipes, photos from the last Weekly Pasta Social you attended, photos from your last trip to Italy, newspaper articles about the Italian-American experience, the goofy watercolor your darling granddaughter painted in kindergarten last week, whatever.  Please send anything and everything you believe ought to be on the site to the webmaster at info@dollysinatralodgeosia.org .  Thanks!