We’ll be back for the 2026-2027 season on Wednesday, October 14, 2026!!!
Our last Weekly Pasta Social was Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and so we’ll be (mostly) closed for the summer, but now’s a good time to mark your calendars for the Season Grand Opening on October 14th.
And yes, that’s a Wednesday! For the 2026-2027 season, we’re returning to the usual Wednesday night schedule for our Pasta Socials. Change is always a good thing!
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 Weekly Pasta Socials where the dinners include soup, salad, a fabulous pasta dish, garlic bread, and dessert. And that’s not all…after dinner you are treated to a top Desert Entertainer (who is also a member) performing for you each week. All of this for only $18 for members and $23 for non members (guests)? Wow! And we have many other events and programs throughout the season that runs from the beginning of Fall to the end of Spring.
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. There’s a $95 membership fee for the first year and just $75 a year thereafter. Come and join our family and celebrate your Italian Heritage, but even if you aren’t a Son or Daughter of La Bel Paese (“the beautiful country”), come and celebrate all things Italian!. If you are interested in joining or have any questions regarding membership, please contact me at 1-760-219-3267 or chat with me at the next Pasta Social.
Ciao,
Larry Capeloto, President
Come for our famous Weekly Pasta Socials when we return in Oct. 2026!
Mangia!
Put a little BadaBing!! into your life 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 from October to May. Please see the Calendar of Events section on our home page for the schedule and 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 14, 2026 through mid-May 2027 (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
WEEKLY 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. Lodge opens at 5:00pm, dinner service begins at 5:30pm.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WEEKLY PASTA SOCIALS WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS FROM OCTOBER 2026 ONWARD!!!
Tue., May 12, 2026: FINAL WEEKLY PASTA SOCIAL OF THE 2025-2026 SEASON!
Wed., May 13 – Tue., Oct. 13, 2026: CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER (stay cool!)
Wed., Oct. 14, 2026: OPENING NIGHT WEEKLY PASTA SOCIAL FOR THE 2026-2027 SEASON (Please Note: Starting October 2026, we will return to Wednesdays as our usual night for the Weekly Pizza Socials)
Mon., Nov. 16, 2026: THE JOE LAPORTA CLASSIC… OUR ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AT INDIAN CANYONS GOLF RESORT (please see below for details)
Announcements!
(from left to right, Lodge V.P. Danny Lodolo, 2025-2026 Season Sauce Champions Paul & Lisa Tonelli, Sauce Queen Donna Martella, Lodge President Larry Capeloto, and Lodge Chairman Emeritus Joe La Porta)
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MAKERS OF THE ABSOLUTE BEST SPAGHETTI SAUCE (gravy, sugo, whatever you call it…) IN THE WORLD!
ALL HAIL PAUL & LISA TONELLI !!!
You are going to have a very difficult time explaining why to your grandchildren if you weren’t able to be here for our 2025-2026 Season Spaghetti Sauce Contest that was held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. You’d have to tell them that you missed seeing Paul and Lisa being crowned as the winner of two separate divisions: The People’s Choice selection that was the result of everyone attending the event tasting (and voting on) the fantastic variety of sauces that were submitted for their consideration, and The Pasta Sauce Queen’s Choice selection made by Italian cuisine expert and everyone’s favorite royal, Her Highness Donna Martella. That’s right, Paul & Lisa won not just one award but two! It’s like winning the World Series and the Superbowl all in the same season… If you don’t want to have to explain again how you failed to be there for such an amazing event, you’ll just have to make plans to show up next year (and bring your grandkids with you!).
START COUNTING THE DAYS UNTIL OUR ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT ON NOVEMBER 16, 2026!
It’s time to break out your clubs, go hit a few dozen balls at the range, start watching those YouTube instructional videos on putting you’ve been ignoring, and get your swing perfected… Why? Only a few more months remain before you’ll need to have your A-game in shape for the Dolly Sinatra Lodge’s Annual Golf Tournament, better known throughout the civilized sporting world as the Joe LaPorta Classic. Yeah Baby! This will be the best Monday you’ve ever spent in November (Palm Springs’ most pleasant month to be outside) and you’ll be doing it at the Indian Canyons Golf Resort, perhaps the most picturesque course in SoCal. See the flyers below for green fees and brunch reservations. You need to sign up (and pay for) your slot and you should do it soon as this is a very, very popular event.
This event is a monster fundraiser for us and you absolutely need to be part of it, even if you don’t know your Birdies from your Mulligans or think a Bogey is just an actor who was pretty great in “Casablanca”. You can donate cash so Laurie Tappero and other wonderful volunteers can make gift baskets, you can donate gift baskets or the items to be included in them directly to Laurie (laurie9699@gmail.com), or you can buy a ticket for the lovely buffet that’ll be at the scenic clubhouse. And if you want to really make a splash and get some powerful advertising for your business (or just yourself!) to boot, become one of our beloved tournament sponsors (see the flyers below).
If you still have questions after reading the flyers, please reach out to Danny Lodolo at 1-818-269-7559.
THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS FOR OUR CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE! Here’s a photo of Dolly Sinatra Lodge President Larry Capeloto delivering toys donated by our members for the Barbara Sinatra Toy Drive at Eisenhower Hospital.
PLEASE CONTACT OUR RESERVATIONS COORDINATOR MS. JOANNE MINARD… Joanne is the person you want to talk to if you want to grab a spot at our very, very popular Pasta Socials as well as any other event the Lodge is putting on. Please give her 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.
OUR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS ON!!! Help us build for future years of service to the community and fun for our members! The annual renewal rate for members is $75 (first year rate for new members is $95). We really appreciate your support and your renewal will ensure that the Lodge is as strong as always going forward. Also, please tell your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers about our fabulous Weekly Night Pasta Socials and invite them to become members.
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 during each of our Weekly Pasta Socials. As we’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, your donations to the Fund are TAX DEDUCTABLE! 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 2025 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS! Ayden Jacobs, Isiah Jacobs, Christopher Palacios, and Tessa Troiano received $1,000 each from the Fund! We know they’ll make us proud…
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 descent. The applicant’s 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, 2026 via U.S. mail to: Sons and Daughters of Italy, c\o Joe LaPorta, P.O. Box 637, Palm Springs, CA 92263
Hawaiian Night at the Western Convention
Ron Latteri is The Man!!!!
Yep, this is a classy guy 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. A while back 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
A Typical Night at the Dolly Sinatra Lodge!
Snapshots from the 2024-2025 Season…
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!