Milwaukee Chapter -- Shamrock Club of Wisconsin

MARCH 4, 2010 MEETING AND BIRTHDAY PARTY
The next general meeting will be Thursday, MARCH 4, 2010 at the ICHC at 7 pm. It is the Shamrock club's 50th Birthday Party. We will have a concert by the Shamrock Club Color Guard, Pipes and Drums to open the night. Birthday cake will also be served.
For dinner, we will have Baked Potatoes with all the trimmings: toppings provided will be shredded cheddar, sour cream (with and without chives), butter (of course), salsa, and beef stew. Contact Veronica Ceszynski at irishv@ameritech.net or call 414-228-8621 for more information.
Also, meet the 2010 Irish Honorees - Josh Walton, Irishman, Veronica Ceszynski, Irish Rose, and Joe hughes and Bridget O'Brien, Parade Marshals. 50 Years of history will be on display.
The meeting is free and open to the public.

Veronica's Corner
March...
After snow cancelled the January meeting, the Chili Competition finally was held in February… a tasty evening enjoyed by all. Winning chili was made by Ron Danielson. Other winners were Mary Culver, Mary Fisher, Ed Heck, Mary Jo Kaufman and Tom McAleese. Congratulations and thanks for participating in what we hope will become an annual event. Just a note: leftover chili was gathered and donated to the meal program for the school kids next door. They were delighted with this great lunch. Thanks!
March, the Month of St. Patrick, brings thoughts of potatoes. So, we will have Baked Potatoes with all the trimmings: toppings provided will be shredded cheddar, sour cream (with and without chives), butter (of course), salsa, and beef stew. Anything I forgot? Bring it. We'll also need vegetable salads.
My friend, Nancy Bunkleman Keeling Kriel of Golden Gourmet, is creating a special cake for us to commemorate the start of our 50th year… so no dessert items needed in March.
Come early, stay late. The Shamrock Club meetings are for meeting, mingling, and conviviality. What a perfect way to start the Grand Month of St. Patrick.
Questions? Call Veronica Ceszynski at 414 228-8621.

President's Message - March 2010
This is it, the big month on the calendar for all of us. We have chocked the month full of activities and celebration for the entire community. We are convinced you will see the greatest parade ever for our 50th anniversary. Mike O'Leary has worked long and hard to make this happen. The costs of this parade are really hard to hold down, and without our partnership with Westown Association, the Shamrock Club would be hard pressed to make this work each year. We offer this as a gift to the community and to lighten the hearts looking towards spring.
Paula Harrold has been diligently working on our 25th annual mass in honor of St. Patrick. We are fortunate to have our Archbishop Jerome Listecki as our celebrant this year. The Mass is the absolute best way to begin the day on March 13 at St. Patrick's Church on Milwaukee's South Side. Please donate towards the floral displays enhancing the altar, and do this in memory of a family member or loved one. The choir under the direction of Bob Harrold will be a treat for all. The club will have buses at the ICHC that morning to transport those wishing to park and ride. The transportation is under the direction of Terry Stephens. We will ask a small fee for a ride, and also collecting it at the bus door, and the meeting. The buses will transport folks downtown for the parade, and also be in the parade for those that don't want to walk the parade route. This is the most advantageous way of enjoying the day, and I encourage you to do so.
There will be a wonderful breakfast at the ICHC under the direction of Lorraine Neuberg when you return from mass.
The post parade party will be bombastic as always. It is being chaired by Al Moss from our Celtic Soccer Team. Please step up and assist that day if you could. We want everyone to make this special. We are charging $1 to enter the building for the event. Low prices to make it possible for the family and friends to come in, eat, drink, and enjoy the culture. Thanks to Barry Stapleton, we have the group Different Drums this year, and the Hallamor will be rocking. How could anyone resist our entertainment lineup?
We are so pleased we will have the former Parade Marshals at the meeting. We also will enjoy the formal introduction of the Honorees for 2010: Parade Marshals Joe Hughes and Bridget O’Brien, Irish Rose Veronica Ceszynski, and Irishman Josh Walton. Josh follows in his father’s footsteps, Doc Walton was our Irishman in 1978. The selection of these individuals occurs upon our members' nominations, and our Board of Directors vote. I know you concur this is a fine representation of the Shamrock Club in our 50th year.
Get to the meeting this month for our celebration, and to begin the nomination process for the elections in May.
Consider running for office, or nominating someone. Remember that the person must be present to accept the nomination. Come listen to our SCCGPD in a short recital under their new Director Rand Harteau. You must come out this month, since we're all waiting to see you again.
Julie Smith, President

Milwaukee Chapter of the
Shamrock Club of Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Chapter meets the first Thursday of each month at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue.

Milwaukee Activities Include:

MARCH ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVENTS:

Annual Birthday Party, ICHC; 7 pm

Gaelic Mass at St. Patrick's Parish, 7th and Washington on March 13, 2010

Parade at Noon, Wisconsin Avenue on March 13, 2010

Post Parade party, 1 p.m. at the ICHC on March 13, 2010

OTHER YEARLY EVENTS

Monthly meeting, 1st Thurdays of the month, 7:00 p.m., ICHC

Our annual Easter Rising Mass on April 4, 2010 at the ICHC at 10 am.

Visit us at Irish Fest in the Sales and Cultural Areas in August

See us at Milwaukee's Holiday Folk Fair in the Cultural, Food, and Retail areas each November.

Join us for our annual picnic in August.

Join us for our Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Mass in mid-September

Christmas Party and Pot Luck Dinner the first Thursday in December.

Emerald Reflections, our monthly newsletter

Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums

Join The SHAMROCK CLUB

Would you like to join the Shamrock Club? Download a

Membership application application form here. We would love to have you join our celebration of Irish life.

Milwaukee Board of Directors:
The 2009-2010 board of directors for the Milwaukee chapter are as follows: Julie Smith, Brian Witt, Past President; Sandy Quinlan, Vice President; John Fisher, treasurer; Malkin Wallace, secretary; Veronica Cesczynski, sergeant at arms; Denis Donohoe, membership chair; Tom McAleese, parliamentarian; and trustees: Kathy Donovan, Mary Culver and Josh Walton. Their terms are from July 1 2009 until June 30, 2010.

Bylaws:

Bylaws for the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin are available by clicking here.

WHY ARE WE THE SHAMROCK CLUB?

The shamrock is a three leafed plant used by St. Patrick to explain the Trinity. It has been found by Irish botanists to be a clover, oxalis, or any other trefoil. We chose the shamrock because it best symbolized the work of St. Patrick, and as a emblem of being Irish. Irish patriots wore sprigs of the plants in their hats during the 1798 Rebellion. It has been a sign that people are united as Irishmen and Irishwomen, in a non-sectarian sense, beginning in the 1600s. Remember, too, a shamrock only has three leaves. The lucky four leaf clover is not a shamrock, nor is it s a sign of being Irish.

WHY IS IT THE GREEN SEASON?

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin coined the phrase the "Green Season" in 1989, at the suggestion of Shamrock Club member, Dublin native, and UW Milwaukee lecturer and historian John Gleeson. Mr. Gleeson said that St Patrick's Day had grown from just a one day celebration to over a month. And in the following years, it has only grown larger and longer. Now, it runs from February to the beginning of April. Long live the Green Season.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

We awarded a number of $500 scholarships for college level students who qualified. The 2009 winners are: Marisa Rondinelli of Whitefish Bay; Corinne Conley of Cary, IL; Kathleen Burns of Milwaukee; and Stacy Cannon of Sheboygan. Congratulations to these women. In addition, the Shamrock Club and the AOH Milwaukee chapter awarded a $500 scholarship to Sean Cavanaugh, of Milwaukee.
There were also four Ted Nestor Druming and Piping Scholarships awarded. They went to Kylie Mervin, Noel Tylla, Dave Culver and Matt Waters. The Nestor Scholarships are used at the annual Midwest Piping and Druming School at St John's Northwestern Academy in Delafield.

Each year the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin's Milwaukee chapter has a raffle to raise funds for its Scholarship Raffle. We have given away over $25,000 since 1972. The scholarships are for Irish studies related programs, and are open to all college level students. We also have a scholarship for pipers and drummers to attend the yearly Piping and Drumming School in Milwaukee, (the Ted Nestor Scholarship, open only to Shamrock Club members). Many students have used the money to study in Glencolmcille, County Donegal. Others have attended school at Trinity College, or many of the UC Colleges or the NUI schools in Ireland. In additon, students have used the money to attended the annual Irish language immersion weekends in Milwaukee or Madison, WI.

The Shamrock Club also administers the Milwaukee Chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians scholarship.
For a list of Scholarship Winners, click Scholarship Winners. For a copy of the Scholarship application, please clickSC Scholarship application.

Shamrock Club Honorees for 2010 Named

2010 MILW HONOREES

Left to right: Josh Walton, Veronica Ceszynski, and Joe Hughes and Bridget O'Brien

Congratulations to our Irish Honorees for 2010. They are Josh Walton, Irishman of the Year; Veronica Ceszynski. Irish Rose, and Joe Hughes and Bridget O'Brien, Parade Marshals.