Leo Council No. 508 Knights of Columbus is a fraternal and religious organization made up of dedicated Catholic men representing all of the Catholic churches in Peabody as well as some from surrounding cities and towns.

The Knights are dedicated to keeping Christ in the hearts and minds of all people and providing charitable works and supporting programs for the people of Peabody. In order to accomplish these goals, a number of exciting fundraising events and activities for the 2007-2008 season have been planned:

r Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Leo Council will sponsor an Open House at Council Hall, 96 Main St., Peabody. New, old and prospective members are invited to attend and to learn more about the Knights while feasting on hot dogs, soft drinks and other snacks.

* A K of C Degree team consisting of Lou Cersosimo, Bob Dunne, Stan Tusinski, Dennis Reardon, Bob Windsor, Manny Santos and Tom Weiser have been busily preparing for certification as a K of C Degree team and will sponsor a First Degree on Monday Aug. 27 to induct new members of the Knights of Columbus.

The first meeting of the season will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at the Council Hall. Supper will be served for $5 per person.

After supper, a Mass will be followed by the installation of the following new officers for 2007-2008: Grand Knight Lou Cersosimo, Deputy Grand Knight Bob Dunne, Recorder Anthony Juliano, Financial Secretary Stan Tusinski, Treasurer Dennis Reardon, Chancellor Bob Windsor, Lecturer Steve Monaco, Warden Roger Chiardonna, Advocate Brian Shaw, Inside Guard Manny Santos, Outside Guard George Robinson and Past Grand Knights Bob Kelso, Sam Spadafore and Tom Weiser and Chaplain, the Rev. Charles Countie.

Bingo is played every Sunday evening at the K of C Hall beginning at 7 p.m. and all are invited to attend for a "knight" full of fun.

And, for the first time in its history, Leo Council has arranged for a table at this year's Peabody International Festival. Members will be on hand to distribute literature explaining the purpose of the organization along with alcohol and drug awareness information.

Also planned for the season ahead are the following events:

r The annual Gallant Baseball Dinner will take place at the meeting of Tuesday, Sept.25. Watch this column for more news on this event.

r Oct. 1 is the date of Leo Council's Golf Tournament at the Meadows Golf Course. The fee is $125 per player and each will receive a gift bag upon registration including a golf shirt. Lunch will be provided after the tournament at the Council Hall, when prizes will be awarded. The proceeds from the tournament will be used for the K of C scholarship fund. For more, contact Tusinski at 978-532-6362. (Also in the planning stages to help the scholarship fund is a Texas Hold-Em night in late February or early March. )

The Knights will also sponsor an annual Children's Halloween Party for the children, a Christmas Party and a huge New Years Eve event to usher in 2008.

And, to keep the religious aspect in focus, the annual K of C retreat will take place in April along with the Palm Sunday Mass. This year, Leo Council will celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony with a Mass for Married Couples. This will take place in February the month that the church dedicates to marriage.

Ice cream social for Woman's Friend tomorrow

Treat yourself and the family and support the Woman's Friend Society at the Second Annual Ice Cream Sundae Social set for tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. in the garden of the Emmerton House, 12 Hawthorne Boulevard, Salem.

The event is sponsored by Treadwell's Ice Cream and will offer ice cream sundaes with chocolate or strawberry sauce, jimmies and sprinkles - all for a $4 donation.

And, as an added feature, Caroline Emmerton (played by Hannah Diozzi) will stroll in the garden and welcome guests. A "What-Not" table will also have items for sale.

Event proceeds will benefit the maintenance of The Emmerton House, which offers affordable, safe housing to 20 women from all walks of life.

For more on the party or on the Woman's Friend Society, call Lois at 978-744-0884 or e-mail womansfriend@verizon.net

North Shore residents support the troops

Operation Troop Support reports that packing of supplies for the troops overseas will resume today.

And, the second Holiday Wrapping Event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon at Danvers High School.

"We have an abundance of gifts that need wrapping and we are asking volunteers to come and bring friends and neighbors," said Operation Troop Support spokesman Dick Moody, who said that the first holiday wrap held at the high school recently was a great success and that the extra room made the humanitarian effort much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

"At the end of the day, 1,700 gifts had been wrapped, and everyone had a good memory to bring home with them," he said. "Our special thanks go out to the Danvers School Department and its janitorial staff who generously allowed us to take over the Dunn Cafeteria for the day. We will hold all future wraps this year at that facility, and we hope to have even more participation in the coming months."

Moody also extends thanks on behalf of Operation Troop Support to all the volunteers and to Easy Storage of Salem for donating space to store the gifts until November.

"A very special thank-you also goes out to the Danvers DCAT and The Salem News, who covered the event," Moody continued, adding that a highlight of the day came when Sgt. Dave

Pothier, a Marine who recently returned from his third deployment to Iraq, came by to personally thank Operation Troop Support for the care packages he received while overseas.

Operation Troop Support's meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at the VFW Hall, Danvers, will feature a special guest, Lt. Commander Dave Saluto of Operation Compassion, who recently returned from Afghanistan. He will speak briefly and present a slide show that he put together while working with the Afghan people. As usual, the meeting will also offer the latest information on health news and other reports of interest.

Operation Troop Support Family Support Group meets the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the VFW Post at 5 Conant St. in downtown Danvers. Anyone who has a friend or loved one either facing deployment, currently deployed or who has just returned from service is welcome to attend.

For more, contact Dick Moody at dick_moody@hotmail.com.

Emblem Club plans penny sale

Peabody Emblem Club No. 2 has issued an invitation to enjoy a night of fun at an Embola (giant penny sale) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23 at the Peabody-Lynn Lodge of Elks, 40 Oak St. Peabody. There will be door prizes, refreshments and fun for all.

Kiwanis race will support scholarships

The Danvers Kiwanis Club will present its 14th Annual Rubber Duck Race to provide scholarship funds for local college students on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 11:15 a.m.

That's when hundreds of rubber ducks will be dumped into the Porter River adjacent to Popes Landing. It's an exciting time as the drama escalates and the lead duck streaks towards the finish line.

Who will be the winner of the first prize of $1,500; second prize of $500 and third prize of $300 and the 10 runner-up prizes? Come and find out and join this great day of family fun, which will include pre-race festivities with food, fun and games starting at 10 a.m. The event is sponsored by the Danvers Kiwanis Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization providing scholarship funds for local college students.

To enter the race, you can adopt a rubber duck for $5 or potentially improve your chances of winning by adopting six ducks for $25 or a family of 13 ducks for $50. Duck number assignments will be mailed to entrants before the race. For details or to adopt a duck, contact the Danvers Kiwanis Club, c/o George Blanchette, 47 Chase St., Danvers.

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Club News runs every other Friday in The Salem News. If your club or organization has news to share, call Cynthia Garber at 978-531-5863; e-mail csgarber@comcast.net or fax 978-531-6756.