The Montgomery County Saint Patrick’s Parade Committee is now in the works of receiving applications and sponsors for the Conshohocken Saint Patrick’s Parade that will take place on March 10th at 2 pm.

The parade committee is made up of AOH and LAOH members of the Notre Dame Division, Montgomery County and we are proud of what this parade has developed into and we work hard to improve it every year.

If you wish to take part in this parade or be a sponsor to help support this event please fill out the application
2012 parade sponsor applicaion
Parade Application 2012
and return to the parade committee.

     If you never been to our parade stop up.  The one mile parade route is lined with Pubs, restaurants and lots of great people.

Thanks,

Pete Hand

St. Patrick’s Parade Committee

Past President AOH Notre Dame Div. #1

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 12 Noon

At the AOH Clubhouse Bucks County Division 1
614 Corson Street
Bristol, PA

Hosted by Michael Dougherty, Bucks County Division 1
www.aohbristol.com

Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 12 Noon

At the AOH Montgomery County Division 1 Clubhouse
342 Jefferson Street
Swedesburg, PA

Hosted by Notre Dame Montgomery County Division 1
www.aohnd1.com

First, The Pa. State Board will meet next Saturday, December 3rd, at the VFW Hall,  440 Sterling Rd. (RT196) in Tobyhanna, Monroe Co. beginning promptly at 1:00 PM. All Officers and Chairmen giving reports must have typed copy for the State Secretary.

Second, when your division elections are complete please forward copy of the Certificate of Elections / Form 9 to the State
Secretary. A copy will be faxed to the National Secretary.

Third, So far about 20 divisions have updated their information for the Pa. Division Directory to be posted on our State Website. Go to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqkKjwZrsJ9cdHNISURLOFpidGFxcGZ0a0VQN1NCT3c  to do so online.

Finally, The Pa. State Board Calendars are still available, Please contact Eugene Daly at   Eugh39@aol.com   or
call him at   215-606-7580. You can also pick them up at Div. 39 on Tulip St. The sale of the calendars enables
the Pa. State Board to keep its State Assessments at $2 per member,  the lowest in the AOH !

Leave Newark at 9 pm Thursday August 30th arrive Belfast at 9am on Friday August 31st.. Picked up by luxury Coach for the remainder of our trip. About a 2 hour ride to Balbriggan outside Dublin to our hotel. We will stop for breakfast on the way and probably stop at some important sites on the way as we will not be able to book into the hotel until afternoon. Father Judge plays on Friday evening in Dublin and anyone who wants to go to the game we will have tickets and transportation on our coach.

Saturday Sept 1st Breakfast in the Hotel then go to Dublin. Sightseeing Dublin on your own and the Notre Dame game tickets for those who want to go. We have tickets for everyone for both games but some people may not want to go it is up to you. According to what time the game is we may tailgate or go someplace for the evening. Back to the hotel Sat. night.

Sunday Sept 2nd Breakfast at the hotel & mass, check out of hotel and head for city of Newry stopping on the way for some beautiful scenery. Check into hotel and you can either go around the town or possibly the AOH Hall for a reception and music. Back to hotel on your own as it is walkable from anywhere in the city. 

Monday Sept 3rdBreakfast in the hotel and head for Armagh City, tour the Cathederal and St Patricks and other sights. Sightseeing in South Armagh and back to the hotel for a late dinner. Probably about 7pm.

Tuesday Sept. 4th Breakfast in the hotel and head for Belfast for a tour, on to the Giants Causway and more beautiful scenery on to Derry for a tour of the walls of Derry and the city itself. Stay in Derry or possibly go on to Donegal. Whether we stay in Derry or Donegal we will be visiting Donegal and Derry both. 

Wed. Sept. 5th tours of Derry and Donegal stay in whichever city we decide on prior to going.

Thursday Friday and Saturday we will be in the Galway area visiting the sites on day trips to Kerry, Cork and other sites.

Sunday Morning 5am leave for Shannon airport for home.   

Breakfast every day except the day we arrive and the day we leave. We will also have 3 dinners. Admission to any group tour is included. Tickets to games are included. Tip for the driver is also included.  

Price will be between $2500 and $2700 per person. for 9 nights everything above included. Everything is not yet settled so that is why the difference in price. As soon as we get a headcount and hotels get back to me we will have a solid price. This will fill up fast let me know asap. Sorry for the delay but we had reouble getting airline space, everything is booked out of Philas for 2 weeks either side of the game. 

Seamus Boyle National President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc

The next Pa. State Board meeting will be held at the V.F.W., 440 Sterling Road, (Rte. 196) in Tobyhanna, Pa. 18466 at 1 P.M.

A block of 8 rooms is being held at the Quality Inn, 546 Pocono Blvd., Mt. Pocono, Pa. ( Rte.611) for any member in need of a room for that Saturday. The rate for the room is $67.00 plus tax ($73.03 Total) For reservation call 570-839-3600.
Tell operator it is under AOH/Tom Hayes.

There will be a fundraiser at the VFW that night “A Night at the Races” benefitting a widow of a VFW member who recently passed away.

The meeting was changed from Stroudsburg to Tobyhanna due to scheduling conflict per Tom Hayes.

Gerry Ennis – PA State Secretary

The inclement weather these last few weeks has brought down a large number of branches and a few trees in the Medal of Honor Grove. The Board of the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove is asking for the help once again from all AOH,LAOH members, families and your friends in this much needed cleanup. The fallen branches have made it almost impossible to do any grass cutting. Cleanup days, from 8:00am to 12noon, have been set for Saturdays,September 24 and October 1. You may volunteer for either day, but the AOH has been asked to concentrate on October 1st. Primarily the job will be picking up branches, but we can use a few chainsaws, small trailers, pickup trucks, mowers and weed whackers.

Flood waters have come through the area of the AOH obelisk. There was a fear from a couple of the members of the Board that the base of the AOH and the KofC  obelisk would wash out and we would lose these monuments. It had been recommend by an engineering firm that both of these obelisks be moved to higher ground.  On closer inspection by myself and two more members of the Grounds Committee it has been determined that the problem can be solved by building an earthen berm about 25 feet behind the obelisk and down to the small creek where the water will be diverted. To build the berm 3 or 4 trees will have to be removed in the area, so bring you chainsaws.There is a natural valley approximately 30 feet behind our obelisk this is where the flood waters originated. These flood waters are a rare occurrence and in any event the obelisks would not have to be removed.

The road area between the AOH and KofC obelisk has been a major concern. This area of the road floods in small rain storms and with thawing snow. While diverting the water away from the AOH obelisk will correct that problem, it will cause a greater problem in the road area. There is a pipe under the roadway that travels about three hundred feet underground but without manhole covers or grates it can’t be determined if there is a blockage. The grounds committee has been authorized to spend a large sum of money to correct the problem. The road way is a major concern because this area is at the very entrance of the Medal of Honor Grove and can give visitors a negative impression as they enter the Grove.

Future planned improvements for the Grove are for underground wiring  for lighting on the 53 obelisks and the two flagpoles at each obelisk. Preliminary figures for a yearly cost of the electricity seem to be minimal at this time. The biggest expense, of course, would be for the installation of the underground wiring. Also, two new flagpoles for each obelisk will possibly be donated by the Ruritans. The AOH may want to consider,after the bern and road work is completed, installing 13 flagpoles for those countries represented on our obelisk.The LAOH may also want to consider planting their tree at this time. Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rica are planning new obelisks as well.

All Medal of Honor recipients will be honored and represented in the Grove. An inventory is being made to determine the names and number of missing plaques. Some have been damaged and all  will be replaced. It has also been noted that no new ground plaques or names on the obelisk have been added in 15 years. This will all be rendered as quickly as possible. Kiosks are also being considered that will give the name of the Medal of Honor recipient, their rank, war and details on how he or she earned the Medal. A bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln is being donated to FF and since the Medal of Honor originated during the Lincoln adminstration and the Civil War, the FF has designated a place near the entrance of the Grove as a fitting tribute to all who earned the medal.

The first fundraiser dinner is scheduled for Saturday, October 22nd. At $500.00 per person, noteably, it will be out of the reach for most individuals, but some organizations may want to send a representative. Several have already made a considerable donation. Six Medal of Honor recipients will be in attendance. In the afternoon of the 22nd a wreath laying ceremony is planned at Camilla Hall cemetery, at the grave of Sister Marie Veronica. Several of the Medal of Honor recipients plan to attend this ceremony. (More details on the ceremony in a future e mail.)

Mick Dunleavy

Gerry Ennis – PA State Secretary

The next Pa. State Board meeting will be held Saturday, October 8, 2011 at the home of Philadelphia Div. 88 at
The Knights of Columbus Hall, 15000 Bustleton Ave., in the Far Northeast of Philadelphia. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:30 AM.

Gerry Ennis – PA State Secretary