Armed with hearty appetites and deep pockets, roughly 250 people made the annual Ricky Salzillo Memorial Game Dinner a smashing success Sunday inside the jam-packed Kelley-Gazzero VFW Post 2812 located on Plainfield Pike.
“Everything went well, again,” said Steven M. Placella, a prominent Johnston-based attorney and cousin of the late and Ricky Salzillo. “The people who came here today are very, very generous and we thank each and everyone in helping continue a terrific tradition in Ricky’s memory.”
Dinner-goers began the afternoon smorgasbord with venison chili and pheasant stew, and finished with a number of courses, concluding with venison steaks.
“Ralph’s Kitchen did another super job with the food,” Placella said. “Then again, that’s nothing new. The food is always great here. No matter what the event or menu, Ralph [DeFusco] has a way to make every dinner special.”
Likewise, people were extremely complimentary when talking about the day’s raffle, a multi-item event that featured five grand prizes ranging from a custom-made wine rack to a gas grill and special refrigerator. There was even a mountain bike in this year’s prize list.
Various individual raffles were held during almost every course of the game dinner and, as he has done since the event’s inception more than two decades ago, Frank Fede was in the middle of it all.
“While the food is a big draw, it’s the raffle that always pushes our memorial game dinner over the top,” Placella said. “When all is said, we will probably net between $7,000 and $8,000.”
That Placella said, means organizers will be able to provide multiple scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
“We’ll also continue our tradition of making donations to various non-profits that we feel play an important part in Rhode Island,” he added.
One in particular is the Johnston Memorial Cancer Events (JMCE), a.k.a. Campfires for Cancer, which Placella said will again be able to make a donation to the Oncology-Hematology Units at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.
Placella also announced that part of this year’s proceeds will go to the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, and perhaps to other important charitable organizations.
The dinner is held in memory of the late Ricky Salzillo, whose picture was on display Sunday. He was a mighty musician and awesome athlete whose life ended in tragedy back on Feb. 4, 1976, when he was killed in an automobile accident on Route 295.
And throughout Sunday’s dinner, all involved – Placella, Fede, committee member Vin LaFazia, friends and family members and the late Ricky’s father Al Salzillo – were proud to continue the terrific tradition that keeps Ricky’s name and memory alive.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here