The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-06
The Elks Bowling Banquet
BY THE MAN AROUND TOWN

Inc ElKS bOWhAlR bdAQueg! VIII it be held this year? Yes, but like the street car Derby, 1t will be very much abbreviated. At one time 1t looked as though 1t would be discarded for the duration, but committee in charge, after many conferences, decided to go ahead, Wisely so. Because most of the members of the bowling league are hard working men. and this affair will be Q good tonic for them after long and strenuous winter. Sat urday night is their night out, any way, and they will have plenty of time to rest on Sunday. So Satur- day night, the 29th bowling dinner will be held in Elks hall, As for the dinner, 1t will be more or less coffee and hot dogs. As for the show, it will be nothing like those thrillers oi bygone days, which brought the boys from the east, the west and the cuckoo'S nest"
 It is hard to realize that it is
 twenty y-nine years since the first
 bowling banquet. The building
 had just been renovated, thanks to
 the handsome donation of the late
 Truman Lewis. The tOastmaster
 was the late Dr. Thomas J. Kill
 martin, who was the alpha and
 omega of after dinner speakers in
 those days. Who are at the din-
 ner? Well, everybody who was
 anybody in Waterbury, attended
 the early dinners of tfis unusual
 league, which has stayed tOgeth-
 CT so long. It was good then and
 1t Is good, now.
 Saturday night when the orches- tra plays Hail, hail, the gangs all here" you'll find fine crowd of fel- lows at old 262. The winner and still champion will be Joe" Null ville's team. He has broken all rec ords in coming home in front three times in succession and like all champions, he is the toast of the club at present. But whether or not they come in the money, the Rein deers have done much to make the bowling league a big success. On the nights of their important matches they bring their own band. They're not stingy with their music either. Tlie band has instructions to play only when the other team Is bowling. Can you imagine what chance Bill Stanton's team had Tuesday night in the roll off for the championship. They had Char ley Trees" so much out on limb that he said after the match that he thought he was rolling the cheese. But all in all the better team won.
 Bill stanton, the losing captain,
 is one of the old timers at the
 ElkS club. He has been in the league almost as long as Jimmie
 Courtney and Warren Cooke. And
 they were at the christening. Bill
 Is not only a good bowler, but he
 is a good loser as he has a fine
 disposition and can take 1t. Of course he had to take it for years
 as umpire in the City baseball league, where everybody is always
 right but the umpire, MOy~QveE
 when billiards amounted to some
 thing at the Elks club, he was one
 of the top nOtchers in the three
 cushion league. Speaking of the
 billiards, remember the night that Judge Pat" Healey and Ed" Tut
 tie played an exhibition match.
 The Judge vas good but Ed" was
 the tops at that time. But Pat"
 after taking quite 2 pastiDg said
 in his gracious manner at the
 conclusion of the match Ed, iL
 was an honor even to hold q cue against yOu".
 Almost forgot to tell you some of the boys that will be at the dinner. Mayor John Monagan. if he wants to go because the His Honor Is always invited to hear Chris Har- mon sing When Become The Mayor. And Senator John F. To- bin with Representative Dan" Ma nancy. Dan" is one of the few guests that is allowed to make a speech at this dinner. In fact he Is the only one because speaking is taboo. MT. MahaDey is reluctant to get on his feet but when that crowd takes up the cry We Want Ma nancy" he has to weaken and go to the mike, Also Police Commissioner Verriker, with the eyeryescent smile. aided and abetted by his side kicks Ell" Ramon, Wendell Cross and Marty Sullivan. No banquet would be complete without the lodges Exalted Ruler. who this year is Harry Spellman - he bowled with Mulville's winning Reindeers.
 And ''Dan Driscoll. ex-tlrc man,
 now alderman and a big potatOe
 raiser. whose team ran off with second honors this year. Also
 Senator Frankie Summa. who has
 "A