We just had our first event of the 2023 year and it was a blockbuster by all accounts! If you missed our "Sinatra Night" January 21st, you missed a very fun evening. In addition to an evening highlighting Frank Sinatra, we honored the passing of a giant in our Italian family - Chuck Sirianni. We presented plaques to Chuck's four daughters that had a beautiful photo of Chuck with his daughters.
We then sat down to enjoy pizza as Joel Spiegel entertained us by crooning some great Frank and Dino songs. To see how much everyone knew about "Ol' Blue Eyes" we then had a 15-question trivia contest. The winner was Marietta Spada, who answered 10 of 15 questions correctly, and she was presented a $50 gift certificate to Nicoletta's Ristorante.
And then the stage was set for an incredibly well done rendition of "These Boots Are Made for Walking" by the IBC Dancers, featuring Maureen Bonfiglio, Kelly Giampa, and Candace Desai. Joel Migliaccio and Cassie lovingly sung "Something Stupid", As if that wasn't enough, as the man said, "the best is yet to come," as we opened the mic for karaoke featuring our members belting out some of Frank and Dino's best and most memorable tunes until our voices gave out!
We had so much fun, that we are already hard at work with an absolutely meravigliosa idea for another similar fun evening that you won't want to miss. Look for details this Fall!
March is "Primavera Dinner" time. We celebrate the bounty of "Spring" at a festive dinner and gather to enjoy the fellowship of our members. This year we are hoping to add a little something different. We will hold our March Board meeting at this dinner and give everyone a view into what we do and discuss at our Board meetings. We will welcome comments and questions by our IBC members.
In April our club will be participating in the Italian Film Festival which will show ten (10) films over two weekends - April 14-16, and April 21-23. Location is the PSU 5th Avenue Cinema. We will be sponsoring and showcasing one film in particular. The films cover the gamut of comedies, documentaries, dramas, shorts, and children's movies.
Information for both of these two events will be posted at our website: ibcpdx.org and we will also be emailing more information in the near future.
We have some additional events planned for the summer and throughout the year, like: our Annual "Bocce & Picnic" event, a "Golf & Potluck" event, "La Vendemmia" grape harvest event, "Notte Della Famiglia" event, and our annual "Italian Christmas Dinner". If you are interested in being a part of the planning committees or just want to help out the day of the event, please let me know ibcpdx@yahoo.com
For over 70 years, the IBC has been a proud and important part of Portland's Italian community. Established by Portland businessmen of Italian heritage, the organization was formed with this mission:
Of course, many changes have occurred over the years, as well as changing the original name, Italian Businessmen's Club to the Italian Benvenuti Club, keeping the acronym IBC.
Today's IBC consists of men and women of Italian heritage and others who love Italian culture, believe in our mission and 'la Dolce Vita', an Italian phrase which was first used in a film of that name to mean crass or shocking, though modern usage means simply and positively, "the good life".
We are a social club with a common interest: celebrating and promoting Italian culture.
The IBC has remained committed to the ideals of cultural awareness and civic service upon which it was founded. Of course, being of Italian heritage, we also have a good time together. Each year the IBC Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization, provides scholarships for students of Italian heritage. More information can be found on the scholarhip section of this website.
Most of our gatherings are social, with some open to all as fundraisers for our IBC Foundation scholarships; others are for club members and families. We hold a few business dinner meetings during the year to set club goals, vote, and we frequently have guest speakers on topics of interest.
Should you wish more information about the IBC or wish to apply, feel free to email Stefano, or print out the application below.
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #658 Portland OR 97214
For information email club president Stefano at ibcpdx@yahoo.com
IBC 2022 Membership Application (pdf)
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