The Meaning of the Lincoln Dinner Celebration
142nd ANNIVERSARY LINCOLN DINNER
Sunday, March 19, 2017, 3 – 8 pm
Antun’s, 96-43 Springfield Blvd., Queens Village, NY 11429
Purchase tickets securely online: www.qvgop.org
Every year during the mid-winter season, the spotlight is on our annual Lincoln Dinner, which has earned the reputation over the years as the most lavish and exciting annual Republican political event in New York City. It’s a celebration of our first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, Savior of the Union, and Man of the Common People.
The life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln provides much for our Queens Village Republican Club members to reflect on, whether it’s Lincoln’s profound faith in God, strong leadership during the Civil War, or respect for the common man, and of course the Emancipation Proclamation. No other political party can lay claim to what Lincoln accomplished during the time he was the 16th President of the United States. He led the nation through our darkest period, the Civil War, abolished slavery, and united the nation in the end. We would do well not to ignore our unique heritage when talking about the origins of the Republican Party, and what we stand for.
This year our club prepares for our 142nd Anniversary Celebration of Abraham Lincoln and all that he has done for our nation. But beyond the hoopla and fanfare of the festive dinner party, the music and glad-handing with those we haven’t seen in some time, the significance of Lincoln is truly relevant in today’s political climate.
We are proud to announce, Suffolk County GOP Chairman John Jay LaValle will be our keynote speaker at the 142nd Anniversary Lincoln Dinner on Sunday, March 19. Chairman LaValle will also be honored as the American Patriot of the Year, and there is no one more deserving of this honor. As former Trump Surrogate and the NYS GOP Regional Vice Chair, he will be imparting his renowned “winning spirit” to light the fire of victory in eastern Queens, at the dinner party billed as a “Hometown Celebration” of President Trump’s great victory. This is fitting, since our president was born and raised not much more than a mile from the dinner venue at Antun’s of Queens Village, where nearly every New York Governor, New York City Mayor, and President of the United States has been in attendance since the 1950s.
We are proud to announce that Tariq Rehmat, National Diversity Coalition for Trump Advisor, will be the recipient of the prestigious Republican Leader of the Year Award at the 142nd Anniversary Lincoln Dinner. The 2017 Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Queens Village Republican Club, America’s oldest Republican Club, is the club’s annual gala dinner party, which this year will be a “Hometown Celebration” of the great victory of President Donald J. Trump, who was born and raised here in Jamaica Estates, Queens. The dinner celebration will be held on Sunday, March 19, 2017, 3 – 8 pm at Antun’s, 96-43 Springfield Blvd., Queens Village, NY.
Captain James Van Thach (Ret.) U.S. Army, received the Rabbi Morton Pomerantz Veteran of the Year Award at the 141st Anniversary Licnoln Dinner. The presenter was Commander Bernadette Semple, a highly decorated wounded warrior herself. Captain Thach, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, who was given the honorary title of Brigadier General by the Iraqi government as an advisor to the New Iraqi Army, spoke passionately, as a Veteran’s Advocate with Wounded Veteran Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) with his beloved service dog Liz by his side. He spoke about finding one’s passion in life and in one’s community, and to “never give up” the fight. He said to “find a pal” to help you through any difficulty. The passion that gives him strength and purpose in his life, as a Suicide Prevention Counselor and a pal to the numerous veterans and fellow wounded warriors he has met traveling throughout the nation and the world, is to share healing and encouragement with each and every one of them, because of the tragedy of approximately 22 American veterans committing suicide every day.