Elvis Im-Pasta Night

Last Friday night was a big night at the club. Elvis rocked the socks off of about 200 people as they enjoyed a traditional pasta supper.

As we reinvent and reengineer the Clube Uniao Portuguesa's vigor and standing in the community we are all very proud that Frances Branco, Jim Mengacci, and their respective friends and staff came together to produce a unique and tasteful event in the “Im-Pasta Night”.

The feed back so far from all those who attended has been “ Mamma Mia,” what a great Italian supper, and Elvis rocking and rolling, how awesome.

To you Jim and you Frances on behalf of the founders, the members and the administration our very very warm thanks!

Lastly, to Jims surprise, Jim was made an honorary member and given his plaque of appreciation at the event.

Sao Paio Volunteers Rhode Island Picnic

Every year when the Sao Paio is over. The volunteers take a needed rest in Rhode Island. The group all heads out to Flora's house in Westerly. This year the hurricane hit the night before the group arrived at the beach. The night was scarey, but the morning brought a clear sky and a great beach day... well almost, the waves were too high and crazy to be safe in the water so there wasn't too much swimming... we still had a great time.

2008 Imigrante Dinner Dance

2008 Imigrante Dinner Dance was held on Saturday October 18th. The event went off with a little excitement from the fire alarm. No luckily there was not a fire in the building, just a false alarm. Other than that the event went well. After dinner all present enjoyed the Rancho from Hartford and then some dancing...

Bridgeport Rancho at O Cantinho Restaurant

Last Friday marked the return of the fall schedule at the Cantinho Restaurant, located on the first floor of the Naugatuck Portuguese Club. As usual they did a good job of entertaining the people. They even got most of the diners to dance with them, including me!

Check out the video!

Ballroom Dancing

This past Thursday, October 9th, we had our very first Ballroom Dancing Class at the Club. We had a great turn out. This of course does not surprise me. With the explosion of “Dancing with the Stars”, it has become more important than ever before to know what you are doing on the dance floor.

Our classes are for all skill levels. Duarte and Amelia Alves are the instructors for the classes. Together they have been dancing for over twenty years. They have entered many contests in the US as well as China. Now they are happy to help us learn to be as smooth and elegant on the dance floor as they are.

So, dust off those old dance shoes and join us. If you are interested just come down. Classes are every Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30. The cost is only $5 per person. And, best of all you do not need to worry about bringing someone with you. There are plenty single people to dance with, so ladies and gentlemen, get out those shoes and get to the Club, no excuses!

To see our schedule of classes be sure to go to our main website calendar of events. There are a few weeks where because of club functions classes may be moved.

2008 Sao Paio Festival

This year we celebrated our 58th Sao Paio Festival. Even with the hurricanes (Faye, I think) brewing just south of us, our weather was superb. All three days of the festival experienced clear cool weather perfect for eating, drinking, and dancing!

Saturday night we had the mishap of the power transformer across the street blowing, leaving us with power to only half of our property. This still did not stop everyone from having a good time. We do however thank the band, The Navegantes, and the crowd, for being patient while we came up with a solution for them to be able to continue to play and enjoy the night.

Sunday, Eratoxica from Massachusetts rocked the house, or should I say neighborhood, for another awesome day of fun. Luckily, we had no major issues. We had one of the busiest Sundays on quite sometime. Eratoxica is just awesome and all of the people here just loved them.

With all of that said, we hope that you all had a great Sao Paio weekend with us. If you were unable to make it, you could always watch the video below to see all of the fun and make sure that you schedule next years Sao Paio in your agenda as we have already started working on next years activities.

One last thing, the Board of Directors would like to thank the Sao Paio Festival Committee and all of the volunteers that helped throughout the weekend. Over 100 volunteers assisted with all of the hard work. Without our volunteers (and sponsors), none of this would be possible. Thanks again!

2008 Sao Paio Road Race

The morning looked as though it would bring us rain. The forecasters called for rain. Nevertheless, nothing held back the runners that participated in the 2008 Sao Paio 5K Road Race. Young and old, everyone alike, had a magnificent time. Sandra Valente our Road Race Chairperson commented that this year we had more runners participate than ever before and the prizes donated by many ranged from Gift Cards to various places to two mountain bikes. In the end, the rain held out and before the race was over, we could see the sun breaking through the clouds to make for a perfect day not only for our runners but also for the whole festival!

The Club Directors along with Sandra and her Road Race Committee would like to thank all those that donated prizes to the runners and the runners for participating. We hope that we will see you again next Labor Day weekend!

In the meantime, enjoy the video!!

Sao Paio Mayor of the Day

Every year, a special person who has contributed to the Portuguese Club and to the local community, is selected for the honored position of Mayor of the Day. This year that person was Luci DaSilva.

Click below to see the video of her ceremony and her day in charge of the Town of Naugatuck.

2008 Taste of Portugal

The Taste of Portugal was held back in April. The event was a major success as we had a full house. Everyone enjoyed the food and learning about our Portuguese heritage and culture. The "fashion show" of traditional clothes from the various areas of Portugal was a hit.

The CUP Directors and those in charge of this event hope that you enjoy the short video and that you will join us for our 2009 Taste of Portugal (in April).

Portuguese Club Event Pictures

I have finally had some time to put together all of the pictures from various events. I will be posting all of the slide shows here as well as on You Tube. To view all of the videos including the out-takes please click here.

Have fun watching the videos!!