Page 29 - October 2015

A Fest-ive Occasion
Food, fun, music – and Brotherhood – create a Coptoberfest to remember
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOS BY JAMES PINTO
Chicagofest and Summerfest, and all the other fests, have noth- ing on Coptoberfest.
Not that the third annual event to raise money for the Brother- hood For The Fallen and The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation attracts enough festivalers to fill up Navy Pier. At least, not yet.
But an evening like Sept. 19 that brought together Lodge 7 members with brothers and sisters from other agencies in the city, the county and the state created a celebration like no other. This year, more than 500 officers and civilians and friends and sponsors converged on Coptoberfest to rally around the cause that the Brotherhood and the Memorial Foundation share of standing up for the families of cops who have been lost in the line of duty.
“This is the rainbow after the storm, the sunshine through the clouds,” exclaimed Lodge 7 First Vice President Ray Casiano, who
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 n OCTOBER 2015
took the Coptoberfest stage to make an important presentation. “This an opportunity for the Lodge to support our members who are helping law enforcement all over the country.”
On behalf of Lodge 7, Casiano made a gracious and generous donation to the support both the Brotherhood and the Memorial Foundation. It would be hard to say that the contribution high- lighted the event, because on this night there were so many high- lights.
The weather proved to be one of the highlights as for the first time in three years it did not rain on this parade. The free food and drink flowed so thoroughly that most revelers did not hesitate to put a little something in the tip jar that served as the non-invasive way to accept donations at the fest.
“I was told by an older cop, ‘I wish you guys had been doing this a long time ago,’” related Rick Caballero, Lodge 7 member and President of Brotherhood For The Fallen. “Many people were coming up to me to say thanks for what we are doing.”
As many members know, the Brotherhood was created to send cops to funerals for law enforcement officers lost in the line of