Cavaliers 2006 Officers

The Cavalier Motorcycle Club proudly announces the 2006 Officers elected Sunday December 11, 2006:

President: Doug Minich
Secretary/Treasurer: Deany "Doc" Cheramie
Road Captain: Diane Foto

We all look forward to another great year with a lot of miles on the bikes and a few laughs along the way! Watch for a planning meeting announcement coming from our new Road Captain Diane soon.

I want to thank someone very special to both me and the Cavaliers here also. Poncho has not only been an officer, Treasurer and Road Captain, but is also a Founding Member. He has worked very hard for our group and kept us moving and entertained more than a few times. Poncho lost his bike with the flooding of Katrina but I have no doubt he will be back on two wheels as soon as possible. Poncho has been there every time I needed a little help or to jump start me when I needed it as well. We see you often but we miss you on the road there missy!

Looking forward to 2006,

Doug Minich
CavalierMC
2005/06 President

Congratulations Times Four!

Congratulations to the members and officers of the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club on an outstanding fourth anniversary celebration this weekend! Michael and I were delighted we could come down from Memphis and be a part of it and see so many of you again!

For those of you who may have missed it, Saturday night's banquet at Lafitte's was superb! My compliments to our chef, as well as to Ms. Susan who made the arrangements.

Kudos to the incoming club officers! I have always said that we have an extraordinary membership, with many who would make fine officer material. I think it is truly an important milestone in our club history that the torch has passed beyond the
original seven founding members. Congratulations to you all!

Heartfelt thanks also go out to Doug Minich for his years of dedication and service to our club! I could not have served out my term as president without all the effort Doug put into the club for the first two years. He then went on to be the kind of president any club would be proud to have. His leadership and ability to keep our club united after we were quite literally scattered to the four winds after Katrina was a remarkable testament to his depth of character. It is in large part through Doug's efforts that the club held together through this difficult time, and even prospered, with the Cavaliers being the first New Orleans club to host a post-Katrina club event. Doug is an outstanding example of what it means to be a Cavalier!

Thanks also to our many friends from the Bears, the Lords, the Knights, and the Outlaws, and our many other friends around the city. Your friendship, support, fellowship, and kindness have helped make the Cavaliers the success that it is today.

I really never would have guessed on that first ride way back in 2002 that our little group twisting down River Road to Oak Alley would one day see a fourth anniversary, and become the remarkable group of fun-loving people that we are. I feel very
fortunate to have had the chance to be a part of it.

Best wishes to all of my dear friends as the Cavaliers move into their fifth remarkable year!

David and Michael

Fourth Anniversary Celebration

The Cavaliers will celebrate our Fourth Anniversary November 10 - 12, 2006. We missed our Third Annivresary because of Katrina. Our Fourth will be better than ever.

The schedule will be:

Friday November 10: 9:00 PM - Midnight - Bike Night! Come on down and join us for some cold beer, Great Bikes and the Best People on Earth!

Saturday November 11:

10:00AM Poker Run. $5 per hand, winner take all! (starting point tba)

7:00 PM Anniversary Banquet. Upstairs at Lafitte's, the Balcony Bar. Great food and more! Tickets can be purchased for $20.00.

Sunday November 12:

10:00 AM Anniversary Ride to tThe Cabin Restaurant in Burnside. This historic restaurant has great food and the ride there is awesome!

6:00 PM Motorcycle Christening! Right there on Wold Famous Bourbon Street at the corner of Dumaine. Across from Lafitte's during Trash Disco, what could be more fitting.

Join us as we celebrate!

Lagniappe Ride to Red Bluffs

Diane led Doc and Juliette to Morgantown,MS to ride the Red Bluffs road. The ride started at Lafitte's at 9:15 am. The riders crossed Lake Pontchartrain on the Causeway, continued through Covington to La. 21, riding up to Angie LA (north of Bogalusa) for lunch at Stewart's Cafe (good country plate lunches).

The ride continued up to Columbia MS, where the riders met MS 587 for some fun twisties through Morgantown to Monticello. The group then took MS 43 (or 48?) back to Columbia then on to Picayune (this was another fun, curvy road) to catch I-59 then I-10 back to New Orleans. Overall Cavalier miles: 300.

Doc

"When You're Good To Mama ..."

This lovely "lady" was the Cavaliers entry into the Memorial Day MASCARa 2005 Drag Race, sponsored by our friends at Wood Enterprises. Scott was assisted by a capable pit crew including Cavaliers Michael D. and Matt with help from Outlaws Mina and Nanette and Cavalier Friends Cam, Kevin and Craig. The race begins with the contestants eating a plate of chili cheese fries from the Clover Grill, then running from bar to bar in the French Quarter, adding another piece to their drag ensemble at each pit stop. It was quite a sight! Thanks to Scott for being a great sport, and all those who helped his transformation.

(I dunno, it looks like he's kind of getting into it!)

Anniversary 3.5

The Cavaliers held their 3 1/2 Year Anniversary on Saturday May 6, 2006 with a Crawfish & Shrimp Boil combined with Pool Party. We had about 25 people in attendance including members, associates and friends of our club.

Special thanks to Diane for acting as "Master of the Boiling", Julie and Jim for cleaning all those mud bugs, and everyone else who stepped up to lend a hand. Plenty of food was on hand and the beer did flow pretty freely as well.

Watch for a full report on the web site, along with pictures, soon.

Again, Congratulations Cavaliers, it has been a great 3 1/2 years.

Doug Minich
CavaliersMC
2006 President

2006 Gay Easter Parade

For the 3rd year, the Cavaliers were there to lead the New Orleans Gay Easter Parade through the French Quarter.

Starting with an Easter lunch at Michael and Doug's, the Cavs made their way to the staging area via the French Quarter with a stop at Lafittes'.

We had 10 motorcycles to roar though the streets, more than enough to over ride any would be protesters - which none showed up. The crowds were pleasantly heavy for most of the entire route and all seemed happy to have the parade.

Once again, our Easter Bonnets were a big hit with everyone!

Check out the photos page!

Cavaliers Celebrate Gay Pride in Mobile, AL

The Cavaliers rode into Mobile, AL to celebrate Pride Weekend with our friends at B-bob’s and the Gulf Coast Bear and Leather association. Dave D. Diane, Julie and Doug headed over on the bikes on Friday making great time on a very windy I-10.

After checking into the hotel we headed over to meet with fellow Cavaliers and Mobile residents Bubba and Eric. While visiting, Paul called to meet up for dinner at the Big Time Diner so we saddled up and headed out for some food.

While we had a bit of a wait at the restaurant as they were trying to get seating for eight we did finally get to eat at separate tables – some restaurants, geesh. The food was good and the milkshakes delicious according to Julie and Diane. Our timing was a bit off and we rushed back to the hotel to get our vests and all for our Traveling Bike Night at B-bob’s.

As always, Jerry was ready for us with a welcoming smile. While we did have a slight problem with the Jell-O “Shots” we learned that the “jigglers” recipie isn’t a good idea…. So after deciding to “86” the Jell-O we continued on with the 50/50 raffle and a great night with the crowd there. We raised a total of $314.00 in ticket sales giving the winning ticket holder and the club $157.00 each. The drawing was held during the first of B-bob’s two shows.

Saturday morning Michael D. arrived driving through a few rain showers with his bike trailered. After a buffet breakfast across Mobile Bay we regrouped at the parade staging area. Wow, we had grown our contingent to 12 bikes with Bubba, Eric, Paul and some new friends joining in. Eric even brought us several balloons to decorate with and off the 2nd Annual Mobile Parade went through downtown.

The crowds were good and eager to see the parade around the festival park. Even the protestor/preachers in Mobile aren’t a match for the Cavaliers when we rev ‘em up, as we were glad to demonstrate to the applause of the supportive crowds. If only we can keep Eric and his penchant for squealing under control. Maybe it’s a good thing Bubba was in the truck since his battery died before the parade began.

After a rest we met up with several members of the GCBLA and made our way to JP’s Southern Heritage Seafood Restaurant for their Buffet. After the buffet and several platters of Crab Legs we were very surprised when Kerry, from the GCBLA, asked for our attention thanking us for coming over and announcing dinner was hi treat. Now that is generosity!


Saturday night we were back at B-bob’s for the Bears fundraiser. The crowd wass big and there was definitely energy in the air. Jerry definitely knows how to get his crowd going and keep them entertained.

I have to admit that Sunday morning it was a bit chilly and I was glad to have the truck and trailer there. After loading our bikes, Diane, Julie, Dave D., Michael D. and I made the pilgrimage to “Spot of Tea” for our traditional Sunday in Mobile breakfast. Seems the Monte Christo Sandwich is as popular and good as ever.

After returning to New Orlreans it was good to see everyone get together at Lafitte’s for Sunday mass, a.k.a. Trash Disco.

Cavalier Miles are awarded as follows: Diane, Julie and Dave D: 380 miles (round trip ride and in Mobile Riding for Dinners etc.) Doug: 240 miles for One way ride to Mobile, in Mobile riding for dinners etc. Michael D.: 40 miles, in Mobile riding for dinner and parade.

3 1/2 Year Anniversary Celebration

Having the 3 Year Anniversary scuttlerd by Hurricane Katrina the Cavaliers celebrated 3 1/2 Years with a Crawfish/Shrimp Boil and Pool Party at Michael and Doug's home on April 8, 2006.

Lots of Crawfish, shrimp, potatos, corn and sausage made for a great meal for all in attendance. The pool was a bit chilly but that didn't stop everyone from having a few beers, good food and a great time.

A special thanks goes to Diane for cooking everything to perfection; to Julie and Jim for all their prep work with those crawfish, and all others who brought extra chairs and helped out. It really was a great time for all.

Lagniappe ride to Red Bluff

Sunday Dave D, Julie, and Diane took a laniappe ride to Red Bluff. We met at Lafittes at 9:30am and took off around 10am. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. We headed off over the causeway and took Hwy 21 into Mississippi. We gassed up right before we hit hwy 587. Then on to the wonderfully curvy road. We stopped briefly at Red Bluff to look into the canyon and then continued on 587 till we hit 84. From there we took hwy 43 into Columbia where we stopped at a popeyes for lunch. Then we continued on 43 down to Picayune and then hit the interstate back into town. It was a wonderful 6 hour drive. We logged 299 cavalier miles. I'll be posting a couple of pictures we took later.

Diane

Cavaliers Stay Busy for Carnival 2006

The Cavaliers had a busy Carnival 2006 with events from Ball Masques to a successful return to the Phoenix to hold our First Ever Lundi Gras Beer Bust.

Many of the Cavaliers kicked off the weekend attending the Armeinius Ball Masque held at the Alario Center in Westwego, LA on Saturday February 25th with Michael D. Matt and Doug appearing on stage for a presentation by Associate member Jim J. Michael and Doug even got their motorcycles onstage! For a crew that sustained damage to their den, this group pulled off a fantastic show.

Sunday February 26th was the Lords of Leather Ball Masque held this year at the Sheraton on Canal Street. With the Chalmette Civic Center unavailable, the Lords decided not to present their traditional tableau but held a wonderful night of dinner and dancing in the Ball Room over looking the Bacchus parade. This actually gave many people the opportunity to see Bacchus for the first time as the two events are on the same evening.

The Cavaliers made a successful return to the Phoenix for our First Ever Lundi Gras Beer Bust on Monday February 27th. The Phoenix this year offered all the clubs an opportunity to hold Beer Busts over the Carnival weekend.

We celebrated with not just a beer bust but had doses of “Mardi Gras Vaccinations” as well. The surprise on people’s faces is always worth it when we get out Jell-O shots out.

Check out the picture pages for all the photos from the weekend.

Wednesday Dinner Ride

The Cavaliers held their monthly Dinner Ride Wednesday with a planned ride uptown to Rocky's Pizza. After meeting at Lafitte's, Michael, Doug, Mitch, Diane and Julie opted to change destinations. Seems one of the bikes was having battery issues and required "push starting" - not to identify the rider, but damn those Harley's seem to be high maintenance. (almost was reminiscent of a gas and diesel mishap too.)

Anyway, the decision was made to only push start the hog once and walk to a closer restaurant for pizza. Being in the quarter, Mona Lisa did come to mind and that is where we went. We were even greeted by a surprise visitor to our group when Phyllis, who currently residing Kenner, joined our group after learning of our destination from the friendly folks at Lafitte's. Turns out Phyllis rode in on her 2004 Harley Soft Tail, without push starting it, and luckily was able to find us. Salads and pizza seemed to be the call of the day for our meals, everyone seemed well fed and satisfied.

After much conversation and good food it was time to head out and home. Best to you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Doug

Iceman 2006

The Iceman didn’t reign this year as 9 motorcyclists 2 passengers and one cage as chase vehicle comprised The Cavaliers ride to The Cabin Restaurant in Burnside, Louisiana. Following the curves of Hwy 3127 we braved the occasional high winds to make our lunch stop right on time.

Diane, Julie, Mitch, Doc, Susan (in the support cage, er, I mean vehicle) Michael D. Doug and yes even Dolly made a return to New Orleans and this ride, were joined by riders new to The Cavaliers, Tony with his passenger and good friend Kristi, both from the North Shore, on Tony’s ’05 Heritage and Maria, with partner Monica riding along, on Maria’s 05 V-Star 600.

While the winds did pose a challenge at times, the ride to The Cabin was great. Sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures more than made up for the stiff breezes. As always, lunch was delicious and all the Cavaliers were sated to say the least. More than one person mentioned the idea of napping on a full belly.

The decision to take River Road through LaPlace on the way back to New Orleans gave Kristi the opportunity to call another biker to meet up with us in LaPlace. That is where we all met Kerry from New Orleans on her bright red Triumph 900. After getting desert at Sonic we got back on the River Road to 310 and into the city via I-10 just in time for “Trash Disco” at Lafitte’s.

A total of 170 Cavaliers Miles to the 9 bikers making the round trip with 84 Cavalier Miles to Kerry for answering the last minute call to ride!

It was a great day with friends old and new.

Check out the photo page for more photos from this trip.