Confederate motorcycle group celebrates heritage in areaThis weekend, myself and roughly 200 other members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans-Mechanized Cavalry participated in our 14th annual national ride. The Mechanized Cavalry began as a small group of SCV members who wanted to ride motorcycles to various Confederate landmarks in the late 90s. Started in Maryland, the Mechanized Cavalry now has over 1,300 members, with chapters in every Southern State and members throughout North America and even a few overseas members in Europe. The Mechanized Cavalry is open to all SCV members who wish to join, and those without a motorcycle at their disposal can even join as “dismounted cavalry”. It offers a unique way to show our colors, display our flag, and educate the public about our common heritage. Many who support the Southern cause who would not otherwise have contact with the Sons of Confederate Veterans learn about our organisation through the Mechanized Cavalry.
This year’s reunion was held in Eddyville, KY. On Friday, a 200-strong group headed into Paducah with a police escort. The town was extremely welcoming and the ride was one of the best to date for those involved. The peace officers did an outstanding job helping us through traffic, and we caught the eye of a local newspaper reporter. Below is the story from the Paducah Sun from Saturday, June 11, 2011.
by By John Wright
jwright@paducahsun.com The Paducah Sun
June 11, 2011
Sons of Confederate Veterans Mechanized Cavalry made a striking entry Friday into downtown Paducah.
The group announced its arrival through the rumble of 200 fully-charged motorcycles that required a police escort en route to the Lloyd Tilghman House/Civil War Museum on Kentucky Avenue and had the full attention of onlookers.
“They should be awake by now, I’d say,” said John Suttles of Paducah, a lieutenant of the Kentucky State Division of the SCV, chuckling after watching the procession snake its way off Kentucky and into the museum parking lot.
The Cavalry is in the area for its annual meeting in Lyon County, consisting of riders nationwide, many of whom are descendants of Confederate States of America fighters of the Civil War. Bike rides to various Confederate establishments in the area are the main daily events. The group toured the Jefferson Davis Monument in Todd County Thursday and heads to Fort Donelson in Dover, Tenn., today.
As for the Paducah stop Friday, one of the founders of the Cavalry seemed impressed. Whitey Whitt was one of the seven original riders to form the group in 1996 in Maryland. The Cavalry now numbers about 1,500.
“They’ve really done a nice job with this place,” Whitt said as he stood inside the Tilghman House, one of two homes to Confederate generals remaining in Kentucky, the other having belonged to Gen. John Hunt Morgan in Lexington.
“Every year, one of our members hosts this meeting, and this year it’s Company E which represents Kentucky who is hosting for the first time, and what is so great about this is we get to see the history of that area.
“I’d probably never come here on my own, honestly, but when it’s part of this, it makes it easier. Plus, we’re all the same. We really like riding bikes and we really like Civil War history.”
From the long procession Friday also came a gift for the museum in the form of $2,000 from the Cavalry raised just since Thursday, mainly from a drawing for a custom-made hunting knife.
“That shows they’re here to support the history of this area,” said Troy Paschall of West Paducah. “This is the seventh of these I’ve attended, and it’s just awesome. You get love everywhere we go. When we’re out riding, just about every person we see waves and smiles. It’s nice to see.”
The group also participates in many regional and local events through the year. Next year’s annual will be held in Georgia. Information about the Sons of Confederate Veterans can be found at scv.org.
Via Southern Nationalist Network
Brock:
ReplyDeleteI sure wish I could have been there and done that!
That must have been a ton of fun!
But, I don't own a motorcycle, and don't know how to ride one.
Did you know that Ann Coulter is from Paducah, Kentucky?
When I was a little boy, my earliest memories are of Owensboro, Kentucky, where Mama and us kids lived with Grammaw and Grampaw while Daddy was in Korea.
Owensboro, Kentucky was where I was in the First Grade at the local elementary school, which was out in the country someplace.
Uncle Sidney, Aunt Ellen, and Cousin Bobby lived in West Paducah, Kentucky, which is not far from Paducah.
Uncle Sidney worked at the Shawnee Power Plant, which is on the Ohio River.
Then, after Daddy was transferred to Ashiya Air Force Base in Japan, he sent for Mama and us kids to come join him.
Thank you.
John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
You have wonderful stories and I encourage you to write all these down and/or post these individual memories as you remember them, so they are not lost as I do on NamSouth.
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