Monday, November 30, 2015

November 2015

The Palm Beach Knights Newsletter









The Knights Table




Monthly Newsletter November 2015

Greetings from your President   






Recently Rich and I had had the opportunity to attend a meeting of a BACA chapter on the west coast. I found it to be very enlightening and informative. BACA does great work, and we support them in their efforts to help fight child abuse in any form. For those of you who do not know anything about BACA, I have included an article that speaks about some of the great work they do.

Will

BACA-Bikers Against Child Abuse
 Make abuse victims feel safe

by Karina Bland - Jul. 13, 2012 12:08 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

(Edited for length by Will)
Image result for BACA

Bikers have a soft spot: aiding child-abuse victims. Anytime, anywhere, for as long as it takes the child to feel safe, these leather-clad guardians will stand tall and strong against the dark, and the fear, and those who seek to harm.
The 11-year-old girl hears the rumble of their motorcycles, rich and deep, long before she sees them. She chews her bottom lip, nervous.
They are coming for her. The bikers roar into sight, a pack of them, long-haired and tattooed, with heavy boots and leather vests, and some riding double. They circle the usually quiet Gilbert cul-de-sac, and the noise pulls neighbors from behind slatted wood blinds and glossy front doors.
One biker stops at the mouth of the street, parks in the middle of the road and stands guard next to his motorcycle, arms crossed.
The rest back up to the curb in front of the girl's house, almost in formation, parking side by side. There are 14 motorcycles in all, mostly black and shiny chrome. The bikers rev their engines again before shutting them down.
The sudden silence is deafening. The girl's mother takes her hand.

The leader of this motorcycle club is a 55-year-old man who has a salt-and-pepper Fu Manchu and wears his hair down past his shoulders. He eases off his 2000 Harley Road King and approaches the little girl.
He is formidable, and intimidating, and he knows it. So he bends low in front of the little girl and puts out his hand, tanned and weathered from the sun and wind: "Hi, I'm Pipes."
"Nice to meet you," she says softly, her small hand disappearing in his.
Pipes - the bikers all go by their road names for security - steps back and another biker comes forward, also bent low and hand out, smiling. She has a long blond ponytail, and her name is Nytro. Next is D'Animal, his arms thick with muscles, a do-rag covering his head.
Rock, who is as solid as one, assures the little girl: "I'm really a nice guy." She smiles. And then there's Pumpkin and, whoa, the girl looks way up, squinting against the morning sun. "Hi, I'm Tree," he says, and he's as tall as one.

The girl chewing on her lip was abused by a relative, according to police reports - someone she should have been able to trust. He's not in the state any longer, but the criminal case is progressing slowly, so he's not in jail, either.
He still terrorizes her at night, even though he's nowhere near. She wakes, heart pounding. The nightmare feels real again. She never feels safe, even with her parents just downstairs.
The unruly-looking mob in her driveway is there to help her feel safe again. They are members of the Arizona chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse International, and they wear their motto on their black leather vests and T-shirts: "No child deserves to live in fear."
This one is very afraid.

A tough image
Even kids know that nobody messes with bikers. Bikers look big, and strong, and mean, both in real life and in how they are portrayed on television and in films. They are easy riders, sons of anarchy, not afraid of anything. And they take care of their own.
A child who has been abused by someone bigger and stronger knows too well what it feels like to be small and vulnerable. BACA shifts that balance by putting even bigger and stronger people - and more of them - on the child's side. And if those even-bigger and stronger people are scary-looking too, perhaps with flaming-skull tattoos, chains on their belts and scars of questionable origin, so much the better.
"The biker image is what makes this work," says Rembrandt, 54, who is tall and wiry strong. "Golfers against child abuse does not have the same feel. The pink alligator shirt and golf shoes standing in the driveway doesn't do the same thing." (No offense to golfers. Some bikers golf, too.)

What Rembrandt knows is that a biker's power and intimidating image can even the playing field for a little kid who has been hurt. If the man who hurt this little girl calls or drives by, or even if she is just scared, another nightmare, the bikers will ride over and stand guard all night.
If she is afraid to go to school, they will take her and watch until she's safely inside.
And if she has to testify against her abuser in court, they will go, too, walking with her to the witness stand and taking over the first row of seats. Pipes will tell her, "Look at us, not him." And when she's done, they will circle her again and walk her out.
"When we tell a child they don't have to be afraid, they believe us," Pipes says. "When we tell them we will be there for them, they believe us."
Earlier in the day, when the bikers met in the parking lot of a nearby CVS/pharmacy, Pipes reminded them to be mindful of their emotions. That means no hugging unless the child initiates it.
"Nytro," Pipes says, raising his eyebrows in her direction. Nytro hides her face behind her hands, and everyone laughs. She's quick to hug.
And then Pipes says, more sternly this time: There will be no crying.
"I don't want to see any tears coming out of your eyes, and the child doesn't either," he says, making sure everyone is looking at him when he says it.
"Remember why we're here: to empower the child. If you can't handle it, keep your shades on."








CORE Members, 
We need Tailgunners, and Road Capt. 
see Will .



PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE ORGANIZER AND OFFICERS WORK HARD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A FUN SAFE RIDE.  WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS.
 I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY IDEAS FOR A FUTURE EVENT.
While we try to mix up our rides as much as possible, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to please everyone all the time. I hope everyone has been enjoying the rides that  have been on our schedule so far. I am always looking for feedback and new ideas. Your participation is what makes this club great.








Knights, if you are reading this and would like to see it continue, please let me know. I'm starting to think that about 4 people read this and I'm the 4th!!!
Thanks
Join me in welcoming  our newest Knight

Dale Berry







Knights, make sure to RSVP for our Holiday party on December 19th at 7pm....even if you haven't joined us on a ride, this would be a great time to meet the Knights!! We will have a great time, see the site for all the happenings.







MJ Bean Cox  
Scott Lord
Joe Ciancio
Marc Sultan
Nick Chillemi
(sorry if I missed anyone,please let me know if I did)

We have been having some great rides  TIMES !!!!!!




Grampa's Bakery & Restaurant

We had a nice highway ride down to Broward. While we don't always take the highway, it was a nice change of pace....literally!! Thanks to MJ, we didn't have to wait on line. She got there and reserved a table for us...way to go girl! The food was good and the company was even better.





George Zocchi said" Another great day. A bit warm through the stop and go sessions. Overall a VERY enjoyable day. It was a pleasure meeting new friends. Thanks guys."









Knights fundraising yard sale

First I'd like to thank Rich for all his hard work in helping me make this happen!!! THANK YOU. I'd also like to thank George and Marc Sultan for coming out. The day could not have been better...although it was so HOT I thought I would burst into flames at any moment. The crowds were good, but not great. We may find a different spot next year. We did take in a nice amount that will go to the VA hospital. I hope some Knights come out for that in January. We had some very nice people that gave us $20 for things that cost $5. Also, an old friend of mine Dave Gainsborg stopped by and donated some great dolls that sold very fast...Thanks Dave. We will be making a night soon to go see his band play. All in all, in was a great success and we will try and get more Knights to participate next year.

















Ft Pierce Tiki Hut

Just a great ride on a great day. The roads and scenery was awesome. On this day the weather gods were very kind, it was perfect riding weather and the ride along the water is always pleasant. We got to welcome our new Knight Dale Berry to the club, hope we see him on many more. Ricky Shades took one more ride in paradise and then heads up North to the frozen hell of winter!!. Hope he will be back soon.  



Dale Berry said" Had a great time. Can't be any better, wonderful company, fantastic view, great food. What more can u ask for. See u at the next meeting . Thanks Dale "


Rick Pirozzoli said " Another great ride with the Knights"








Enough Turkey- let go to Log Cabin B B Q in La Belle

This was probably the best ride we have had in months!! The weather was perfect and the group was great!! We had a very enjoyable ride to La Belle where we went the the Log Cabin BBQ place. As promised we got free soup...and it was really good. Some of us took advantage of the free ice cream as well. I abstained as Thanksgiving has added enough lbs!! It was nice to see Simbo and George again and as always Skip and Rich. We missed a new member Amber, who like some of us have in the past went to the wrong meetup spot. We look forward to seeing her next time.





Skip Commagere said " Great Ride and very good lunch. Nice to meet some new members. See you guys next weekend. "




George Zocchi said" Fantastic weather, great food and awesome brotherhood."







And now some THROW BACK PICTURES!!!
Do you remember??
















Thursday, November 5, 2015

October 2015

The Palm Beach Knights Newsletter









The Knights Table



Monthly Newsletter October 2015


Greetings from your President   



7 Reasons you shouldn’t date a Knight!
(Not necessarily meant for us married Knights!!)
by Will

I get people that want to join the Knights for reasons other than they just want to ride. Most of you may not realize that I get 2-3 women that join the Knights each month with “Hi, I’m looking to be a passenger for some single hot guy…anyone interested?” as an introduction( no, I’m not kidding). What can I say, Chicks dig bikes, especially Knights. Now we all know that bikers are inherently cool. (Maybe it’s the cool Tattoos or vests) To these women, it seems like a match made in heaven, eh? Think again, Maid Marian – Sir Lancelot is assuredly not all he’s cracked up to be.
Beyond the hot bike, the cool leather clothes, and the devil-may-care attitude, your biker guy likely has a slew of things higher on his priority list than you. If you think you’ve met Mr. Right Biker, beware: here are a few things of which you might want to be wary.

1. We’re Probably Wearing Jeans (sometimes with holes/rips)

If you were anticipating a romantic, candlelit meal at the Capitol Grill restaurant, forget it. While it’s feasible they have a dinner jacket loaner for your Knight, there’s no way in hell he’s getting into the dining room wearing a tie. Instead, expect to end up getting to know each other better over a mess o’ribs at a good BBQ place. (We now em all)

2. We may be taking Your Car
Girls, unless you’re willing to have a major hair-do modifying experience, you should expect to drive. Now sometimes you should expect to hand over the keys to your car. Some Knights would not be caught dead riding shotgun, and any biker worth his salt isn’t going to show up in a car anyhow (unless it’s raining). However, if you’re willing to ride pillion, read on.

3. We’re Never Around
Ah, a beautiful Saturday morning. How about a stroll in the park, or brunch at that hip new cafe? Or better yet…let’s go antiquing! (Unless you’re Ricky Shades) I don’t think so!
Look, unless there's a Hurricane going on, The Knights are going to want to spend their free time riding motorcycles. Even if there is a Hurricane, chances are your biker buddy is in the garage, cursing over a pile of bolts and cotter pins and wondering: how in God’s name are there are parts left over? Or pondering which wax or polish to use. Or we are at the range seeing if any of us can hit the side of a moving car lefty from the seat of a moving motorcycle. Just an FYI…yes we can!

4. Some of us Don’t Have (Much) Money
Now I’m not saying we all are poverty stricken, and we do have some Knights that have more money than the Pope, but that’s the exception. Oh sure, there’s enough in the kitty for a burger and a beer, or maybe even for a game of Pool. Hell, we always make rent or mortgage! But fancy dinners? Who’s got money for stinking fancy dinners? Let me be perfectly clear to all those ladies requesting to meet young Knights: any hot single Knight under 40 with a beautiful bike is likely to be as destitute as they come. Most of us spend our hard earned money on important things…that are made of chrome and maybe have an HD on it.
 That’s why we older Knights are such a catch!! We can afford more!  Some of The Knights may even be willing and able to be sugar daddies, they just can’t remember why.

5. Don’t Expect to Talk about Anything but bikes or what the Knights are doing this weekend.
“Honey, I’m sure you had a rough day at the office. But lemme tell you about the move this PUTZ on the Beeline tried to pull on today!” If you were hoping to discuss 50 Shades of Grey or gossip about Kim and Kanye, consider yourself out of luck. Most of us think a Kardashian is something you order at a Mexican restaurant. Also, if you say anything about a Tranny…we think transmission, not Bruce/ Caitlyn Jenner. I’m just sayin…it gives the saying “hey I blew my Tranny a completely different twist!!” Oy.
 Listen, we bikers are a sympathetic bunch - as long as your plight involves motorcycles or other Knights. Otherwise, we’re likely to be nodding and sighing and not paying much attention at all.





6. Chicks digs scare, but not All Scars Are Sexy
Ladies, some of us have been told to “Hit the Road” and some of us have taken that literally!! Ever seen a butt-scar? ‘Nuff said.













7. We All Think We’re Cool. Only Some Of Us Are
Your suitor may be cool, but he will never be  Vern wearing a fur get up  cool!!  Just because he has a motorcycle does not mean he’s a catch. Some Knights are stinking Librarians for God sakes!!  Ever been to Sturgis?!? Seriously take a closer look, your selection process should involve far more than your potential suitor’s mode of transport. If you can’t deal with all the above caveats, then perhaps you should consider looking for Mr. Right at the mall. Or a Library…eh, wait, forget that.


CORE Members, 
We need Tailgunners, and Road Capt. 
see Will .



PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE ORGANIZER AND OFFICERS WORK HARD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A FUN SAFE RIDE.  WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS.
 I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY IDEAS FOR A FUTURE EVENT.
While we try to mix up our rides as much as possible, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to please everyone all the time. I hope everyone has been enjoying the rides that  have been on our schedule so far. I am always looking for feedback and new ideas. Your participation is what makes this club great.








Knights, if you are reading this and would like to see it continue, please let me know. I'm starting to think that about 4 people read this and I'm the 4th!!!
Thanks
Join me in welcoming  our newest Knight


Richard Cupini



George Zocchi




Ric (Topcat) Dennis








KNIGHTS it's not too early to RSVP for our Holiday Party....it's always a great time. We will do a White Elephant gift exchange again. Note the new meeting place!!! So come on out!!



















WHO HAS THE BEST VEST!!!!!















Gerald (Jerry) Pisciottano 10/6/1965







Neal Alvanos 10/27/1946





We have been having some great rides  TIMES !!!!!!




Mexican/ Pool night

What is quickly becoming a Knight favorite, we went to dinner and played pool. Rosalita's has very good food and we were given a table in an alcove all to ourselves....I never know if that is for our benefit, our the other patrons. Either way it was great. We then walked over to the pool hall where we proved what great ....bikers we are!! because none of us can play worth a Damn! We had the added bonus of hitting the boxing bag to see which of us hit the hardest. I believe Simbo won that honor....of course I may have done the Knights  proud when I took a swing , slipped, and scored a robust "1"....oy






Marc said" Good time even though I couldn't win a pool game if I played alone,lol! Hey Will, how bout that boxing game, eh? LMAO" 


BuzzCap7 said "TRULY enjoyed being with everyone..........you guys/gals are the BEST!"




Last minute Sunday brunch ride

We scheduled this one kinda late, so only a few Knights took what turned out to be a great ride!!  We hade a very good breakfast at Glady's and then took a ride around the lake, with a stop to let a short rain pass us by. The rest of the day was dry and fun!!




will said " Great day! very good breakfast, nice stop at the Flea market and then J&S fish camp, and perfect weather got home high and dry! Thanks guys"


Archie's Hogg Wild 2015

This event was organized by Squirrel and was to benefit the Canine Companions charity. While the event turn out wasn't that great, we had a lot of Knights on a very nice ride. We ended up taking some very pretty roads on a day when the weather was just perfect. An added bonus was David Rey reaching is Core member status on this ride....congrats David!! 











Richard Cupini said " Great ride. Much fun"

Joel Havens  said "Fun times again! "

George Zocchi  said " Thanks Will. Awesome ride, great scenery, perfect weather, fantastic company."




Homecoming GAME @ BBHS

We were once again given the honor of being invited to lead the team out onto the field for Boynton Beach HS at their Homecoming game. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had to cancel. I would like to personally thank those that were willing to come out. Hopfully next year we will be invited to do it again.



Cafe 27


Cafe 27 is a nice destination for bikers. We took a southern route this time and used a lot of highway.  It was great having all the Knight with us and  the weather could not have been better. The added bonus for this ride is we got to welcome home our brother Ricky "Sades" from his Summer hibernation.  





will said " Great ride, thanks for coming out and thanks Squirrel for tailing. A big WELCOME BACK to our brother Ricky Shades!! "





Bike Night West Palm Beach

Rich organized this and was join by some great Knights. It looked to be a lot of fun. 


Rich Love said"  Great night lots of fun as you can see By the photos taken new Nights out for a ride with some stops along the way Thanks to Nick"

Skip Commagere said " Great ride. Rich was in rare good form.


Square Grouper Tiki Bar

Well we had a great turn out for this ride. We got to welcome some more new Knights!! I'd like to welcome Ric (Topcat) Dennis and his wonderful wife Janny and also Frank who we hope will become official soon.  While the route was a little congested and it did take us to some unexpected roads and stops, the Knights rode like champs!! We did have some very nice views along the water once we got passed the downtown area. Make sure to check out the FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/696729747102279/ to see some pics and video the Janny took. 

















Ric (Topcat) Dennis said " Real nice crew, nice to meet you all. Hope to ride with you again soon "

Lauren said " nice pics today, I loved the location of the Square Grouper."


Skip Commagere said "Great to be back in the saddle with good friends. Way too much fun."

Richard Cupini said " Really nice ride and good to meet everyone again"



Trick or treat...we give treats


We wanted to show some community involvement, so we decided that setting up a booth at the Acreage Halloween night would be perfect. I have to say it was!! I was glad that my wife told me to go out early Saturday morning to see if there was people setting up. Well I got lucky and got the last spot on the stretch that Rich and I had decided we needed. So I set up our tent, and Rich joined me about 3pm to wait for the crowd. The crowd can only be described as HUGH!! There had to be 200 people that showed by the end of the night. Rich and I gave out over 40 lbs of candy. I even a had a few people that had me take a picture with their babies. A big thank you to Squirrel for all the help, and also to my daughter Kelsie who got dressed up and came out to help. I want to also say thank you to my wife Sue who came to the rescue with Pizza and Beer!! Next year we hope to have a few more Knights come out and have as much fun as we did.









Rich Love said " Great time I had no idea there was that many kids. "