Local men of Acadiana, residents who were passionate for the brawny vehicle, led them to form a group called the LA Jeepers. There is only one requirement needed before an aspiring member can formally join the group -- he or she must own a Jeep, not considering its mechanical condition.
Any Jeep bearing logo is welcome aside from the traditional CJ Renegade or Golden Eagle etc. YJ Wrangler or Rubicon models, Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, Liberty’s, and J-10 Trucks. It won’t be a problem if the Jeep doesn’t run. No need to worry because the members are willing to extend their hand and share their technical expertise, mechanical help, and location of parts such as cold air intake, jeep distributor caps, headlamps, windshields etc.
Andreé Barra, the founding member and the president of LA Jeepers said that the group was formed because of their consistent meetings with her friends driving their strong four-wheel-drive and cruising around Lafayette and the surrounding areas. Eventually the club was established. The original members were only ten(10).
Whenever they cruise around Lafayette, the club’s informal meeting place (they used to meet at Sonics) of friends with Jeeps. They gather and almost all who owns a jeep automatically joins the group. Soon the informal gatherings resulted to a proper organized planning which focused to the vehicles and their faithful owners. Barra said, “Was out of work for seven months. That’s were I focused myself on planning to form the LA Jeepers. But it all started as a joke revolving around organizing. It was a real challenge for us because none of us had done anything like this before, and we were all starting from scratch.”
From the 10 founding members, the group had amplified up to 65 members and is rapidly increasing. The first event the group have organized was the “Jeep and Greet” last September. Barra and company are very proud to have a very successful outcome from the dedication of all jeep enthusiast and jeep lovers.
By: Lisa Ziegler