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