An estimated 1,000 motorcycles are expected to converge on Greater Napanee in August for a large-scale rally to benefit charities, while boosting the local economy and promoting the regions motorcycle routes.

The "Ride With The Pack 2012" rally will be housed on the Strathcona Paper Centre grounds from August 3-5, 2012, and is the brainchild of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit (CAV).A national not-for-profit riding club, the CAV is comprised of veterans, serving military members and veteran supporters.

According to rally co-chairs Pavel "Bear" Mokros, president of 1CAV Juno based in Trenton; and Mark Brooks, the units road captain, the goal is to make this an annual event in Greater Napanee.

Mokros told the Beaver that his wife received a copy Lennox and Addington County's "L&A Rides" brochure, which outlines some of the areas well-maintained scenic routes and stopovers.

"We're always looking for new places to ride so we got a little information package back," Mokros said, adding that members then realized there were rally's for this part of Ontario. "We thought it would be kind of cool to have one so I fired off an e-mail to Rob Plumley in which I said, 'You're telling me you're motorcycle friendly, how friendly are you? I want to bring 1,000 bikes to your town,' and the response was phenomenal.

Mokros said the event grew from there, with both the county and Town of Greater Napanee getting on board.

This year one event for 2012 is also going to be our clubs annual general meeting. That means everybody from across the country is invited to come to the one-day meeting to find out whatÕs going on.

With several hundred riders expected for that event, Mokros hopes each one invites some friends for the 3-day event. According to Plumley, the county's economic development officer, there has been a lot of positive feedback when it comes to the L&A Rides program."I think (the rally) is great and there's a real big opportunity with tourism projects like that," he said. "The fact they're coming is great and will give more exposure to the routes that we've put together.

Plumley pointed out that several of the routes will be used by those at the rally during the event. The county currently has five routes outlined on their website: the Rural Ride, the Shoreline Ride, the Empire Loyalist Ride, the Farming Ride, and the Shield Ride.

"A local resident sent in a story about how good the motorcycle riding was here so we met with her and put together some of her favourite rides," Plumley explained. "Last spring we introduced the brochure which has gone over very well. We have also gone to various motorcycle related trade shows and have had a lot of positive feedback from that."

He said events such as 'Ride With The Pack 2012' have a lot of potential for growth. "It's a really great tourism product that we're happy to see come to our community," Plumley said.

Asked about the CAV, Brooks said he found the riding club when he wanted to get into helping people by being involved with charity rides and riding with a good group of enthusiasts."I was part of a small club before for only about a year, and then I saw the fantastic work that the CAV does," he said. "I am non-military so I am one of the supporters, but I am a very proud supporter of this club and what it stands for. Brooks has been riding with CAV for two years and says he is "loving every minute of it."

All proceeds, after expenses, from the August rally will benefit three charities - one local, one national and one international. These include Interval House in Napanee, The Children's Wish Foundation and ICROSS International community for the relief of suffering and starvation.

CAV was formed eight years ago by Doc Lebrun and Paul 'Trapper' Cane, the national president, after a chance meeting at the Ride for Dad fundraiser in Kingston. "Both being military based and both stricken with post-traumatic stress disorder quite heavily, they saw a need for helping military," Mokros said. "That's how the bike club started and then they brought in supporters. Without supporters you're not anything and if you meet Trapper that's the first thing he'll tell you."

To that end, CAV is actively seeking sponsorship opportunities in the Greater Napanee area. "We both work at Goodyear here in town so we will be banging on their door and anybody else who is willing to donate anything from a prize, $5 to thousands of dollars," Mokros said. "The charities are our number one focus."

Greater Napanee council recently passed a motion authorizing staff to enter into an agreement with the CAV to host the rally next year.For more information visit www.cav-juno.ca, or to become a sponsor contact Brooks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

From:  Massive motorcycle rally coming in August
By Dominik Wisniewski
The Napanee Beaver
December 22, 2011