DC Newsletter

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Dear Fellow Caballeros,

I am very excited about the upcoming Desert Caballeros Trail Ride scheduled for April 17 – 21. Your Board of Directors is working hard to make it the very best DC Ride ever. But I want to emphasize that the fun really starts before the Ride…on Friday, April 14, 2023.

As most of you know, the weekend before the DC Ride is a weekend of parties, exciting activities, more parties, and lots of good fellowship.

The fun starts at 6pm on Friday, April 14 with a new event for our 76th annual trail ride…the “Back Patio Social” to be held in the rear courtyard at Rancho Bar 7. It’s a way for caballeros old and new to gather, enjoy a cocktail or a cold beer and get reacquainted at the start of our pre-Ride weekend. Growing up in Wickenburg as I did gives me years of fond memories of the DC Ride…as it headed out of town…watching the cowboys parade through the streets of my beloved hometown…then riding across the bridge and up into the hills. As a youngster, I couldn’t wait to go on my first Desert Caballeros Ride.

And now that I am a veteran of this wonderful trail ride, I know that the job of El Presidente (and the Board of Directors) is not to change our beloved DC traditions, but to add to them.

So I thought about all the terrific innovations we’ve had over the years and how they’ve added to the fun of the Ride…the Silent Auction at the El Presidente Party, the duck races, the flag ceremony, the rifle auction, the gymkhana, the trap shoot, the chicken dance, the hot fudge sundaes served by our DC Board members. All have been welcome additions to our already great trail ride.

And this coming April, I want to do even more. So on Friday, April 14 every DC Rider (and his wife or sweetheart) is invited to the “Back Patio Social” at Rancho Bar 7. It’s the perfect way to say hello to old friends and meet new ones. There’ll be cold beer and drinks for sale, loud country music and a fabulous group of DC folks to share the fun with.

All DC Riders, friends, wives, and sweethearts are invited.

We’re also working to improve our Day-In-Camp experience. It’ll be less hectic, with more time to relax, visit with old friends, and enjoy all the planned activities.

Parties? We’ve got a ton of them! Starting with your Camp’s annual party (usually on Saturday night), the El Presidente Party at Rancho de los Caballeros and the DC Silent Auction (on Sunday night), plus the Shrimp and Avocado Party, the Hawaiian Luau Party, the Margarita Party, the Cheese Crisp Party during the Ride, and, of course, the post-Ride Farewell party that will be held this year at the Wickenburg Community Center on Friday, April 21.

The food on the DC Ride has always been great.
And I’ve asked my old friend, Charlie Hoch (our food chairman) to make sure our menu is extra special this year. Charlie is working with our caterer, Mickey Houston, to make sure we’re fed like kings! Eggs any way you like them, crispy bacon, sausages, hotcakes and more for breakfast, surf-and-turf for dinner, and hot fudge sundaes for dessert….all of it served up in the middle of the Arizona desert.

So get great ready, everyone! Tell your Greenstripers they are in for the time of their lives.

My beautiful wife, Shawn, and I look forward to seeing you all in Wickenburg this April 14. It’s going to be a great ride.

Vaya con Dios, amigos!

KEVIN MALLICOAT
El Presidente

2022 TOP HAND winner – Michael Chumo!