ORGANIZED AND LAUNCHED IN JULY OF 1994, THE CALCASIEU AREA TREKKERS SOCIETY (CATS) BEGAN WITH THE INTENT TO BRING ORGANIZED SCIENCE FICTION MULTI-MEDIA FANDOM TO SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. FOUNDER STUART GRIGGS HAD LONG SOUGHT TO SHARE HIS ENJOYMENT OF STAR TREK AND SCIENCE FICTION WITH OTHER FANS, IN AN AREA WHERE THE GENRE WAS LESS-THAN-WIDLY APPRECIATED. BUT WITH THE ADVENT OF THE INTERNET, GRIGGS AND CO-FOUNDER DUANE BERGERON WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISH A SMALL GROUP OF CHARTER MEMBERS, MANY STILL ACTIVE WITH THE ORGANIZATION NEARLY 22 YEARS AFTER IT’S FOUNDING. GIVEN THAT 80% OF SUCH GROUPS DISSOLVE WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS OF ORGANIZATION, THAT’S NO SMALL FEAT.
IN 2012, CATS PETITIONED STARFLEET INTERNATIONAL (SFI) FOR MEMBERSHIP, WAS ACCEPTED, AND BECAME THE U.S.S. LAFITTE. BUT CATS/U.S.S. LAFITTE ISN’T JUST ABOUT STAR TREK; OUR MEMBERS DELIGHT IN MANY SCI-FI/FANTASY PROPERTIES, SUCH AS: STAR WARS, GAME OF THRONES, THE WALKING DEAD, ARROW, THE 100, BABYLON 5, MARVEL/DC, RENAISSANCE PRODUCTIONS, WHEADONVERSE, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (70’S AND 00’S), THE MANY GAMING VENTURES, YOU NAME IT, AND WE’RE ALWAYS EXPLORING NEW AND INTERESTING PROPERTIES TO ENJOY.
U.S.S. LAFITTE MEMBERS ARE A VARIED, AMBITIOUS AND ACTIVE BUNCH. PROFESSIONALLY, WE’RE JEWELERS, LABORERS, MANAGERS, COSTUMERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, IT TECHS, ZOOLOGISTS, AND JOURNALISTS. THAT KIND OF VARIED MEMBERSHIP BREEDS CREATIVITY; IN 2011, WE ORGANIZED (AND CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN) CYPHACON, AN ANNUAL REGIONAL FAN AND CHARITY CONVENTION. THEN THERE’S OUR ‘HOBBIES’; IN ADDITION TO OUR SFI ACTIVITIES, MEMBERS ORGANIZE FREQUENT GROUP TRIPS TO OTHER LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS (COMIC CONS, DRAGONCON) AND EVENTS (NASA JSC, KSC, SSC, TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL) OF HIGH INTEREST. BUT AT THE HEART OF USS LAFITTE IS OUR DESIRE TO HAVE FUN AND SHARE OUR LOVE OF THE GENRE WITH OTHER LIKE-MINDED PERSONS. WE’RE ALWAYS READY TO WELCOME NEW MEMBERS; IT’S FREE, AND IT’S FUN, SO COME GET YOUR NERD ON AT A USS LAFITTE MEETING OR EVENT, AND AS WE SAY IN SWLA: “LAISSEZ LE TEMPS DE GEEK ROULER!”
