On Being Cavalier

Updated on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 5:01PM by Neill Archer Roan

Cavalier (Extraordinaire) by Comoy’s

The classic cavalier by Comoy’s that you see depicted above is a rare bird, the only version I’ve ever seen of the shape by Comoy’s. An Extraordinaire, it is a large pipe that is beautifully grained and impeccably made. I acquired the pipe from the Bisgaards, hitting the buy button the minute I saw the pipe. It was only upon receiving it that I realized that it was likely made in the 1950s. It has the old, arched, serifed Comoy’s type stamp.

As with other consumer products, fashion flexes its muscle in the pipe world, too, especially with respect to the waxing and waning of pipe shapes. For example, for a number of years nosewarmers have been fashionable. So have chubby rhodesians. As a result of this year’s Kansas City Pipe Club’s North American Pipe Carver’s Contest, interest may be renewed in the cavalier shape.

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A Great Kansas City Pipe and Tobacco Show

Though I left the Kansas City Pipe and Tobacco Show last Sunday shortly after Noon, the memory of the great time I had there still lingers. Like most Midwesterners I’ve come to know in my life, the members of the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club sure know how to roll out the red carpet for visitors. It is hard to imagine a more welcoming or warmer group of guys. What impressed me most was how hard these club members worked to make the event a success because, for them, success meant that every person attending had a great time at the show.

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Your Input, Please.

After a year’s hiatus, the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club will be roaring back with a 2-day Kansas City Pipe and Tobacco Show this coming June 25-26.

With their inimitable Midwestern hospitality, the organizers have planned a Friday night Barbecue Buffet and a Saturday night Banquet. Yours truly has received and accepted an invitation to speak at the banquet and I’m busy ruminating on what I’m going to say.

I plan on preparing my remarks in written form. I also plan to deliver a slide presentation to accompany my talk. (People need something nice to look at!)

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