A Brief History of "BIKE WEEK"

mcdude · 06-13-2008, 10:50 AM

From the Concord Monitor

Quote:

In some ways, Laconia Motorcycle Week hasn't changed that much in its 85 years. It has always been about the bikes, and photographs of the earliest gatherings show the Weirs's main strip lined on both sides with riders proudly showing off their rides.
But not all is the same. In those old photographs, motorcyclists and spectators alike sport ties, buttoned-down shirts - even pearls. There was a time when a teeny
bikini was not an outfit, even at Weirs Beach during motorcycle week.
With the 85th rally starting tomorrow, you can reminisce yourself with a new photo book, Laconia Motorcycle Week, by Charlie St. Clair and Jennifer Anderson from the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association.
They've collected nearly 125 pages of photos from the event's first gypsy tour in 1916 to more recent rallies. Page 66 shows former governor Hugh Gregg (on a bike, in a tie) with Fritzie Baer, the grandfather of the motorcycle races. On Page 94, you can see what the Loudon race track looked like before it became an international speedway.
And in between the photos, St. Clair and Anderson tell the history of the event and how it's grown and changed.
Today, motorcycle week brings nearly 350,000 to Laconia. It started off much smaller. When the first riders stopped in Laconia for a riding tour in 1916, there were only 100 to 150 riders, according to the book. But they came back year after year, spending the week in the Lakes Region.