Wauseon Meet History

Saturday, July 30, 1967 was the first AMCA meet ever to be held in Ohio and it was graciously hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Bill Cleveland. Their 400 acre farm on gently rolling countryside was the perfect setting. By Saturday night, 40 old motorcycles, including two with sidecars and all neatly parked in the apple orchard, told the 60 attendees that this meet was a winner!

Chairs and tables were available in the motorcycle area and this made visiting easy. This was an easy-going gathering where the flea market was in constant operation.

A lot of mileage was put on bikes over the excellent country roads in the area which were otherwise almost empty.

That evening a local restaurant served dinner to 60 antique motorcycle enthusiasts (30 club members had been anticipated). This turned out to be the largest crowd ever served at this restaurant.

By 10:00 Sunday morning the show was on again and everyone could sense that a new era of popularity had begun. The largest daily newspaper in Ohio ran a two-page Sunday magazine spread on old motorcycles and their restorers.

Awards given out by judges were:

• Best Restored: Art Caldwell – 1917 Henderson

• Best runner restored: Bill Algeo – 1930 Harley-Davidson

• Best runner unrestored: Hal Bruce – 1914 Harley-Davidson

• Oldest: John Wickham – 1905 Indian

• Most Unique: A. Morra – 1912 Minneapolis

• Cycle that came the longest distance: Ernie Biddle – 1917 Indian

This winning tradition has carried on to make the Wauseon National Meet become the second largest AMCA meet in the country, and the largest meet east of the Mississippi. It is the result of the work of 4 AMCA chapters: Maumee Valley, Lake Erie, River Valley and Ohio Valley.

The Wauseon National Motorcycle Meet history project is just getting underway. If you have stories, pictures, memorabilia, or contacts from the early days of what was then called the “Cleveland Meet,” please contact us. Susan Brutus will be organizing records and remembrances in support of this activity. She can be contacted by phone at 317.437.6484 and by email at suzieQ12@frontier.com.