2008 Father's Day and Motorcycle Week in New Hampshire

My father passed away twenty-seven years ago.  Yet a Father's Day does not arrive  when I do not think of both him AND New Hampshire's Motorcycle Week.  Why the connection?

A motorcycle was my father's first love (yep, even my mother admitted that). Possibly his first bike was a vintage Indian that he called “Old Reliable.”  He was one of the participants of the early Gypsy Tours that have mostly faded from memory. A love of everything motorcycle-related, in conjunction with his enjoyment of photography, produced an amazing legacy in snapshots of New England's motorcycle history.

He never spoke to his children about racing, but he did say how he performed a few daredevil stunts, such as riding through a burning wooden wall.  We thought he was joking, until as adults we saw proof.

And so today, as the 85th Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally begins (aka Laconia Motorcycle Week), I can't help but be reminded of my own Dad, and his passion for swift Indians, leather gear, and dirt tracks.

Janice

P.S.: The photograph pictured above is of “Webby” Webster riding his motorcycle through a burning wooden wall, circa 1932

*Additional Reading*

–Cafe Press: Vintage 1930 Motorcycles–

–Motorcycle Week 2008 (Weirs)–

-Laconia Motorcycle Week 2008: Official Site-

-Cow Hampshire: Articles and Photographs About Motorcycles (You DO know the motorcycle was invented by a New Hampshire man)–