Sun Block or Ear Muffs?
Omaha Chapter National Meet
Fremont, Nebraska, 2006
By Bill Gordon, Sunflower Chapter Newsletter Editor

The Omaha Chapter's 27th Annual Winter Meet, titled "The Lincoln Highway National," was held on February 24 & 25 at Christensen Field in Fremont, Nebraska. Why the Lincoln Highway National title? Because it was a National meet and in the early 1900s the Lincoln Highway passed through Fremont. Seems appropriate to me.

The location is convenient to Omaha (population to draw from); the facility is great (the best they've ever had in the history of this meet), and the chapter members worked hard to promote the meet (resulting in the best meet ever hosted by the Omaha Chapter). This is a combination guaranteed to be successful and they intend to do it again in 2007.


That late blooming hippy (no hard feelings Mark) Mark LaFleur, with past national Vice President Jerry Ottaway.

The weather this year was 50-50. Friday was a gorgeous day with mid 60s temperature, but Saturday was a different story. It was a very cold day with highs only in the 20s. On the good side, however, there was no snow or ice. I know it's hard to believe, but once again, they won their February gamble. How lucky can you get?

But there was no luck involved in making this meet a huge success. It was well promoted, the facility was excellent, and members of the Omaha Chapter were ever-present to answer questions and resolve any problems. As a result, they had a large turnout of vendors, antique bike exhibitors, buyers, and spectators. The meet was well organized and ran very smoothly!

Christensen Field is located near the Fremont airport, just off the downtown area. The meet was held in the first building near the main entrance. Very nice, approximately 25,000 square feet in size, with very nice restroom facilities and a kitchen from which breakfast and lunch were served. It's quite adequate for the meet, and will provide the needed space as the meet grows in size.


Howard Wagnerís restored/modified Indian Prince. What a beauty!

Antique bikes for display and for judging were well arranged in three sections, with vendor tables surrounding them on three sides. Machines displayed included 40 motorcycles, two motorbikes, two Cushman motor scooters, and one Harley-Davidson bicycle. Oh yeah, make that three motor scooters. Jerry Ottaway bought a beautifully restored 1959 Vespa from one of the vendors and then parked it in the display area.


People's Choice winner, Jim Ringle's 1957 Harley.

Some of the machines were rare; some were outstanding, and some were both! People who attended the meet were allowed to vote for "Peoples Choice" awards, and they picked some nice machines. First place went to Jim Ringle and his restored 1957 Harley-Davidson. Second place went to Rusty Rushton and his restored 1946 Indian Chief, and third place went to Howard Wagner and his restored/modified 1926 Indian Sport Prince. They were all equally beautiful machines that reflected a lot of loving care and attention in their restoration.

The total available vendor space was not completely sold out. It was difficult to count, but by my count, there were 39 tables occupied, representing approximately 32 vendors. There were lots of nice pieces and parts for sale, and it appeared that most of the vendors were doing a fair amount of business on both days. Saturday was the busiest day and the building actually became somewhat crowded, as many of the locals came in to look at the old bikes. Admission was free to all AMCA members, and $3.00 each for non-members.


The Old Sage Bud Cox, on the left, with Howard Wagner at the Saturday evening banquet.

The high note on Saturday was the auction of a very tired Cushman scooter that was missing the engine. It got pretty funny toward the end of the bidding when it got down to just two bidders who seemed to be very serious about the outcome. They weren't smiling and you would have thought they were bidding on a $90,000 machine, with $1,000 bid increments. Actually, they were at $5.00 bids, and the crowd cheered when the sale was finally hammered down at $375!

Jerry Ottaway took his Indian Super Six to Fremont only for display, but the frequent question, "Does it run?" was asked several times, so he took it outside on Saturday morning to fire it up. It took several kicks, about 20, to get it started, but that's not too bad, considering the temperature was 17 degrees above zero. There was a big crowd on hand to see if it would run and what it sounded like, but they quickly disappeared back into the warm building when their curiosity was satisfied. Jerry asked Dave Minerva if he would like to ride the Super Six. That was an offer that Dave was hoping for and couldn't refuse. He quickly accepted the offer, climbed aboard, and took it for a spin. And it was a cold spin... it was well below freezing. Three other fellows braved the bitter cold to watch Dave ride the Super Six. Then Jerry invited them to take it for a spin. Would they? Yes! Steve Brinker, Clayton Olsen, and Mark LaFleur took a ride on the Super Six, and just like Dave, they were all smiles when they returned. Each rider was properly photographed, as proof that he had ridden the Ottaway Indian Super Six. They were a happy bunch of fellows... nearly frozen stiff, but they were happy.


Larry Similar's Indian racer.


Two men with 20 lifetimes worth of knowledge, Smitty (Erwin Smith) and Bud Cox.

Bud Cox, Steve Dawdy and Dave Minerva judging Bill Montz's Indian.

The judging of machines was done on Saturday afternoon, with the awards being presented at the Saturday evening banquet. This is the way it should be done, rather than Sunday judging. I'm convinced that more members would participate in the judging process if it was more convenient for them to do so. That includes having their machines judged, as well as becoming a judge. But you have to make it convenient or they will pass it by. And that's a shame, because the judging process is interesting, informative, and sometimes it's even entertaining!

A local caterer served the banquet on the premises and the food was great. The room was not really huge and if the meet grows as expected, it might be a problem for larger crowds. But that's a problem for the future and I'm sure the Omaha Chapter can sort it out satisfactorily. It was a fun meet. The Omaha Chapter has already booked the building for 2007, and we are already looking foreword to their 28th annual winter meet!

Bill Montz's 1906 Indian single.


Vern Goodwin on a Harley. It's the end of the world as we know it!