Open 10am-5pm | Thur-Mon 828-926-6266

Alex Casey Wins 21st Annual WTT Motorcycle Raffle (2023)

As the sun peaked over the mountains in beautiful Maggie Valley, North Carolina, the crowds were already lined up at the gate for the annual raffle celebration at Dale’s Wheels Through Time. Each year since its opening in 2002, the all-American motorcycle museum has restored and then given away a classic motorcycle through its annual Raffle. A not-for-profit organization, the Annual Raffle is the museum’s biggest fundraiser each year, with all proceeds going to help build new exhibits, continue preservation efforts, and enhance the overall museum visitor experience.
At 2:00, Museum Curator Matt Walksler took the microphone to greet the crowd as they prepared to hear the winner. As the crowd watched, the wooden drum containing the tickets was rotated one last time to shuffle the tickets, and then the ticket picker, eight-year-old Evelyn, was lowered into the tickets. On the count of 3 from the crowd, she reached down and pulled out one ticket.

The Grand Prize went to Alex Casey of LaPlata, Maryland. Casey visited the museum for the first time and purchased his raffle tickets in October. An avid rider, he currently rides a Harley-Davidson Sportster. The second prize of ten thousand dollars went to Bruce Wilson of Locust Grove, Georgia, a frequent visitor to the museum. The third prize of five thousand dollars went to James Lane of South Jersey. Lane has never visited the museum in person but bought his tickets online to support the museum.

Matt Walksler speaks with Raffle Winner Alex Casey
Record crowds gathered outside the museum, to see which lucky person would ride home on the 1937 Knucklehead Bobber.
“We can’t say thank you enough,” Walksler told the crowd, “each ticket you purchased means so much to us because it represents your support and belief in the mission of Dale’s Wheels Through Time.”

The museum also unveiled the raffle bike for their 2024 raffle, a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. Considered the “grandfather” of the American motorcycle, the Knucklehead was Harley’s revolutionary motor and is often credited with revolutionizing the American motorcycle scene. This particular Knucklehead is a stunning example, finished in HD Factory Custom Gold, trimmed in Brillant Black, and hand-striped with chrome accents.

The museum will close for winter on Monday, November 20th, but will reopen on April 4th, 2024. Until then, check out the YouTube page for excellent vintage motorcycle content, and click “Win This Bike” at the top of the page to purchase tickets for the 2024 Raffle Bike.