Duane Ware of Winder, GA Wins 23rd Annual WTT Motorcycle Raffle (2025)
Dale’s Wheels Through Time, the premier all-American motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, NC, held its twenty-third annual raffle on November 22nd. From its opening in 2002, the museum has restored and then given away a classic American motorcycle. This year, the grand prize was a 1939 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, finished in Teak Red and Brilliant Black HD Factory colors.
The museum, known worldwide as “The Museum That Runs,” is a not-for-profit organization, and its annual raffle is its biggest fundraiser, with all proceeds going to help build new exhibits, continue preservation efforts, enhance the overall museum visitor experience, and ensure the mission of preserving American motorized history continues for generations to come. The day saw record crowds for the drawing, with an estimated 1,600 people in attendance, all with fingers crossed that their name would be the one drawn to ride home on the grand-prize machine.
Throughout the morning, guests were treated to the sights and sounds of some of the museum’s rarest bikes being fired up by museum staff, demonstrating why the museum has the motto “The Museum That Runs.” At 2:00, Museum Board member and emcee for the day, John Gustafson, greeted the crowds and thanked those gathered and watching online for their tremendous support of the museum. The museum gave out several door prizes, including a 2003 Harley-Davidson FXDWG. This bike required no purchase; everyone in attendance was entered to win. The winner of this machine was Patrick Moriarty of Dahlonega, GA.
Finally, the moment that everyone had been waiting for. The crowd all turned attention to the large wooden ticket drum on the stage. Inside the drum, alongside the tickets, climbed six-year-old Lacy, the young lady who would pull the ticket that would find the grand prize winner.
Crowds gathered outside the museum to see which lucky person would ride home on the 1939 Knucklehead.
Curator Matt Walksler rides in on the 2025 Raffle Bike – The Streamline ’39
After a countdown from the crowd, she reached in and pulled out one ticket, handing it to Museum Curator Matt Walklser, who read off the name to the waiting crowd. The Grand Prize winner was Duane Ware of Winder, GA. Ware wasn’t present for the drawing, but as soon as he got the call from Walksler, he jumped in his truck and made his way to Maggie Valley. Ware, a longtime supporter of the museum, has bought tickets for almost 20 years, and this year it paid off. The 1939 Knucklehead will be Ware’s first kickstart classic motorcycle.
The attention then turned back to the drum of raffle tickets as Lacy pulled two more tickets. The second prize of $10,000 went to Tim O’Neill of South Florida. The five-thousand-dollar third prize went to Roger Elrod of Enterprise, AL.
“We can’t say thank you enough to everyone who supported us this year,” said Walksler, “each person who visited or purchased a raffle ticket makes it possible for us to continue the mission of Wheels Through Time.”
The museum also unveiled a surprise for their 2026 raffle, with not one but two raffle bikes, an iconic 1946 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead and a streamlined 1939 Harley-Davidson ULH finished in one year only HD Airway Blue and White. The winner in 2026 will get their choice of machines, and the second-place winner will get the remaining machine.
The museum will close for the winter on Monday, November 24th, but will reopen on April 2nd, 2026. Until then, check out their YouTube page for excellent vintage motorcycle content, and head to www.winthisbike.com to purchase tickets for the 2026 Raffle Bikes.