Paul LeBlanc of Lancaster, NY Wins 22nd Annual WTT Motorcycle Raffle (2024)
Excitement was high on Saturday as the first people arrived at Dale’s Wheels Through Time in Maggie Valley for the all-American motorcycle museum’s twenty-second annual raffle. Since the museum first opened in 2002 it has restored and then given away a classic motorcycle. This year, the Grand Prize was a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, finished in HD Factory Custom Gold and Brilliant Black paint.
As 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, enhance the overall museum visitor experience, and ensure the mission of preserving American motorized history continues for generations to come.
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. As the moment that everyone had been anticipating all year drew closer, all eyes turned to the wooden ticket drum at the front of the stage; inside, among the shuffled tickets was one that would change someone’s life.
As the crowd watched, the wooden ticket drum was spun again to shuffle the tickets. This year, the winning tickets would be pulled by five-year-old Ava, who was carefully lowered in the drum of tickets. On the count of three 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 baited crowd.
Crowds gathered outside the museum to see which lucky person would ride home on the 1936 Knucklehead.
Curator Matt Walksler rides in on the 2025 Raffle Bike – The Streamline ’39
The Grand Prize winner was Paul LeBlanc of Lancaster, NY. LeBlanc has never visited Wheels Through Time in person but fell in love with the museum after seeing videos of the collection and projects on YouTube a few years ago. Since then he has been an avid supporter of the museum. He has been riding for more than sixty years and has a 1979 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead and a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA.
Afterward, Ava pulled two more tickets, and the second prize of ten thousand went to Joseph Tucker. The five thousand dollar third prize went to Joseph Salter of Valley Grande, AL. Salter is a long-time supporter of Wheels Through Time and makes a trip to Maggie Valley each year just to buy his tickets in person.
“We have had an incredible year,” Walksler told the gathered crowd, “and our success is all because of each one of you. We always say we have the best supporters in the world and we can’t say thank you enough for all that you do.”
The museum also unveiled the bike for their 2025 raffle, a 1939 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. The “Streamline 39” is a stunning example of a Knucklehead, finished in HD Teak Red and Black with chrome accents. The museum will close for winter on Monday, November 25th, but will reopen on April 3rd, 2025. Until then, check out their YouTube page for excellent vintage motorcycle content, and head to www.winthisbike.com to purchase tickets for the 2025 Raffle Bike.