Kris Estep
November 10, 2018
2018 Raffle Day Draws Record Crowds
The 2018 Raffle Bike, a 1936 Harley Davidson Knucklehead
On Saturday, November 10, thousands of visitors gathered at Wheels Through Time to witness the museum’s 16th Annual Vintage Motorcycle Raffle Giveaway. The day would end with the museum making one lucky ticket holder the winner of the 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead in Venetian Blue and Croydon Creme.
The day’s festivities began with cars lined up at the gate waiting for the museum to open. With door prizes being given away every half hour, live music from Vaden Landers and Company, and the sounds of vintage motorcycles being cranked up all over the museum, the excitement was building throughout the day. Outside the crowds enjoyed food from the Engine 52 Pizza Food Truck as well as gifts from Blue Ridge Motorcycle Magazine, and a free vintage motorcycle poster set from Wheels Through Time. The museum also treated its Lifetime Donors to a catered lunch from Haywood Smokehouse and special Donor Only door prizes and perks.
At 2:00 all attention turned to the stage in anticipation of the drawing that would determine the new owner of a genuine American classic. This year, the Grand Prize machine up for grabs was a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. Over the past year, this beautiful machine made the 2018 Raffle the largest Wheels Through Time fundraiser to date, raising much-needed revenue for the museum to build new exhibits, continue the vision of the preservation of American Motorcycle history, and improve the overall museum experience for its visitors.
When it came time to draw the winning tickets, excitement grew as museum founder and curator Dale Walksler held the phone and Bella, a young girl from the crowd, dove into the tickets and swam around to give the tickets one last stir before the drawing. On the count of three from the master of ceremonies, John Gustafson, Bella held out a ticket.
The first ticket pulled determined the winner of the 3rd prize of $5,000.00. The winner was John Goforth of Canton, GA. John has visited the museum several times and entered the raffle because of the opportunity of being able to support the museum and have a chance to win a motorcycle. The next ticket drawn was Beth Mohr who won the 2nd prize of $10,000.00.
Bella stirs the tickets in the Ticket Truck
First Place Winner Charlie Woodward .
The crowd cheered young Bella on again as she dug and shuffled through the tickets. Again, on the count of 3, she held up a ticket. This ticket would make someone the proud new owner of the 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. The winner was Charlie Woodward from Allons, TN. Charlie first visited the museum this past July after the encouragement of friends that knew of his passion for Harley Davidson motorcycles. After his visit, he knew he wanted to support the vision of Wheels Through Time, so he bought three raffle tickets. Charlie’s love for motorcycles came from his dad who had a 1967 Harley Davidson FLH. When Charlie’s dad passed away 30 years ago, he got his dad’s bike, which he still rides today. Charlie told the museum that it was on his bucket list to own a motorcycle with a foot clutch, an item that can now be checked off. He also said he would be buying more tickets for the 2019 raffle and a chance to win the new raffle bike, a 1936 Harley Davidson Knucklehead Bobber in Black with Vermilion Red and Gold Striping.