Treasure Trove Of Motorcycle History Goes Up In Smoke

PHOTO: The charred remains of some of the “salvageable” artifacts damaged in the fire at the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association office in Laconia on Christmas Day. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in memorabilia of the classic Motorcycle Rally was destroyed including over a hundred years of photos. The Association is looking for support in rising from the ashes. Courtesy Photo

Seeking Support in Rebuilding Effort

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

Over one hundred years of history gone in the blink of an eye.
On Christmas Morning the office of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association on Union Avenue in Laconia was engulfed in flames destroying not only the interior of the building, but also a treasure trove of artifacts, pictures, etc.,that told the tale of this century old motorcycle rally, the oldest in the country. It is also an economic mainstay to the City of Laconia and surrounding areas as it welcomes hundreds of thousands of riders to the area each June.
Along with the cherished memorabilia, the Association’s beloved cat, Ashland, who graced the entrance to the building and greeted visitors, has also been missing.
Fortunately, another tenant who lived in the building was able to escape the early morning blaze.
Losses in the fire total into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and, unfortunately, insurance coverage won’t come close to covering most of the cost of the tragedy. Lost forever in the fire were 120+ years of photos, periodicals, posters, trophies, plaques, books and written records.
“We didn’t own the building, we rented it,” said Charlie St. Clair who has been the director of the Association since 1991. “We only have renters insurance which doesn’t come close to covering the losses we have endured.”

The Motorcycle Week Association did not use the building merely as an office, but also as a museum where eighty-five percent of the memorabilia related to the history of the annual event was stored and displayed.
“I’ve been collecting Motorcycle Week memorabilia for fifty years,” said St. Clair. “We had things in there that date back to the early 1900s. There was literature from 1903. We even had full oil cans with Harley Davidson and Indian Motorcycle logos going back to the 1930s. The fire caused the paint on the cans to blister off.”
About eight years ago, St. Clair attended an auction of a personal collection of memorabilia, mostly binders full of 8×10 photographs taken by local photographers on the Laconia Rally.
“I had planned to maybe spend a couple of thousand dollars at the auction,” said St. Clair. “I ended up spending about sixteen thousand.”
Though the salvage effort continues to go on at the building, it appears that just about all of the photos were lost.
“We had been planning on having everything on display for the 100th Anniversary in 2023,” said St. Clair.

There has also been no signs to this point of Ashland though there is a small glimmer of hope that he may have escaped and is still somewhere in the area. In a release about the fire the Motorcycle Week Association tell Ashland’s story: “Charlie rescued Ashland in 2006 following a firework’s show he had done for the Town of Ashland’s July 4th Celebration. It appeared from the holes on either side of this tiny kitten that an owl (or something similar) may have tried to take him away as a snack. Ashland escaped and appeared to the fireworks crew that night and was happily appointed Motorcycle Week office mascot! Ashland loved greeting visitors and ‘helping’ with work tasks, which mainly involved sleeping on the desk or on an available lap. He also loved his best friend, Paugus, our other office kitty; rescued from outside our office on a very cold winter’s day in 2008. Paugus passed away in his sleep this past fall after battling cancer. Together, this mighty duo helped supervise all tasks and provided laughter and comfort in times of stress. Both are sorely missed.”

The word of the loss spread quickly throughout the local community and there have already been folks who have donated artifacts as well as monetary donations to help in the long road to full recovery.
Paul Cote of Massachusetts has set up a GoFundMe page (“We Love Motorcycle Week”) to help the effort. All of the funds raised will be used to cover fire clean up cost, estimated at forty thousand, as well as replacing items to run the office and, of course, acquiring other memorabilia that might be available.
“I especially want to thank the Laconia Fire Department and the other departments who did a terrific job in knocking down the fire,” said St. Clair. “They literally saved the building. I think if it had happened on Christmas Eve night no one might have seen the smoke and called it in before it was way too late. It was lucky they got the call when they did.”
Still, amidst the wreckage of the devastating fire, St. Clair, along with Deputy Director Jennifer Anderson and the board of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, are rolling up their sleeves and already getting to work to prepare for the 2021 Rally will which be held in June.

“We will be working from a remote location for now,” said St. Clair. “But we plan to be back here in the future as the landlord plans to rebuild. It is important not only for the history of Motorcycle Week but also the history of Laconia.”
St. Clair is still coming to grips with this devastating loss to a lifetime worth of work, but he still sees he silver lining. “I know it’s a cliché, but you can’t take anything for granted as every day is a blessing.”
To donate to the rebuilding efforts you can donate to the ‘We Love Laconia Motorcycle Week’ Go Fund me page or send a check payable to LMWA, PO Box 5399, Laconia, NH. 03247 and put “Friends Of MC Week – Rebuild Fund.” No donation is too small.
If you have memorabilia to donate contact Charlie St. Clair.