Harley Davidson at 115

We live in a divided world. Despite this, for one week in the heart of America, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, people from every corner of the Earth and every walk of life came together to celebrate a singularly American Icon – the Harley Davidson motorcycle. Running August 29 to September 2, Harley Davidson and the city of Milwaukee threw a week long celebration.

Events took over the entire city, with major flag poll locations at the Harley Davidson Museum and Milwaukee’s Veterans Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. The organizers had every kind of enthusiast in mind – from the touring riders taking long rides, to the retro-cult riders watching beach racing hosted by The Race of Gentlemen, to the beer drinkers and hell-raisers partying into the night at one of two large concert stages.

While the motor company’s name has been in the headlines due to political maneuvering from Trump – there was very little in the way of overt political overtures to be found throughout the celebration. Despite this, and owning much to its own marketing over the last century plus; there was a palpable sense of Americana. Though in this form of Americana, it is celebrated by travelers from all corners of the world with sizable portions of the participants from Indonesia, Japan, China, Brazil, German, France, just to name a few. In short, this was homage to an American icon in a time when much of the world wants to distance itself from the politics of the US federal government.

The week held events for everyone – but ramped up into the Labor Day weekend. From Friday on, the party was going nearly 24 hours at official and unofficial venues across the greater region. Friday took the party indoors for bit during Mama Tried’s Flat Out Friday flat-track racing at the UWM Panther Arena. The event was just one of a handfull where Harley pared with well-known event organizers that cater to a younger riding culture.

Scheduling over the weekend was tight. While the hill climb was going on just up the road in Little Switzerland, The Race of Gentlemen was hosting the Beach Brawl. This was carried over to overlapping music events at the HD Museum and the Moto-Carnival, as well as the dueling Wall of Death and Globe of Death. For those who did not ride in to the event getting between venues on overlapping timelines proved to be a bit of a task. Due to this we tended to park in one area for prolonged times alternating between the Museum property and the Moto-Carnival.

The Lakefront Moto-Carnival was one of the more energetic locations featuring everything from helicopter rides, a Ferris wheel, bike building competitions, and close proximity to the Beach Brawl beach racing. The only drawback was the storm that rolled in Saturday night meant the final bacchanal on the beach had to be cancelled.

The arts have been vital to the Harley image since its inception, and this week had no shortage of film, music, and art. There were films, courtesy of the Milwaukee Film Society held at the beautiful Oriental Theater; concerts, standouts being the Supersuckers, Reverend Horton Heat, and Lady Antebellum; and art hosted in the Sailor Jerry tent.

While Harley packed the schedule with more than anyone could ever witness, they know that it is always about the riders. More than anything, this has been a celebration of the Harley rider - whether it be the more than 6,000 riders participating in the parade through the streets of Milwaukee, or the parties spread across the city featuring a welcoming ride home felling. For 115 years Harley has inspired generations from all walks of life from across the globe. Simply, Harley Davidson has proven time and time again that it is a great unifier for millions across the world.