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The roots of Laconia Motorcycle Week in New Hampshire date back to 1916, a good 20 years before other big rallies like Sturgis and Daytona, and it bills itself as "The World's Oldest Motorcycle Rally." But many of the artifacts from that long history went up in flames in a Christmas Day fire.
The office that houses the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, which organizes the annual rally, was completely destroyed, along with old photos, trophies and other memorabilia from the Gypsy Tour, races and rally over the decades. The association also lost a lot of merchandise, such as shirts, patches and pins, that it sells to raise money. Sadly, the association's cat in residence, Ashland, was also lost in the fire. A man was rescued from an apartment above the office.
The Laconia Rally has been held 96 times, as it was interrupted a few times due to wars and the Great Depression. The association was planning ahead for the 100th rally in 2023, but that will happen now without a lot of the historical artifacts from the event's long history.
Here's a report from Manchester, N.H. TV station WMUR.
