Two-wheelers offer ride through time
Calgary’s Heritage Park has a “living history” mandate: Exhibits with some human interaction help paint a clearer picture of the past.
That’s why, on Aug. 3, the park will host the second annual Riding Through Time display. Presented by the Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group’s Rocky Mountain (Calgary) Section, the exhibit will include machines from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s — up until 1975. Owners will be present to tell their stories and share their passion. Which is exactly what Heritage Park appreciates.
This all started last year when Janice Whitby, secretary of the Rocky Mountain Section, approached the park about hosting a motorcycle display. She was met with enthusiasm.
“For us, there was some excitement around doing something different that was related to transportation,” said Heritage Park’s special events co-ordinator, Jo Morris.
“Heritage Park’s transportation focuses on horse-drawn wagons, vintage cars and the steam locomotive. A vintage motorcycle display offered park visitors another perspective.”
In 2013, Whitby’s vintage motorcycle group and Heritage Park set up the first Riding Through Time display.
“Within 45 minutes of the gates to the park opening, we were swarmed by guests,” Whitby said.
“It was a lot of fun for everyone involved. We wanted to reach out to people who may have an interest in motorcycles but don’t regularly attend some of the city’s big motorcycle events.”
Whitby has been around powered two-wheelers her entire life. In England, her grandfather used an Ariel Square Four with a Watsonian double-adult sidecar as daily transport.
Her parents moved from England to Canada in 1957, and back home their transportation had been a Norton ES2. In Calgary, the Whitbys were a motorcycling family, and when she was 10, Whitby and her brother found a 1971 Yamaha JT1 under the Christmas tree.
Whitby and her husband, Fred Johansen, joined the CVMG in 2004. The CVMG is essentially an umbrella group with sections spread across Canada. The group is not about representing just one make or model. Rather, it welcomes all nationalities of production.
According to the group’s website at www.cvmg.ca, the club now has more than 2,100 members, and between them, they own more than 7,000 motorcycles covering 200 different makes.
Whitby explained how she came up with the idea to approach Heritage Park.
“We’d been at a club meeting, and the discussion turned to how we needed to attend more events where we could display our bikes, and talk about our vintage motorcycle hobby with a broader cross-section of the public.”
Keeping in mind the types of events the group often attends, such as shows and displays where gearheads are already present, Whitby thought about Heritage Park.
“We tend to stick to show-andshines, but I thought Heritage Park would be a great location to put ourselves in front of a whole different group of people, and mostly families,” Whitby said.
“The vintage bikes always seem to strike a chord, and even if no one in the family currently rides, most of them know or knew at least one person who at one time, did.
“For example, I had a Motobecane moped there last year. One gentleman saw it, and told me a story about how in France his father had ridden a Motobecane back and forth from the train station to get to work.”
Last year, there were machines on display ranging from a 1913 Ariel to a 1951 Vincent Black Shadow, and everything in between, right up to 1975.
Anyone in Calgary, or for that matter, Western Canada, with a vintage motorcycle made prior to 1975 is welcome to come out and display it at Heritage Park — it’s not restricted to CVMG members. Prior registration is required, and once in the park — arrive no later than 9 a.m. — the machines cannot be moved again until 4:30 p.m.
One of Heritage Park’s premier attractions is Gasoline Alley. A huge collection of petroliana and automobilia, it’s worth the price of admission alone.
“Gasoline Alley is a diamond in our treasure chest,” Heritage Park’s Morris said. “Riding Through Time is a new gem in the chest.”