History 2016 - May-December
Grand Opening held May 25, 2016...
The St. Francis Motorcycle Museum held its Grand Opening on Saturday, May 28, 2016. Food and specialty vendors were in attendance. A crowd of over 400 visitors attended. Three rare motorcycles (not previously displayed) were exhibited at the museum. The featured bikes were a restored 1914 Feilbach Limited, a 1915 Emblem, and a 1915 Harley-Davidson. Approximately 100 motorcycles of many different makes and years were on exhibit during the Grand Opening. During the following week, several more new bikes entered the museum including a current record holder at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
In the first 6 weeks the museum was open, visitors from 22 states and 2 foreign countries visited the museum.
1914 Feilbach Limited
1915 Harley-Davidson
Road Signs Erected
In June, several museum board members worked to erect two large signs advertising the museum along Highway 36. The frames were build by Eddy Schultz and the sign's display were made by the Hot Brush in Bird City. Other signs have been located along Interstate 70 and in St. Francis.
Painting Reveled
On, November 27, a special evening opening of the museum was dedicated to the reveling of a large painting donated by Sunny Crest Farms in memory of Junior and Verda Smull. The painting was done by Fort Collins (CO) artist David Hartman. Accompanying the painting is a poem written by Sandy Smull entitled "Going Home." A large crowd attended the event.
David Hartman had visited the museum earlier in the year and had spend an afternoon painting another motorcycle picture that also is displayed in the museum.
Mr. Hartman talks about the painting.
The painting is reveled to the public.