If you watch television in any sort of capacity, you may have heard of the show “American Pickers.” The show airs on the History Channel and follows two “pickers” Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they scour the country for long-forgotten treasures.
On Saturday, Jan. 15, Wolfe and Fritz welcomed a grand crowd at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, which the duo is quite familiar with. When the Museum first arrived in Anamosa, John Parham, President of the Board of Directors, called upon these two to find motorcycles for its location in downtown Anamosa. This was long before they were stars and people shook and shrieked when they were able to pose for photos with them.
Some 2,500 people filtered through the Museum for the opportunity to shake hands with Wolfe and Fritz and have them autograph a photo. Really, the event was a way to bring people in who maybe wouldn’t otherwise stop by the Museum, get them through the door then knock the socks off of them. Impressed they were. More than once we heard what a beautiful facility it was and they would be back – just what we wanted.
John Parham states, “Mike and Frank are good guys. There is a lot of good stuff laying in barns and attics that needs brought out and preserved, appreciated. They are helping people understand that." Over the coming year, visitors to the Museum will be treated to more interesting celebrities and specialists in motorcycling.
The National Motorcycle Museum is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation. For more information, call 319-462-3925 or plan your visit to the Museum on the web at www.nationalmcmuseum.org.
