Just over fifty years ago, somewhere in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland an informal network of people interested in riding, repairing and restoring old motorcycles were coming together and forming a core of people that would later become The Chesapeake Chapter (# 10) (CCAMCA) – Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA). It was an evolution that would take about 10 years to fully come-together, beginning loosely in the early 1970s. The scope of interest was to have close by acquaintances and a network to find parts, share information and importantly, have fun. The informal and evolving group were members of national associations that included the AMCA and the well-established American Motorcycle Association (AMA). 

The approval process by the Board of Directors of AMCA took a couple years to accomplish, as they were reluctant in those times to expand the number of chapters of the club and they encouraged Chesapeake AMC members to join other regional Chapters of the club. In the meantime the group more formed a local club that according to past CCAMCA President Scott English was known as “the Chesapeake Antique Motorcycle Club of Maryland (Chesapeake AMC).” In correspondence we have found comments by past member Gerry Lyons, US Army Staff Sergeant during the club formalization referring to Chesapeake AMC as the “Maryland Antique Cyclists,” and the less formal “Maryland Antiquers.”

Some of the early members of Chesapeake AMC include: Mort Wood, Dave Panella, Dorothy “Dottie” Mattern, David “Ken” Watson, William Blankner, Ted Cox, Charles Dorsey, John Janos, Phillip LaFon, Gerry Lyons, Brian Parrish, Byron Pierce, Bill Potter, Lloyd “Buzz” Potter, Randy Roach, Donald Royston, Tom Finn and Russell Christian. Of these Charter Members it is important to note for history that the club distinguishes the following as Founding Members – Ken Watson, Mort Wood, Dave Panella and Bill Blankner. Mort Wood served as the first leader of the Chesapeake AMC facilitating meetings and activities of the members. Mort was designated in early records as “Director,” which was a term used by the AMCA for chapter leaders. Wood served as Director from the first club designation as an AMCA Chapter in 1981 until 1988. Wood was also a long-time member of the AMCA Board of Directors and is an Honorary member of the AMCA. David Panella is one of the most significant contributors of effort and value to CCAMCA serving in nearly every role, task, activity for the Chapter and he was the first “Vice Director.” The Chapter’s first Secretary was Dottie Mattern (Dottie was also a long-time Secretary of the AMCA Board of Directors and is an Honorary Member of the AMCA. She also is an esteemed alumnus as finisher of the Cannonball Endurance Run on an antique Indian Sport Scout.) The Chapter’s first Treasurer was Ken Watson. 

AMCA Grants CCAMCA with Chapter designation 

On October 24, 1980 Director Mort Wood sent a letter from the new Chesapeake AMC organization to AMCA President Ralph Mundell announcing the founding of the new club and applying to AMCA as a new chapter to serve “Maryland, Northern Virginia, Delaware and Southern Pennsylvania.” Despite applying for a chapter to AMCA in October 1980 by September 1981 the AMCA still had not granted their request.  Ultimately Chesapeake AMC was awarded a chapter charter in December 1981.

Chesapeake Chapter Home Base

For the time that Mort Wood led the Chesapeake AMC and the Chesapeake Chapter AMCA the organization enjoyed a regular meeting place arranged by Mort. Mort Wood had attained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer after 38 years with the Maryland National Guard and he was the caretaker for the Pikesville Maryland National Guard Armory and obtained use of the Pikesville Armory NCO Club for Chapter meetings and get-togethers. After Mort stepped down as Chapter Director/President the membership met a number of years at Daniel’s Restaurant. In recent years the Chapter has alternated meeting between members’ homes and other venues like the museum and motorcycle collection at Mid-Atlantic Vintage Bikes at the Broom Factory in Baltimore, MD.

Chesapeake Chapter AMCA National Meet

Chesapeake member Dave Panella shared with me that he was riding with fellow members Ken Watson and possibly Bill Blankner. They were riding to attend one of the early legacy national meets at Dr. Cleveland’s farm in Medina, Ohio. This was before there was a Wauseon Meet. Dave said a thought popped into his head that by Chesapeake AMC having its own Chapter and local meet it “would save us a lot of driving.” This was the seed for the creation of the existing AMCA Chapter #10 and the Chesapeake Chapter National Meet. It would take more than 15 years to completely realize this with the AMCA Board approving CCAMCA’s national meet to be held in October 1994. Here is a little of the process we experienced.

From the meeting Minutes of May 25, 1989 Dave Panella made a motion to have Chesapeake Chapter conduct an AMCA National Meet and called for a committee of Dave Panella, Charlie Moore, Art Gayhardt and Steve Ciccalone to make a recommendation. At the July 19, 1989 meeting discussion continued for a National meet, Art gave the report of the committee with possible dates including what would become our signature Fall Meet of 1, 2, 3 or 4 of October a time period we sustained for 32 years. Members voted to hold the meet. The September 20, 1989 meeting minutes indicated the request by CCAMCA to hold a national meet was denied by the AMCA. AMCA indicated it was reluctant to add another meet to the schedule over concerns that people would be reluctant to camp and vend that late in the year. Undeterred CCAMCA planned for a meet in 1993.

Chesapeake would host their first meet October 1, 2 and 3, 1993. It was an independent meet without the support of the national club. In the mean-time the AMCA approved the October meet and CCAMCA never looked back. The 1993 CCAMCA independent event advertised an antique motorcycle show and swap meet with camping and food on site. Vendors were able to acquire swap meet spaces for $20 each - they were limited to selling only antique motorcycle parts. The meet was held in Jefferson, Pennsylvania at the White Rose Motorcycle Club. In 1994 CCAMCA hosted an AMCA National Meet again at White Rose Motorcycle Club and the meet became widely known for the small town that was home to White Rose – Jefferson, PA. 

Growth, a global crisis, click your heels together three times and you’re back home.

Yes this conclusion is ultimately about returning home. The CCAMCA has never been risk averse and they began to develop a vision of growth for the National Meet. This would require them to move the event to a larger venue. The Chapter members supported this vision and a plan for a move took form. CCAMCA chose the carnival grounds in Upperco, MD just 20 miles south of Jefferson. 2019 ended the string of CCAMCA meets at Jefferson and 2020 looked promising for a new venue at the Arcadia Carnival Grounds in Upperco, MD. But the year 2020 was anything for the world but a good vision, early in the year the planet earth and its billions of inhabitants faced a deadly pandemic known as COVID – with millions of people dead and whole economies and activities shut down throughout the year – this was the year for CCAMCA to start their National Meet at the new location. All of the year’s AMCA events after COVID hit were canceled and the month of September 2020 approached – would Chesapeake, the last meet of the year be able to conduct a national meet? The answer was yes. 

A lot has happened in six years since our last meet at Jefferson and while there were no big negative issues that led the Chesapeake Chapter to make another change of venue for the Chesapeake AMCA National Meet we decided to move back to the White Rose Motorcycle Club in Jefferson, PA. The Chesapeake meet had some troubling data showing both a contraction of vendors and attendees to the meet and a simultaneous increase in costs to put the meet on. The appeal of the wide open, nearly unlimited room for vendors’ spaces and activities, in retrospect was a disadvantage for us. So, after significant organizational discussion with stakeholder input Chesapeake Chapter did a reboot and were welcomed back to the White Rose Motorcycle Club, but here’s the rub, the Chesapeake Meet is no longer a fall antique motorcycle meet, it is a summer event at our old home. Beginning in 2026 the Chesapeake AMCA National Meet will be held in Jefferson, PA, August 20, 21 and 22, 2026.