On August 15, 16 and 17 2008 the Evergreen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America hosted the 28th Annual Tenino Washington Swap Meet. This great event is held in the city park in the small town of Tenino Washington which is almost half way between Portland Oregon and Seattle Washington and just a little south and east of Olympia. The Tenino city park is by far, one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen with 130 foot tall fir trees, plenty of bicycle and walking trails and a fantastic swimming pool which was once a sandstone quarry pond. But wait there is more! If you add a lot of vendors with antique motorcycles and parts, free admission to swap meet, camping for $5.00 a night and a Saturday afternoon ride through the gorgeous Washington countryside open to only motorcycles 35 years and older, you will have a better understanding why I call this swap meet the Hidden Jewel of the Northwest. This year while everyone on the west coast was sweltering in the dog days of August the lucky ones who attended the Tenino swap meet enjoyed sunny days, plenty of shade, cool breezes and lots of vintage parts and motorcycles for sale and on display. The Tenino Swap Meet always has a feeling of coming home for me because I get to see a lot of other old motorcycle fanatics I don't get to see often enough and we get to camp out and swap stories all weekend plus do a little trading for parts on the side.
Friday morning the vendors and campers started to roll in from all over the Northwest USA and southern Canada. By noon on Friday almost all of the vendor spots were filled and business was already in full swing. Most of the time if you don't get at these swap meets early you miss out on the good deals on the parts that you need and the best camping spots. The action at the vendor booths went well into the night.
The gates officially opened, free to the public at 8 am on Saturday and at noon the Tenino Motorcycle Drill Team lined up on the street in front on the park and put on a great show of precision drills and maneuvers. The Tenino Drill team was started in 1984 in this Washington community with a population of less than 1500 people. The Drill Team was started initially as something to do for fun, but this has evolved over the years into a very dedicated team with each member spending a lot of their free time practicing routines and performing. The Team is a non- profit organization that promotes motorcycle safety and awareness and supports other non- profit organizations with aid in fund raising, entertaining and sponsoring an annual scholarship fund. There motto is Family first, Work second and then the Team. Currently there are 12 members on the Tenino Drill Team but the Team reminds everyone that there is always room for a couple more good riders in this group and tryouts are always in the spring just before the Team starts its hectic summer schedule. All of the team members use their personal motorcycles for the maneuvers and the motorcycles range from Shovelheads, Evolutions to even a couple of Twin Cam models. There are no special fixtures required on the motorcycles for the stunts but the rider does need to have nerves of steel and the dedication to put in the long hours of practice and to perform at all of the events the Team has on there schedule. For more information about the Tenino Drill Team you should go to their web site at www.t9odrillteam.com .
After the Tenino Drill Team performance it was time to saddle up, kick start the old iron to life and go for a ride on the scenic back roads of Southwest Washington lead by the Evergreen Chapter of the AMCA. When the riders returned to the park the swap meet was still going strong until dark on Saturday night. After dark there was still a lot of swapping going on but it was mostly the swapping of tall stories about the motorcycles that have been found in some farmer's old barns and the old motorcycles yet to be discovered.
On Sunday many of the vendors were still set up and doing business, but for many of us it was the time to start packing up for the trip home. If you did not have to hurry and leave the local antique car club was busy setting up a car show on the lower field of the park.
These type of events not only provide an opportunity to get the parts you need for that project in your shop but they are a great chance to talk to other vintage motorcycle addicts face to face and in person to learn more about the history of motorcycling and the people who ride them. You cannot buy that kind of experience on EBay, so get out and support your local swap meets. For more information about the Antique Motorcycle Club of America go to www.antiquemotorcycle.org and for information about the Evergreen Chapter of A.M.C.A. go to www.evergreenamca.org.
