FAM Parade

This image appeared in the August 13, 1909 Indianapolis Star and captures the scence of the 200+ bikes at the start of the great motorcycle parade the previous day. The previous day another Star article listed this parade as one of the several motorcycle-related activities happening in Indianapolis on August 13. The activities included: a photograph of riders and bikes at monument circle; a ride to Kokomo; a ride touring Indianapolis; the street parade of motorcycles; a ride to the Riverside "bathing beach" and, in the evening, a reception and entertainment at the German House which include vaudeville acts and band music.
 
These events were built around the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They not only included a convention of the national governing body of motorcyclists - the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) but also that club's 388-mile endurance ride from Cleveland-to-Indianapolis that kicked off the big motorcyle events that week in the Hoosier capital.
 
Look carefully to left edge of the middle part of the photo and you will see Mrs. J.F. Heatley, the only woman to participate in the parade. Actually, she was the only female rider in any of the events of the FAM week (thanks to the great contribution of First Super Speedway fan Leslie McKenzie Boruff we now know Mrs. Heatley's first name: Virginia).
 
The original caption associated with this photo read as follows:
 
"More than 200 motorcyclists were in the parade yesterday afternoon which was part of the program of the eighth annual convention of the Federation of American Motorcyclists."