Hugh Smith Jr. won the Japanese category on Day 3. The Marine Corps veteran won a special award during the Industry Meet & Mingle on Saturday night at Americade 40 in Lake George, New York.
Americade has been drawing riders to the picturesque area around Lake George, New York, for four decades. To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the “World’s Largest Touring Rally,” Rider and American Rider magazines co-hosted the inaugural Bring It Bike Show. Since there are so many cool motorcycles at Americade, we invited attendees to bring it!
Our show was sponsored by partners IMTBike, SMK Helmets, and Spectro Performance Oils. For three days, June 1-3, we gave awards in five categories: American Bagger, American Cruiser, Japanese, European, and Old School (pre-1990). Additionally, we handed out a daily $250 prize for Editors’ Choice. All daily winners were invited to a grand finale to determine the Best of Show on Saturday evening.
More than 60,000 people attended Americade 40. The Bring It Bike Show was held on Beach Road near Canada Street, so it got a lot of foot traffic. We had cloudy skies on Saturday, but the rain stayed away.
The culmination of our event was an Industry Meet & Mingle celebration at the beautifully restored 19th-century Carriage House at Fort William Henry Resort that overlooks Lake George. The Best of Show winner was selected by vote and received $1,000 cash plus prizes from the show sponsors.
Of the 18 daily winners, 14 were on hand for the Best of Show judging when attendees of the Industry Meet & Mingle cast their ballots.
The Bring It Bike Show concluded on Saturday evening at an Industry Meet & Mingle event at the newly renovated Carriage House at Fort William Henry in Lake George.
After nearly 100 votes were tabulated, it was the purity and simplicity of Keith Youngblood’s 1969 Triumph TR6R hardtail bobber that earned the grand prize.
“It’s a highlight of my life,” Youngblood exclaimed. “I never expected to win!”
Keith Youngblood’s beautiful 1969 Triumph TR6R Bobber, which won the European category on Day 2, was also ultimately voted Best of Show. He won $1,000 in cash, a crystal trophy, and prizes from the show sponsors.
Youngblood’s vintage Triumph just edged out the bike with the best backstory, which belongs to Marine Corps veteran Hugh Smith Jr. He uses his 2006 Yamaha Road Star V-Twin to help build homes for veterans with children. Smith dubbed his bike “Milwaukee Packout,” as he uses it as a worksite mule, and it’s fitted with Milwaukee toolboxes and even a battery-powered miter saw on the back!
Hugh Smith Jr. , a Marine Corps veteran, uses his 2006 Yamaha Road Star “Milwaukee Packout” as a work vehicle when he helps build houses for female veterans with children. Check out the bag of Quikrete in the right toolbox and the battery-powered miter saw on the back. He won the Japanese category on Day 3, and he came in second place during Best of Show judging. Americade director Christian Dutcher chipped in $200 to honor Smith for his service and work, and Rider and American Rider magazines will send him some cool prizes.
We only had one Best of Show award to give out, but Smith’s story pulled many heartstrings at the event, including those of Americade’s chief, Christian Dutcher, who graciously dug into his pocket to gift Smith with $200 for a special award.
We thank our show entries, our sponsors, and all Americade staff and volunteers for making our inaugural show such a success. We’ll be back next year, so Bring It!
