Evel Knievel Museum

Last updated
Evel Knievel Museum
Evel Knievel Museum logo.png
USA Kansas location map.svg
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Location within Kansas
Established2017 (2017)
Location Topeka, Kansas, United States
Coordinates 39°01′49″N95°41′01″W / 39.030177°N 95.683578°W / 39.030177; -95.683578
TypeHistory museum
Collections Evel Knievel
Founder Lathan McKay, Mike Patterson, James Caplinger
Public transit accessLine 21 (Topeka Metro)
Nearest parkingOn site (no charge)
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Evel Knievel Museum is a non-profit museum located in Topeka, Kansas, United States. The museum houses the largest collection of authentic Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world, including interactive experiences. [1] [2] It is 13,000 square feet (1,200 square meters) and two stories. The museum is located adjacent to Topeka's Historic Harley-Davidson and opened in June 2017. [3] [4]

Contents

History

It was established and founded by Mike Patterson, Lathan McKay and James Caplinger. [5] [6]

Evel Knievel's goal of having a museum honoring his legacy is over 40 years in the making. [7] [8] Evel Archaeology began in February 2012 as one man's quest to re-collect Knievel's motorcycles, vehicles, wardrobe, artifacts, and personal effects to fully illustrate his cultural impact. [9] In 2013 a mutual connection to rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis and a Mack truck laid the foundation for the Evel Knievel Museum. [10]

Frustrated with the lack of progress, Lathan McKay and Marilyn Stemp set out to find a new home for Knievel's, Mack truck dubbed "Big Red" as the restoration had stalled in New Jersey. [11] A then-current business partner made a phone call to Harley-Davidson dealer Mike Patterson of Topeka, Kansas, whose team of motorcycle restoration experts had recently completed a ground-up rebuilding of Jerry Lee Lewis's 1959 Panhead, which sold at auction for $350,000. [12] [13]

Patterson's team had never restored a Mack truck but they had access to the expertise needed. Nearly 100 individuals signed on to resurrect the famous Mack. [14] During the 18-month restoration Patterson, Mckay, and James Caplinger decided to take on an even bigger task. To build the world's first Evel Knievel Museum. Patterson built an addition to his Harley-Davidson dealership in Topeka to house the attraction. [15] [16]

The Evel Knievel museum was named one of the top 10 best new national attractions in 2017 by USA Today , and is officially authorized by the Knievel estate. [17] [18]

Founders and Personnel

Mike Patterson is a former professional flat track racer and businessman. His Grandfather Henry purchased Topeka Harley-Davidson in March 1949. In 1975 his son Dennis joined him and carried on until the late 1980s when his nephew Mike entered the business. Making it three generations of Pattersons at the helm of the dealership. [19]

Lathan McKay is an American historian, producer, entrepreneur, actor, and filmmaker. As a former professional skateboarder, he has amassed the largest collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world. [20] [2]

James M. Caplinger was a self-made real estate developer, attorney, philanthropist, and business owner from Topeka, Kansas. [21]

Museum Director: Bruce Zimmerman [22]

Details

The 13,000-square-foot two story museum and Historic Harley Davidson dealership is located adjacent to the Kansas Expocenter at the corner of SW Topeka Boulevard and SW 21st Street. [23] The winter hours are from 10am to 6pm Tuesdays-Saturdays. In the summer, the museum is also open from 12pm to 5pm on Sundays.

Besides exhibits, the museum site has a gift shop, barbecue restaurant, event space and Yesterday's museum. [24] Also on site is Harley Town, which includes Touch of Class hair salon and Integrity insurance.

Knievel

Robert Craig Knievel ( /kˈnvəl/ ; October 17, 1938  November 30, 2007), professionally known as Evel Knievel, was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. A generation of kids grew up transfixed by his televised exploits, imitating his stunts on bicycles and with Evel Knievel toys. [25]

Exhibits

The Evel Knievel Museum chronicles Knievel's life from his early years in Butte, Montana to the height of his fame in the 1970s. [26] [27] The time-lined exhibits are arranged in chronological order, with more than 1,000 artifacts on display, consisting of personal memorabilia, motorcycles, ephemera, and interactive exhibits. [28] [29] One example is the "4D Virtual Reality Jump" exhibit featuring Doug Danger, which allows visitors to experience Knievel's stunt thrills first-hand but without the risks. [30] [31]

The museum is known for being the home to Knievel's 1974 Mack Truck & Trailer "Big Red", [32] the star-spangled helmets and leathers, [33] and numerous other artifacts, including:

Recognition

Upon completion the Evel Knievel Museum was named one of the Top 10 Best New Attractions in 2017 by USA Today . [17] [34] In April 2019 the museum received a Thea award from the Themed Entertainment Association for being one of the best new attractions in the United States. [35] [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evel Knievel</span> American stunt performer (1938–2007)

Robert Craig Knievel, known professionally as Evel Knievel, was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. He died of pulmonary disease in Clearwater, Florida, in 2007, aged 69.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Knievel</span> American stunt performer (1962–2023)

Robert Edward Knievel II was an American motorcyclist and stunt performer. He had also used the stage name Kaptain Robbie Knievel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skycycle X-2</span> Steam-powered rocket owned and used by Evel Knievel

The Skycycle X-2 was a steam-powered rocket owned by Evel Knievel and flown during his Snake River Canyon jump in Idaho in 1974.

<i>Viva Knievel!</i> 1977 American action film

Viva Knievel! is a 1977 American action film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Evel Knievel, Gene Kelly and Lauren Hutton, with an ensemble supporting cast including Red Buttons, Leslie Nielsen, Cameron Mitchell, Frank Gifford, Dabney Coleman and Marjoe Gortner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley-Davidson Museum</span> Transport museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Harley-Davidson Museum is an American museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin celebrating the more than 100-year history of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The 12,000-square-meter (130,000 sq ft) three-building complex on 81,000 square meters along the Menomonee River bank contains more than 450 Harley-Davidson motorcycles and hundreds of thousands of artifacts from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company's 120-year history.

Dale Charles Buggins (1961–1981) was an Australian stunt motorcyclist who had built a national and international reputation by the age of 20. At 17, Buggins broke a world record previously held by American stuntman Evel Knievel when he jumped 25 cars with a Yamaha dirt bike, in 1978.

<i>Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel</i> 2007 British TV series or programme

Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel is a one-off television documentary presented by Richard Hammond and first broadcast on 23 December 2007 on BBC Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubba Blackwell</span> American motorcycle stunt performer

James Blackwell is an American stunt performer and motorcycle jumping world record holder who is sponsored by and promoted by the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. Before his association with Harley, Blackwell was sponsored by the now-defunct Buell Motorcycle Company.

<i>Evel Knievel</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Marvin J. Chomsky

Evel Knievel is a 1971 American biographical film starring George Hamilton as motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley-Davidson XR-750</span> Type of motorcycle

The Harley-Davidson XR-750 is a racing motorcycle made by Harley-Davidson since 1970, primarily for dirt track racing, but also for road racing in the XRTT variant. The XR-750 was designed in response to a 1969 change in AMA Grand National Championship rules that leveled the playing field for makes other than Harley-Davidson, allowing Japanese and British motorcycles to outperform the previously dominant Harley-Davidson KR race bike. The XR-750 went on to win the most races in the history of American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) racing.

Motorcyclepedia is a motorcycle museum containing over 600 mostly American motorcycles, mainly from the first half of the 20th century, with a special emphasis on Indian motorcycles, including a model from every year of the original Indian brand on display, covering 1901 to 1953.

Lillian La France (1894–1979) was billed as the world's foremost woman motorcycle stunt rider, one of a handful of female stunt riders in the 1920s and 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Vaughs</span> American civil rights activist

Clifford A. "Sonny" Vaughs was an American civil rights activist, filmmaker, and motorcycle builder. Vaughs designed the two chopper motorcycles used for the 1969 film Easy Rider, while an associate producer on the film. He also produced and directed the documentary What Will the Harvest Be? (1965) and Not So Easy (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lathan McKay</span> American historian, producer, actor, and entrepreneur

Lathan McKay is an American producer, historian, actor, writer and co-founder of the Evel Knievel Museum. As a former professional skateboarder, he has amassed the largest collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world. The collection now resides at the official Evel Knievel Museum alongside Historic Harley Davidson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Danger</span> American motorcycle racer

Doug "Danger" Senecal, born March 31, 1962, in Palmer, Massachusetts, is known as Doug Danger. He is an American motorcycle jumping world record holder and stunt performer and Stage 4 cancer survivor who lives in Oak Hill, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport World</span>

Transport World is an organisation that invests in New Zealand tourism, located in Invercargill. It is sectioned into four production branches: Bill Richardson Transport World, Classic Motorcycle Mecca, Lodges at Transport World, and Dig this Invercargill. Bill Richardson Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca are transport displays, showcasing over 300 vintage vehicles alongside relevant interactive activities. The Lodges At Transport World are boutique apartment accommodations and Dig This Invercargill is an attraction that allows tourists to operate diggers and heavy construction equipment. The Bill Richardson Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca sites both include a restaurant and café; The Grille Café, located at Bill Richardson Transport World, and the Meccaspresso Café, located at the Classic Motorcycle Mecca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill's Old Bike Barn</span> Motorcycle and Americana museum

Bill's Old Bike Barn and Museum is a motorcycle and Americana museum in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. William Morris opened it in 1998 to house nearly 200 vintage motorcycles and related memorabilia. The original museum was an outgrowth of his business at nearby Bill's Custom Cycles. The collection has since expanded with an eclectic selection of vintage items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evel Pie</span> Pizzeria in Las Vegas, Nevada

Evel Pie is a pizzeria in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. The restaurant is named after Evel Knievel and features memorabilia related to the entertainer. The motto of the restaurant is "Live hard, ride fast, eat pizza." Evel Pie made international news after introducing a chapulines (grasshopper) pizza.

References

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  12. Ranker, Luke. "Historic Harley-Davidson of Topeka builds nationally known restoration company". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
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  18. "Evel Knievel Museum #5 on USA Today's Top 10 Best New Attractions in 2017". Dimensional Innovations. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  19. "About Us".
  20. Stemp, Marilyn. "The Collector Lathan Mckay". Evel Knievel Museum. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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  29. "Museum honoring daredevil Evel Knievel opens in Kansas". Chicago Tribune .
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  31. "With virtual-reality ride, jump like daredevil Evel Knievel – without the risk".
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  34. "Make Topeka's Evel Knievel Museum USA Today's #1 New Attraction - VOTE". KTOP-FM. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  35. "Thea Awards Recipients".
  36. Hrenchir, Tim. "Topeka's Evel Knievel Museum wins international award". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2020-03-05.