LH Centennial Kick Off  

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Day 1
 One State Over

Day 2
 Some Indy Auto Pioneers

Day 3
 A Rock Road and a Brick Oval

September 22, 2012 (day 3)
Today we saw several more Indianapolis early automotive connections then listened to a sales pitch for a long rock road. Then I got to reminisce over fast cars and speeding history.

September 21, 2012 (day 2)
The day was filled with visits to the former and current homes of some of Indianapolis's automotive pioneers and a one time factory created by a fellow from my home town.

September 20, 2012 (day 1)
The celebration starts on Friday but I drove to Indianapolis on Thursday to make getting to the first tour easier and to have dinner with friends. I think dinner alone was worth the trip.

Prelude - September 13, 2012
 The original Lincoln Highway Association was incorporated on July 1, 1913, and that's the centennial being celebrated in Kearney, Nebraska next year. On October 31, 1913, a nationwide celebration marked the dedication of the road -- or at least the route -- itself. Long before either of these events took place, there was a gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana, that led to both of them. It was on September 10, 1912, that Carl Fischer first proposed the "coast to coast rock highway" that would soon get the name Lincoln Highway. I don't know of any major celebrations planned for October 31 but I'm guessing there will at least be some local events in a few Lincoln Highway towns. It is Halloween so if anyone knocks on your door dressed as Carl Fisher, give them an extra nice treat. The celebration planned for July 1 is certainly a major one and I intend to be there. My plans are here. This trip is to attend a celebration of that meeting that got it all started.

I don't know how hard the organizers tried to match the exact date but they got close. One hundred years and twelve days after Fisher asked his auto industry buddies to help him build the road "before we're too old to enjoy it", that meeting will be recreated right where it took place. That morning and the preceding afternoon will be filled with bus tours to sites related to Fisher, his partners, and the Lincoln Highway. There'll be no actual Lincoln Highway, though. The road itself never got within a hundred miles of where it was conceived.

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