Some 80 scooters, a mix of vintage Doodle Bugs and other motorized two-wheelers, and approximately 100 Doodle Bug enthusiasts are expected for the 37th annual Doodle Bug Reunion scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday this week.

The event is sponsored each year by the Doodle Bug Club of America, which is headquartered in Webster City.

Gerald Huisman, club board acting president, is the organizer of this year’s reunion. “Registration will take place on Wednesday at the Ed Prince Building on the fairgrounds,” Huisman said.

The reunion’s schedule includes several group rides over the four-day event, a number of meal events and a farewell breakfast on Sunday. Three group rides are scheduled for Wednesday, two on Thursday, one on Friday, and one on Saturday.

The longest ride of the week will be a seven-mile round trip ride to the Webster City Municipal Airport on Thursday and an 11.4-mile drive along the Boone River Trail on Saturday.

The scooters will be on display at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds and the public is invited to view the scooters and visit with their owners.

There is no admission fee.

The public is also invited to a pork burger meal at the fairgrounds on Friday evening. There is a $7 charge for the meal, which will be served by the Webster City FFA chapter. All fees collected will go to the FFA chapter. The meal will be served from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Doodle Bug motor scooters were built from 1946 to 1948 by Beam Manufacturing Co. in Webster City and were marketed through Gambles and Western Auto stores for as little as $69.95.

It is estimated that up to 40,000 Doodle Bugs were manufactured.

The original Doodle Bugs were powered by a 1.5 horsepower 4-cycle engine and were capable of speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Many owners have upgraded their scooters with larger engines.

“Today’s riders are heavier than the teenagers Doodle Bugs were originally marketed to,” Huisman said. “We need larger engines to get us up the hills,” he added with a grin.

The original Doodle Bugs are becoming increasingly rare. It is estimated that as few as 1,000 are still in existence.

“An original Doodle Bug in decent shape can demand thousands of dollars,” Huisman said. “There is a strong demand for parts and we expect parts vendors at the reunion.”

The Doodle Bug Club of America was organized 37 years ago and is managed by a six-member board of directors that includes Vern Ratcliff, original president; Gerald Huisman, acting president; Jerry A. Wells, secretary-treasurer; Matthew Smith, Don Nokes and Jim Juon.

Ratcliff and Bill Moore, of Mason City, co-founded the club. From a small core of Doodle Bug owners the club has grown to 215 members in 35 states.

“The first Doodle Bug Reunion was held in 1987 in conjunction with the Jubilee Day weekend,” Huisman said. “There were only five Doodle Bugs present and they met outside one of the log cabins at Bonebright Museum (Wilson Brewer Historic Park). It rained that day, so the five Doodle Bug owners and others in attendance moved into the Harmony Center School House for shelter.”

The five Doodle Bugs at that first reunion were owned by Vern Ratcliff, Bill Moore, Rich Shultz, Warney Martin and Whit Hemingway.

The Doodle Bug Club is using social media to promote itself and the iconic little red scooters. The club’s website can be found at www.wcdoodlebug.com. Six years ago the club created a private Facebook page — Doodle Bug Club of America — which has 327 members.

Scooter owners are being advised to travel in groups of six or more on Webster City streets and trails next week.

Motorists are encouraged to watch for the small scooters as they travel.