MILWAUKEE (AP) – All Harleys, all the time.

That summed up life in southeastern Wisconsin Thursday, as Harley-Davidson riders filled freeways, streets and rural roads to take part in the motorcycle maker’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Gene Cocanower and his wife, Sherrie, from Lafayette, Ind. watched different types of Harley models roll past along the Lake Michigan shoreline before he and others entered the gates for the official opening of the celebration.

“You got every walk of life here,” Gene Cocanower said. “You got some guys here who only own their bike and a backpack. You got other guys who are corporate owners. You don’t know who you’re standing next to and it really doesn’t matter as long as they don’t smell.”

Four exhibition tents filled with historic Harleys as well as other motorcycle memorabilia opened at the lakefront Thursday.

Ross Landa, 26, from Oceanside, N.Y., snapped a photo of his wife Lisa standing in front of a 1936 red Knucklehead. Ross Landa bought his motorcycle license a year ago and doesn’t even own a bike, but he’s still a Harley fan.

He said he’s saving his money to buy one but his wife gave him a reminder. “First a house, then the Harley.”

Lloyd Gibson, 48, from Oklahoma City, Okla., got to the lakefront early so he could get in line for one of the exhibition tents.

“It’s like Mecca, I just wanted to be here for the 100th because I won’t be here for the second,” Gibson said. “Coming into Madison last night all I could see were (motorcycle) headlights for miles. It was a beautiful sight, it gave me goosebumps.”

People waved from freeway bridges Wednesday to welcome riders streaming in from across the nation. Several accidents involving motorcycles snarled freeway traffic at times as the riders arrived in the home area of Milwaukee-based Harley.

“I’m loving it. I’m here. I made it through Chicago,” said Rhonda Rackliffe, from Minot, Maine, after driving some 1,800 miles by Harley.

She said she started riding her own Harley a year ago after spending years on the back of the one driven by her husband, Randy.

“I was bored riding in the back,” she said.

This time, they rode separate bikes, making the trip with their 20-year-old son, Josh, “to visit the best family in the world. We’re all brothers and sisters,” Randy Rackliffe said.

Dave Chester from Philadelphia said he and his wife, Rita, stopped at a truck stop on their way and encountered 11 people from England, also riding Harleys to the celebration.

“It’s just like a fraternity, a massive club, where everyone has one commonality, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle,” he said.

Harley’s four-day celebration, expected to draw 200,000 to 300,000 people, centers on Milwaukee’s lakefront and includes a parade of 10,000 Harleys through the city, concerts featuring classic rock acts such as Kansas, Peter Frampton and REO Speedwagon, and 80,000 square feet of exhibits of antique motorcycles, clothing, film clips and bikes owned by Elvis Presley and Jon Bon Jovi.

The grand finale Sunday will be a 100th birthday party with music and fireworks at the Lake Michigan shore.

On Wednesday, Harley provided an early start for many riders by marking the first 20 years of HOG, or Harley Owners Group.

Up to 100,000 motorcyclists were expected to cruise through the annual HOG rally at the Washington County Fair Park at West Bend 30 miles north of Milwaukee by the time it ends Saturday night.

The company started the club in 1983 as a way to allow people to share the Harley experience.

About 30,000 riders joined in its first year, and the group now numbers about 750,000 in more than 1,300 chapters worldwide. Members meet regularly for rides, parties, fund-raisers, motorcycle seminars and other events.

Frank Lamantia of New York City said he rode a motorcycle as a young man but gave up his bike in 1988 when he had a son.

He finally got another motorcycle in 2001, and he hooked up with HOG to find people to ride with.

“Now it’s a form of recreation for me,” he said. “You can ride around or you can ride with a group, but you’re also an individual so you make your bike individual” through the selection of accessories.

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On the Net:

Harley-Davidson: http://www.harley-davidson.com

AP-ES-08-28-03 1155EDT