Celebrate America’s 250th Through the Legacy of Glenn Curtiss
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is inviting collectors, enthusiasts, and aviation fans to be part of one of the Finger Lakes’ most distinctive annual events as registration is now open for Wings & Wheels Festival 2026. Throughout the month of August, owners of classic and collector cars, motorcycles, and seaplanes are encouraged to register their vehicles for this one-of-a-kind celebration of innovation and transportation history.
In recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary, this year’s Wings & Wheels Festival on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will showcase the remarkable breadth of Glenn Curtiss’s legacy– from pioneering motorcycles and automobiles to the revolutionary seaplanes that helped transform military and civilian aviation.
New for 2026 is the addition of a Motorcycle Show, expanding the event to better reflect Curtiss’s early career on the leading edge of U.S. motorcycle development; he was the innovator who put the first American V-twin on the market in 1903 and was a world-record-setting motorcycle racer. A highlight of the Motorcycle Show will be a 1909 Curtiss Wehman frame V-twin motorcycle in running condition. With magneto ignition, this motorcycle is likely one of a kind.
The aviation component of Wings & Wheels will once again bring Keuka Lake to life as visiting seaplanes participate in exciting target drop exercises. These demonstrations pay tribute to Glenn Curtiss and his exhibition teams who used aerial target drops more than a century ago to demonstrate the innovative military capabilities of the earliest flying machines and help shape the future of naval aviation.
On the ground, visitors will enjoy a display of more than 75 classic, antique, exotic, and specialty automobiles, representing over a century of automotive design and craftsmanship. Together with the motorcycles and seaplanes, the event offers a unique opportunity to experience the full range of Glenn Curtiss’s engineering genius and entrepreneurial vision.
“We’re excited to expand Wings & Wheels this year by welcoming motorcycles into the event,” said Cameron Dunlap, President of the Board of Trustees of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum and Chair of the Wings & Wheels event. “As our nation marks its 250th anniversary, there is no better place to celebrate American innovation than in Hammondsport, where Glenn Curtiss changed the future of transportation on land, on water, and in the air.”
Registration is now open for classic, antique, specialty, and collector automobiles; vintage and modern motorcycles; seaplanes. Registration will remain open throughout the month of August. Owners interested in participating are encouraged to register early. Complete registration details and event information are available at:
glennhcurtissmuseum.org/wingswheels
Wings & Wheels has become one of the Finger Lakes’ signature events, bringing together aviation enthusiasts, car and motorcycle collectors, families, and history lovers for a day that celebrates the enduring spirit of American innovation inspired by one of the nation’s greatest inventors.
About the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum
Located in Hammondsport, New York, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum preserves and shares the legacy of Glenn H. Curtiss—pioneer aviator, inventor, entrepreneur, and builder of motorcycles, aircraft, and engines whose innovations helped shape modern transportation. The museum’s collections explore Curtiss’s influence on aviation, engineering, racing, and manufacturing while celebrating the rich history of the Finger Lakes region.
