The Comets, Lodi’s Female Motorcycle Club, 221 E Lawrence Avenue

In the 1940s and 1950s, California had many female motorcycle riders who formed “ladies’ auxiliaries” to assist local men’s motorcycle clubs.The Lodi Comets were different. They were the first all-female incorporated motorcycle club in California to be independently chartered by the American Motorcycle Association. Although they partnered with the all-male Lodi Motorcycle Club in many cycling events, the Comets held their own business meetings and managed their own events.Stylish in their black and white uniforms, the Comets raced around the Lodi Grape Bowl, their clubhouse at 5801 E Morse Road, and at competitions far afield.Serious riders, they had an annual contest for the most miles travelled by motorcycle. In 1950, Mrs. Edith Hamilton won the contest, having traveled 3,742 miles on her motorcycle.The Comets were a popular part of the annual Lodi Grape Festival, parading in tight formations for the cheering crowd, and they even entered their member Edith Ehrhardt in the 1953 national contest for “The Most Popular and Typical Girl Rider” in the United States. She won.They won many awards for promoting public safety on the highway and sponsored several youth cycling events. When member Frances Cross Lee died in 2016, her obituary proudly highlighted her membership in the Lodi Comets.