Artifact ID: 26.0037
Artifact Name: Cactus Park BMX State Qualifier - "1st" - Radical Rick Plaque - First of the Leary Locker purchases
Category: Awards
Source: Leary Locker
Collection: Lititz BMX Archive
Location: Lititz, Pennsylvania
Artifact ID: 26.0037
Artifact Name: Cactus Park BMX State Qualifier - "1st" - Radical Rick Plaque - First of the Leary Locker purchases
Category: Awards
Source: Leary Locker
Collection: Lititz BMX Archive
Location: Lititz, Pennsylvania
Historical Context
This 1st Place plaque from a Cactus Park BMX State Qualifier features artwork from the iconic Radical Rick BMX comic series created by Damian Fulton. Radical Rick illustrations became one of the most recognizable visual elements of BMX culture during the 1980s and remain closely associated with the sport’s golden era.
While the plaque itself represents a race victory at Cactus Park BMX, its importance within the Lititz BMX Archive goes far beyond the race result. This plaque was the first artifact acquired from what became known as the “Leary Locker” collection, a group of items connected to BMX legend Harry Leary.
The discovery of this plaque ultimately led to the identification and preservation of additional memorabilia from the locker, revealing a collection of racing artifacts, equipment, and personal items connected to Leary’s career and legacy. In this way, the plaque represents the starting point of a much larger historical discovery.
The Radical Rick artwork on the plaque also helped spark a direct connection with its creator, Damian Fulton. The story of the plaque led to a recorded podcast conversation with Fulton discussing BMX culture, Radical Rick history, and the broader significance of preserving BMX artifacts.
Inspired by this connection, the plaque also became part of a charitable effort benefiting Samaritan's Purse, where proceeds from the related initiative were donated entirely to the charity. This effort reflects the BMX community’s tradition of supporting one another and using shared history to create positive impact beyond the sport itself.
Within the Lititz BMX Archive, this plaque holds special meaning not only as a race award but as the artifact that began the search for the Leary Locker collection. It stands as the starting point of a preservation effort that continues to uncover and document pieces of BMX history connected to one of the sport’s most recognizable pioneers.
We invite you to visit Rick and check out "Official Merch" - Stay Rad!
Related Media
Related Artifacts:
Artifact 26.0042 - Radical Rick 2025 New Years Drawing Original 1 of 1
Artifact 26.0104 - 2017 Bellflower BMX California State Qualifier - "2nd" Place Plaque
Artifact 26.0093 - 2017 Metro BMX (Bakersfield) "1st" Place Tin - State Championship Qualifier
Highlighted Campaign Pages:
"Ride and Shine with Lititz BMX" - We Look Forward to Sharing with You
Artifact Sponsor
This Artifact Is Supported By
Green Mountain Cyclery
Ephrata, PA
Proud supporters of grassroots BMX culture.
Supporting the preservation of BMX history through storytelling and artifacts.
Lititz BMX is an independent archive documenting the
history and culture of BMX through artifacts, interviews, and storytelling.
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