Daily Freeman-Journal file photo: Gerald Huisman has taken over the helm of the Doodlebug Club of America with Vern Ratcliffe's passing.

The Doodlebugs are invading Webster City again, and that means you’ll start seeing them all over the city starting today.

It’s the 39th year the motor scooters have made their way home, where they were built by the Beam Manufacturing Co.

Not hard to miss, because they are bright red, the small scooters would be considered something close to a moped.

The riders are distinctive as well.

“To the public, we’re a bunch of dumb old men riding the Doodlebugs,” Gerald Huisman, vice president of Doodlebug Club of America, said. “Eighty percent of the people don’t know what a Doodlebug is.”

The annual Doodlebug reunion will officially kick off on Wednesday at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds with at least 60 Doodlebugs here by the end of the week, according to Huisman.

“Most of the people are from out of town, from as far away as California and New York,” he said. “By Thursday and Friday we will have 60 Doodlebugs, and we usually have 80 or 90 attending the reunion on average.”

Huisman is taking over the reins for the organization, which was organized in 1986. That’s because Vern Ratcliffe, who has long been its president, passed away just shy of this years’ reunion. His services on Friday coincide with this year’s reunion. So he wouldn’t miss the reunion entirely, the Ratcliffe family asked if it was okay to have the funeral during the reunion.

Of course, they said yes, Huisman said.

The Friday tradition for Doodlebug reunion attendees is to have coffee at Wilson Brewer Park in the Depot Museum, where there is a Doodlebug on exhibit. The coffee begins at 9:30 a.m.

But at 10:45 a.m., the Doodlebug owners will saddle up and ride together to attend the Ratcliffe’s funeral. At the end of the service, they will escort the funeral car to the Cass Center Cemetery.

Huisman owned Huisman Sales & Rental out of Kamrar until 2004, then went to work for a Briggs & Stratton distributor. It was at that time he was personally approached by Ratcliffe and Jerry Wells, of Webster City, who told him he should come down to the fairgrounds to represent the Briggs & Stratton Company. This seemed to be a good idea with the company, so they loaded him up with materials and give-aways.

It was good for business. Doodlebugs use Briggs & Stratton motors.

“I did that for a couple of years, so I decided to get a scooter,” Huisman said. “I finally found one for me, then I found one for Bev (his wife).”

About three years ago, the couple asked if I could take over organizing the reunion.

Huisman said those arriving today will help set up and get ready for the week of activities.

They will be eating at local restaurants, tour The Elks, ride their Doodlebugs out into the country to Briggs Woods, from the Webster City Municipal Airport over to Kamrar, and hroughout Webster City.