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25 years of giving

Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle Fun Run organizers revving up for Saturday

Submitted photo Phil Myhrberg and Lee Seiler are pictured in front of the Roaring Lyons Clubhouse in Amiret with some of the door prizes and awards given out at one of the first Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle Fun Runs. The duo started the event 25 years ago.

TRACY — The Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle Fun Run in southwest Minnesota has collected thousands and thousands of toys and dollars for children and families in need over the years — it’s something current and former organizers are extremely proud of as they get set to celebrate at the 25th annual Fun Run on Saturday.

Lee Seiler and Phil Myhrberg were instrumental in getting the Toys 4 Tots event started. Their initial conversation took place one night at the Lyndwood Ballroom.

“I was only 37 years old when this started in 1992,” said Seiler, a Russell native. “I’m over 60 now. Phil and I started talking and he was telling me that he went up to a Toys 4 Tots run up in Willmar. I thought, ‘How come there’s none down here? Instead of running clear to Willmar, we can have one down here. Let’s start one.'”

Seiler jokes that he had hoped Myhrberg would do most of the work, but it didn’t turn out that way.

“We both had a lot of work to do,” Seiler said. “We didn’t know what we were getting into.”

Myhrberg was a deputy with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and belonged to the Blue Knights, an international law enforcement motorcycle club. Seiler belonged to the Roaring Lyons of Amiret.

“We talked and decided to do one, so we got a committee together,” Myhrberg said. “We thought it would be a fun thing to do. That’s how it originally started. I’m glad it’s still going.”

A lot has changed over the years, but the camaraderie and the cause are still at the heart of it all.

“This is a way to give back to the community and do some good,” Seiler said. “Motorcyclists always have a bad rap. But come to find out, I think motorcyclists are probably the most giving people you’ll ever meet.”

Along with having the opportunity to ride with other motorcycle enthusiasts, toys and money are donated to area organizations that provide Christmas support for children and families.

“I believe a big majority of the donations stay here in the area,” said Myhrberg, a Marshall native. “I think it’s the biggest fundraiser for Heart to Heart.”

This year’s donations are slated to go to: Heart to Heart (Marshall), Murray County Christmas Project (Slayton), Share the Spirit (Redwood County), Lincoln County Christmas Baskets & Toys (Ivanhoe), Christmas Cheer Box (Cottonwood County), Santa’s Sleigh (Yellow Medicine County) and Operation Christmas Joy (Springfield).

“I think we started donating to Heart to Heart from the get-go,” Seiler said. “And not only did we donate toys, we also donated money. We charge a fee to go on the run. The first few years, we only charged $5, plus donating a toy. Since then, they’ve raised it to $15 and a toy.”

Along with a good cause, Seiler said there are three things that make a good motorcycle run.

“You have to have a good trip — a good run — somewhere,” he said. “You have to have food. And you’ve got to have beer. We supply at least three of the four — just not the beer.”

Like countless other motorcyclists, Seiler tries to ride as much as he can.

“I enjoy getting together with a bunch of people and just going for a ride,” Seiler said. “Any motorcyclist will jump at any chance to go for a ride anywhere. Sometimes, I’ll just take off — no place intended on going. I’ll just take off.”

Seiler estimates that he puts between 4,000 to 5,000 miles on his Harley each year.

“I’ve been out to Sturgis about 35 years now,” he said. “I’ve rode every year for Toys 4 Tots. Last year, I started out at Amiret, came to Marshall, we dropped the toys off and then I had a problem with my motorcycle. I had to take it down to Sioux Falls (South Dakota). I ended up getting back to Tracy, though, in time to the finale there. So actually, I haven’t missed any of them.”

Even from the start, the Toys 4 Tots event was sustainable.

“It all came together the first year,” Seiler said.

“I based the success of the first year on what other local runs were doing. The biggest one back in ’92 was Melcher’s Poker Run out of Pipestone. He was getting upwards of 100 and some riders — between 150 and 175 riders — and the first year we had our Toys 4 Tots Run, we had around 218. I thought that it turned out pretty good.”

Seiler recalls the inaugural run starting and ending in Amiret, at the Roaring Lyons Motorcycle Clubhouse.

“Supposedly, it’s the oldest motorcycle club in the state of Minnesota,” he said. “We had our 50th anniversary quite awhile ago already. The second and third year, the run also started in Amiret, but it didn’t end there. I think we ended up at Anderson Park in Arco.”

Myhrberg said he remembers ending at Arco Park as well.

“We had a band and people stayed the night,” he said. “We did that for years. We had a picnic and food after we ended up at Arco. It was a lot of fun.”

Other years, the Fun Run ended at Lake Shetek, Wabasso, Lyon County Fairgrounds and other locations.

“It’s changed so many times,” Myhrberg said. “There’s been all kinds of different places. There’s been some good memories. We’re pretty happy to see it keep going.”

The toy drop-off sites have also fluctuated over the past quarter century.

“One was at the mall and one of two of them were at the Independent parking lot,” Seiler said. “It was at various places. We’ve been out to the Hitching Post and now, they’re at Brau Brothers for the last couple of years.”

Seiler credits the people involved for reaching the 25-year milestone.

“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about the people that ride it that make it successful. It’s about the people involved. They’re the ones who have made it successful. They keep coming to it and donating the money and toys we give to Heart to Heart and various other places. It’s great that it’s expanded to other counties in the area, too.”

At its peak, more than 700 people took part in the Toys 4 Tots Fun Run.

“The first year, we had over 200 riders,” Seiler said.

“Our biggest year, we had over 700. We had a police escort all the way from Amiret on County Road 9 up to Highway 19 and then into Marshall. You’ve got the hills and everything — you couldn’t see the end of it from the front.”

Seiler added that everyone used to go on the same run when there were only 200 or 300 people involved. When it continued to grow, the run was split up.

“Once it got to the point where there were 400 and then 500, there were too many people in one place at one time, so we broke it off into two different routes,” Seiler said. “You’d choose which route you wanted to go on.”

This year’s Fun Run still features two separate routes, with both of them ending back at The Caboose in Tracy.

“We had like 300 people last year going on the two different routes,” said Tam Schons, who together with her twin sister Pam Cooreman, serves as co-chair for the third straight year. “We all go to the Brau Brothers to drop off the toys and eat (pulled pork sandwiches are available). Then we split from there.”

Both sisters have been faithful participants on the ride over the years.

“I think the coolest part of the ride is when we leave Amiret and all ride to Marshall together,” Schons said. “That’s when you get the warm feelings, with everybody together riding for a good cause.”

Cooreman has been patiently waiting for her trike to be built — one she can drive herself — so until then, she continues to participate as a rider.

“I’ve never missed riding in Toys 4 Tots,” Cooreman said. “I was so looking forward to getting my bike, but I’ll still be riding and not driving again this year.”

The after party begins at 5:30 p.m. at The Caboose.

A burger bar and a chicken breast option will be available, along with an ice cream bar. A silent auction will end at 7 p.m., while a live auction will start at 7 p.m. Cash and door prizes will be given out as well.

“Kayla Daniels will also be there performing for the night,” Schons said. “Hopefully other people will want to come out and listen to her, too.”

The organizers encourage anyone to join in the Fun Run or after party activities.

“People don’t have to ride a bike to participate,” Schons said. “They can come in a car, a classic car — they can bring the kids — and they can come to the after party at The Caboose.”

Like others before them, Schons and Cooreman put a lot of work into organizing Toys 4 Tots.

“We couldn’t do any of this without the volunteers, riders and people who donate,” Schons said. “The biggest challenge is having people that can go out and get donations to make this as successful as it is.”

Roughly 14 committee members pitch in to help in various ways.

We start having meeting by January,” Schons said. “That’s when we start preparing for this. Jeff and Jane Arends, who ran Toys 4 Tots for a lot of years, are still on the committee — just not in charge. We’re grateful for all the years of service and hard work they did.”

Committee members perform various jobs throughout the year, the organizers said. Their effort does not go unnoticed.

“With it being the 25th, I think it means that it’s important to people and to committee members to keep it going,” Schons said. “It’s also important to the children and families it benefits.”

Cooreman added that they’d love to have even more volunteers.

“We definitely need as many committee members as possible,” she said. “We can always use more help because not everybody can come to all the meetings.”

Myhrberg and Seiler handed over the reins after three years.

“We decided to get somebody else in here to change it up — to get some better ideas and keep it interesting,” Seiler said. “It kind of wears on a guy. There’s a lot of preparation to do this. But every year, it seemed like we got better at doing it. You start out with beans and hotdogs and end up with barbecue pork and potato salad.”

Over the years, Seiler said there has always been someone who has stepped up and took charge of the event.

“It gets hectic and they decide they don’t want to do it anymore,” he said. “Fortunately, there’s always someone who sees it as a good cause and they step up and take it over. Without those people, this would have gone nowhere.”

Myhrberg said he remembers being involved in the Fun Run for about 10 years.

“I was really involved for awhile, but then got out of it,” he said. “The people running it are doing a good job. It takes a lot of work to pull it off. And it’s not just during the week of. You have to talk to restaurant owners, bar owners, get donations and door prizes — you try to make sure everybody gets something — to make it worthwhile.”

The last couple of years, between $7,500 and $10,000 has been donated to Heart to Heart.

Last year, the other county organizations received $1,000 apiece as well, Schons said.

A “Spectator Award” for the best fans along the route was also given out for the first time last year.

“The Kesteloot Family won last year,” Schons said. “They go to great lengths, so they got the award, which is kind of like a traveling trophy. If anyone can beat them, they can take it over this year.”

Registration for the 2017 Toys 4 Tots Fun Run is 9:30-11 a.m. on Saturday in Amiret. The ride leaves at 11:30 a.m. Sharp. To donate to the cause, call Schons at 507-626-0675 or Cooreman at 507-626-0572.

“People often hear about the run by word-of-mouth,” Seiler said. “I’ve heard comments from people who have rode it — that it was a good ride, a good situation — so they keep coming back.”

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