Toy drive rumbles through Marshall
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AMIRET -- After a week of temperatures in the upper 90s and thunderstorms, motorcyclists were gifted temperatures in the mid 70s with interspersed clouds when they gathered at the Roaring Lyons Clubhouse in Amiret for the 31st annual Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle Fun Run on Saturday morning.
"It's a good cause and a good excuse to ride," Scott Johnson, one of the day's participants, said of the day.
While the weather was ideal, worse conditions wouldn't have stopped people from showing out according to Shawn Erickson, one of the event's organizers.
"They're pretty dedicated, they'll show up," Erickson said, stipulating that the group would likely opt to just go directly to the community center in more severe weather.
"That's kind of the nice part motorcycle enthusiast. Everyone can find a way to get along and have a good time and make a good day out of a bad day."
Riders started lining up their bikes around the clubhouse more than an hour before the ride started at 11 a.m. The ride runs into Marshall, down East College Drive and finishes at the Hitching Post and is followed up with a trip to the Balaton Community Center, where the donations are rounded up.
The event, which has a $20 registration fee, is used to raise funds and gather gift donations for Heart to Heart, which provides meals and gifts to families during the holiday season.
"Pretty much the end result of the kids getting the Christmas and the meals, Heart to Heart does a really good job with all their volunteer work and everything ... it's a really cool operation," Erickson said.
Sinister Brethren was handed the reins to the event in 2020. Erickson estimated that this year's event included between 100 and 150 participants, though it's hosted as many as 400 in the past.
"I think the most fun part is seeing everybody leaving from Amiret and everybody riding together," said Tamara Schons, a former organizer and current participant in the event. "It's for the kids and it's a great cause."