Haywood Bikers For Toys

By Pam Irvin Photo By Sean Aaron Photography Don’t tell Haywood County bikers they can’t have a toy run for Christmas. As with so many events, the original Haywood County Toy Run group canceled their annual event due to Covid restrictions and decided to host a virtual toy run instead. A group of Haywood County bikers decided that they wanted to continue the toy run tradition and organized their own event to raise money and collect toys for kids at Christmas. On Saturday November 14, 2020, Haywood Bikers for Toys 1st annual toy run took place. What an amazing turn out! There were over 200 bikes gathered for the event. The last count I was given was over $5600 in money raised and a trailer full of toys were collected for the children. Donations are still coming in so these numbers are growing. The weather was perfect for riding in Western North Carolina that day. Bikers gathered in the parking lot of Woodland Baptist Church off Hwy 209 in Waynesville. From there, the ride went down Hwy 19/23-74 to Hazelwood, then through Main Street Waynesville. It continued on through the Town of Clyde, then into the Town of Canton and back to the Church. Local Law Enforcement agencies assisted with traffic control along the way. Food was provided after the ride by Hit the Pit Barbecue. I hope this is a tradition that will continue for years to come. Personally I don’t think there can ever be too many toy runs. The motorcycle community is all about coming together in a time of need, especially when it comes to children.