7th Annual Oconee & Pickens Counties Toys for Tots Toy Run

By: Bill Gallaway On Sunday, October 25th, Oconee and Pickens County South Carolina held their 7th Annual Toy Run. The day was a cloudy overcast fall day with no sun and temps reaching 74 degrees. The Run rally started at 1pm at the Central, SC Wal-Mart with the ride beginning at 2pm. This was convenient since there were many riders that were rushing inside to buy that special toy before 2pm. Those that didn’t need to shop hung out in the parking lot staging area and visited with old friends. The ride left the Central, SC Wal-Mart with a police escort and traveled thru Central, Clemson and Seneca heading north into West Union, SC. There was a police escort due to the large number of bikes (43) and 5 cages. The streets of all towns on our route carried light traffic or were empty of traffic for the most part. However, the cross streets still needed to be blocked for us to pass by. There were police cruisers and a fire trucks from Central, and Seneca, blocking all major intersections as we passed thru the towns. The police kept us safe on our ride. Those that did hear the roar of the thundering motorcycles did venture out to see what was going by. If they were in vehicles, they pulled over to let our procession go by. What they saw was a procession of 43 Motorcycles carrying toys for the under-privileged children of Oconee & Pickens Counties. It was a sight to see as observers waved to us as we rode by. The ride ended at the West Union Park by the West Union Fire Station. Upon arrival, riders took their toys up to the Toys for Tots Train. We were greeted by the Mayor of West Union, Linda Oliver, with bottles of water on Ice. It ended up being a joyful day for all participants and observers and a great way to kick off the holiday season. Many thanks go out to the organizers Bobbie Smith, Mike Fieseler, the Marine Corp Reserve and to the police officers and fire fighters that brought out the fire trucks and escorted us along our route.