1st Annual Guardians Of The Children Toy Run

By: Wally Wersching

On Saturday, November 28th, the Gastonia chapter of the Guardians of the Children (GOC) held their first Annual Christmas Toy Run. Due to the pandemic, the members of the chapter could not visit with the community as much as needed so they decided to hold a toy run to raise money, and toys for the needy. All toys will be donated to families in Gaston and surrounding counties who have contacted the GOC for help for Christmas. Any toys left will be distributed to families in need. Money from the ride will be used to buy gifts for older children. Any money left will be donated to the Gaston County Toy Run for Kids. Registration started at 10:30am at the Winner’s Circle Bar on Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia. Fees - $6.00 and an unwrapped toy, or $10.00 and no toy. The run left at noon to ride a scenic route around Crowders Mountain State Park, and eventually ending the run at Filthy Lu’s Saloon on Main Street in Gastonia. I awoke on Saturday morning to the sound of rain on the roof. I was really disappointed but it was still early. By the time I got out of bed, and walked the dog, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining. I checked the radar, and the storms had quickly moved to the east. It was going to be a great weather day. There were quite a few toy runs on the 28th. Most of them very large and been doing it for many years. I wanted to go to help a run just starting out. I left home about 10am heading east on Rte. 74. I stayed on Rte. 74 all the way into Gastonia. The Winners’ Circle Bar was on the right on the west side of Gastonia. I pulled into the lot and parked away from the line of bikes because I wasn’t actually going on the ride. I brought a stack of the Carolinas’ Full Throttle magazines and placed them on the table. Then I gave a donation to the cause at the registration table. Club members of the GOC gathered around when the president of the club gave directions for the ride. He mentioned how to answer certain questions of the participants so that everyone knew where the toys and money would go. I located “Cuzz” at the front of the line of bikes. He could ride his bike because he is taking medication for his back pain. He didn’t want to miss the 1st Toy Run. We talked for a few minutes, and then he had to take care of some club business. I watched as many bikes rolled in - some in packs of five or six, and others came alone. The large parking lot was starting to fill up. There was a slight problem though. As they added lines to the group, the slope of the parking lot was giving some bike fits. The angle was putting the bikes too straight up. Some wanted to fall over to the right, so they moved the line down to a flatter section of the lot. There was another Victory Kingpin in the bunch. I saw the rear fender sticking out from behind a full dress Harley. I walked over to it and was struck by its beauty. It made “Miss Vickie” look like a “Plain Jane”. It looked like one of those factory-made “Ness Customs” – very rare, only a few built. I looked at it closely, and everything that is polished aluminum on “Miss Vickie” is chrome on this one, so it shined like a new penny in the sun! Everything was cleaned and shiny – like he was going to a bike show instead of a toy run. I found the owner, and we talked for a while. Then I showed him “Miss Vickie”. He liked her gel seat, and tachometer. He said that he’d have to get them for his bike. He only had the bike for a short time. It was a low mileage one, too. More than 100 bikes filled the lot. Before they were ready to leave, they had a meeting. Since this Toy Run would not have a police escort, they had to do it the old way with “Road Guards” at the intersections. It can be very dangerous so everybody was told what to do when certain hand signals were given. After that, there was the prayer thanking God for the great weather and asking God to bless all the participants. At a little after noon, the bikes left with a roar. They exited the lot onto a narrow road behind the mall. After they left, I headed back to Shelby west on Rte. 74. As I was riding, I was thinking about that beautiful Kingpin. After a while, I thought about owning a bike like that. I’d be spending most of my time cleaning and polishing all the chrome instead of riding it. Too much chrome can be a curse. It only looks good when it’s clean. I wash “Miss Vickie” about once a year and wipe her down with a detailer a couple times a month. I only polish the aluminum about two or three times a year. I was glad that I didn’t own that bike and owned “Miss Vickie”. It sure was a beautiful bike though. On the way home, I stopped to pick up lunch at the Showmars in Shelby. They always have delicious food – and a lot of it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Cuzz