This will be the 34th year for the Moose Jaw Cycle Association (MJCA) Toy Run Parade on behalf of the Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, and MJCA president Murray Roney can’t wait for the rally on Sept. 17.
All motorcycle rallies are a blast, Roney said, but this one is special because of the cause and because it’s close to home.
“You’re riding up Main Street and you look in your mirror and as far back as you can see, there’s a double lane of motorcycles with toys on them and stuff like that. It’s a pretty cool experience.”
Roney has ridden in every single one of the toy run parades — 33 years and counting.
“We heard stories about other cities that were doing it, donating to the Salvation Army for the kids for Christmas,” he said, explaining how it started. “A few of us decided, you know, let’s give it a try and see how many we get. If we only get 10 or 15 riders, that’s still 10 or 15 toys. The very first year, we had 50 people and it’s climbed since then.”
Roney is anticipating 250 to 300 riders will come out on Saturday, Sept. 17. The rally starts at 2 p.m. SHARP (emphasis by MJCA) at the bottom of the Fourth Avenue Bridge.
From there, the route is north on Main Street, west on Thatcher Drive, and the parade finishes in the Salvation Army at 2 Wintergreen Drive just off Thatcher.
All motorcyclists are welcome, with the following conditions. A) The motorcycle must be street legal, including a helmet. B) Please bring a new, unwrapped toy or book, or a cash donation.
The parade tried accepting street donations at one point, but it turned out to be a somewhat hazardous plan.
“It was a little dangerous,” Roney, “you know, stopping on bikes and trying to pick stuff up from people. So now, if people have donations they want to make, they can take them to the Salvation Army. That’s where we meet, and we make a big pile of toys.”
Most people are at the starting point by 1:30 p.m. to catch up and chat. The motorcycling community is tight-knit and supportive, so the riders are happy to see each other. Some of them decorate their bikes with toys for the occasion. Roney has seen entire bicycles loaded on the back of some motorcycles — he’s not sure how that’s accomplished, but it’s great.
The event is followed by a steak night at The Crushed Can. Profits from the steak night are added to the day’s donations.
“All that money is put in the bank, then we go down to Giant Tiger,” Roney said. “They’ve been really good to us, so we go down there and buy a box of toques and mitts and scarves for kids, and we donate that to the Salvation Army for Christmas.”
“I hope it’s a nice day,” Roney added. “We’re hoping for a big turnout and hopefully everything co-operates with us.”
