Yes, we went hiking on Saturday and had lots of fun. But, today, we are not going to tell you about that. We are going to tell you about something fun we saw.
Yesterday was the 18th annual Haywood County (NC) Motorcycle Parade and Toy Run. The parade goes through all four towns of our county and we happened to be in Waynesville as it passed through. Every rider donates money or toys in order to participate, and those donations are used to take care of children in our county who may not have a bright Christmas without the help. Economic times are tough everywhere, but in a small rural county like us, there are a lot of families who could use a little extra help. Estimates at the beginning of the day were that over 1600 motorcyclists would be participating. We have not heard a final count, but we saw hundreds and hundreds of bikers in the parade.
Because the Blue Ridge Parkway cuts through our county, a lot of our tourism comes from motorcyle fans. We host a few motorcycle festivals during the warmer months and have a fantastic museum located here, Wheels Through Time. So the cool part is that many of these motorcyclists came here for the weekend just to ride in the parade. So we want to say thank you – and salute the great, caring bikers!
Here come the bikers!
Headed down Main Street Waynesville
Most bikes had toys strapped on for donation
Or a big stuffed bear
What is a parade without Santa Claus?
Ok, ok. We can’t have a blog post without at least one picture of a member of The Herd. Kodiak would like to say thanks to all of the bikers! And, yes, The Herd handles the noise of the bikes very well.
Kool! Biker Santas!
Cheers,
Maxx
Very cool pics – Bailey hates the noise of motorbikes – we will share these pics with one of our human brothers who is a biker!!
xx
The riders from this area did theirs last weekend -
They ride from York to Penn State Childrens’ Hospital in Hershey -
Tank woo fur sharing yours!
Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
Oh what a wonderful cause.. It is great to see those big burly bikers with teddy bears.. Sure glad we got to see at least one Sibe picture…
Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie
What a great cause!
By the way…did you say Blue Ridge Parkway? Now I know I must come visit that area someday – ’cause my AKC name is – “Citation’s Blue Ridge Pkwy”!
Bentley
Cool! I participated in a similar parade in 2005. It was so cool seeing all of the motorcycles! At the time I was working for a store that donated toys for the kids and I went with the manager to help deliver them. It was a lot of fun.
That is so cool. Here in our town we have bikers that come here every summer and hold events for our Hospice. They are a group of some of the biggest softies around☺
There are so many biker groups who do a lot of good for children – we have them here too.
Maybe the Herd was hoping some of those stuffies would make their way to the Herd’s home too.
woos, the OP Pack
Wow! Santa has gone high tech! I didn’t know he now rode motorcycles instead of a reindeer charriot! Wow… I learn something new every day!
xoxo,
Brownie
Cheers to the bikers who do this great work for Kids at Christmas. Its definitely a win-win-win for the kids getting the goodies, the bikers who love to ride, and the folks who love to watch them!
Kisses,
Stella
Furry nice pawrade! Four paws up fur the bikers and a great charity run!
a-roos & woos,
jack n’ tori
sounds like it was a fun ride!
Ohooooo…i’m thinking 1. each of the herd should go for a motorcycle ride, on the back, like those toys and 2. maybe a sibe would be a nice holiday present??? (or not… more like a holiday curse for those who never were exposed to their mischiveous ways!)
That’s a very cool parade. Of course the herd can handle the noise. Hello? they are probably louder with their woos anyway!
~wags-n-wiggles~
wild dingo
Kodiak is looking very fluffy!
I think I would be scared of those big bikes but I am very impressed at the same time!
Huffle Mawson
One of our first dogs, Astro, *loved* the sound of motorcycles. We joked that he’d been a biker in a previous life. We wish that he could’ve been there, cheering on those loud bikers!
Glad that the herd handles loud noises well!
Murray loved the photos of those bikers and particularly the bike with the teddy on the back!
Kodiak looking good too!
take care
Clive
What a fantastic event! Lovely day for the parade, and sweet Main Street with mountains in the background.
Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
Sierra Rose
You’re so lucky to have a pack full of dogs who aren’t sound sensitive. I’m envious!
Looks like a really cool event. Sounds like there were a LOT of bikes there.
Was that Mr. and Mrs. Claus!?!?! How COOL!
Play bows,
Zim
Maria tells me she had planned on getting a Ducati, but instead got me. I remind her that I’m just as likely to kill her as the bike.
Wimsey
Wowzer what a fun parade. I myself.. get a bit on edge near motorcycles although I wouldn’t make chasing one for those stuffies. I think I’ll ride that Kodiak cycle instead.
norwood
That is so awesome! The sound of motorcycles used to scare me, but I’m ok with it now.
Mochi
How nice of those bikers.
Love,
Teddy Bear
I enjoy riding in a Toy run like that. The last one I participated in had about 1200 motorcycles. I am sure there will be more kids enjoying Christmas that would not have otherwise.