This year's Santa’s Toy Run motorcycle ride will be kicking off on Saturday, November 19, 2022, as it celebrates 20 years of delivering toys for local children.
Registration for the ride will begin at 10am in front of Ogeechee Technical College (1 Joe Kennedy Blvd.), and the admission for the event will be the donation of one new unwrapped toy ($10 value) or a cash donation per participant. The CMA Redeemed Riders will be on hand during sign-in to offer free donuts and coffee to the waiting and excited crowd.
The ride will be a safe, scenic, escorted ride through Bulloch County, departing from Ogeechee Tech and arriving at the Harville House Barn at approximately 12:45pm. The event route is to begin at Ogeechee Tech, making its way through Statesboro to West Main St., to South Main St., to Burkhalter Road, finishing its route at the destination of The Harville House Barn at 1850 Harville Road. At the Harville House Barn, all event participants will receive lunch, door prizes, and enjoy some quality time with Santa.
Best place to see Santa and the motorcycles
Gather the family and come downtown to see Santa's arrival and the all the motorcycles escorting him to town around noon on Saturday, November 19, 2022. The best place to view them will be at the Bulloch County Courthouse in downtown Statesboro and down South Main from the Courthouse to the railroad tracks.
Helping Fostering Bulloch
All money and toys collected from the event will be donated to Fostering Bulloch's 7th Mile Farm and Hope Chest to help the children they serve have a merrier Christmas.
Famous sleigh will retire
For two decades, motorcyclists from Statesboro and surrounding areas have come together at Christmastime to motorcade Santa through Statesboro to the final destination for the Toy Run event. This year’s event is expected to draw approximately 200 motorcyclists, while having about 250 additional participants registered for the festivities. Along with the free lunch and door prizes, everyone will be able to take free pictures with Santa and share all their hopes and Christmas wishes with him.
However, the 20th year anniversary of the event will be the last for a well-known part of the tradition. The event's founder, Curtis Gay, will be retiring the famous red sleigh from the festivities after this year. He built the sleigh with his father 34 years ago.
Gay has had a strong interest in building things since he was a child. And one of the things he had always wanted to build was a sleigh, a desire which was inspired by a Christmas class project during his elementary years! Fast forward to 1988, when Gay was 30 years old, he built the sleigh alongside his father. That sleigh has now been for the Toy Run since 2003.
The love, joy, and passion put into the sleigh by Gay and his father has brought so many locals joy during the holiday season, and it continues to hold-up and serve its purpose well! Moving forward, the sleigh will have a limited-use availability.
Gay would like to thank the Statesboro and motorcycling communities for their consistent efforts in showing up to support this great cause in the community each year. He also would like to thank Sheriff Noel Brown, the Bulloch County Sheriff's Department, and the Statesboro Police Department for their continued support and efforts in protecting the safety of the participants each year. And finally, Gay expresses gratitude to both Bobby Durden of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and the Dirt Floor Cycles organization.
“Bobby is my right-hand man who gets this event set up, secures approval for it, and lays out the planned routes for it each year," Gay said. "I could not execute such a fantastic event each year without his help, support, and consistent efforts. Thank you to the Dirt Road Cycles organization as well, who also owns the Harville House Barn. They continue to be a supportive family business to our yearly event.”
How you can join the fun
Santa’s Toy Run is sponsored by Sheriff Noel Brown, The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Dirt Floor Cycle, and The Harville House Barn. For more information on this year’s Santa’s Toy Run event, please email Curtis Gay at [email protected] or follow along on the Facebook page for more updates.
The Refurbished Barn at Harville House is a locally popular venue which is used for weddings and other events. Please call or message 912-541-6824 for more information and scheduling.
Congratulations, Curtis, on 20 years of bringing Christmas joy to our community's children! You are GRICE GOOD!
