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Santa arrives in style
Toy ride a success
Buck Jones Toy Ride pic
Buck Jones Memorial Toy Run organizer Don Parkinson heads up his pack of unconventional elves as the motorcycle procession arrives Sunday afternoon at the Dawsonville Municipal Complex. - photo by David Renner for the Dawson Community News

Instead of traveling with elves by sleigh, Santa arrived in Dawsonville on Sunday with smiling men and women dressed in leather jackets and riding motorcycles.

The 21st annual Buck Jones Memorial Toy Run saw one of its largest turnouts this year. Dawsonville was waiting with open arms and trays of food for the hungry procession at the second of its three stops.

The toy run started at the Cumming Fairgrounds with riders stopping first in Dawsonville before continuing on to Lumpkin County High School.

The riders were escorted by police into the Dawsonville Municipal Complex parking lot, where lunch was provided by The Pool Room.

K.A.R.E. for Kids volunteers were on hand with warm smiles to dish out the meals to the unconventional elves.

"We had a total of 305 bikes this year," said Don Parkinson, Santa's liaison and organizer for this year's event.

Added his wife, Marilyn: "This is one of the biggest turnouts we've had."

The Parkinsons are the owners of one of the Toy Run's sponsors, Bikers Dream of Atlanta.

"Each bike is required to bring three toys, one for each stop, in order to ride. So we have at least 305 gifts for each stop," Don Parkinson said.

To his wife, the toy run is their "way of giving back a bit."