Article By: Athena Ransom
Photos By: axmanpictures.com
Originally Published In The March 2011 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
The 23rd Annual SFPC Toys in the Sun Run is just that: 23 years of riding in the sun, bringing toys out to make a Christmas story happen for many kids who otherwise would have nothing. While most of the country is settling in for the winter chill and their riding season has ended, many people here in South Florida revel in the welcomed mild climate and break out their leathers for the first time in a year. In South Florida, the first weekend in December annually marks the best weekend of the year for bikers who live here, hosting a weekend that is full of motorcycles, charity and kids. What more is there? It starts on Thursday with a kickoff party at Bruce Rossmeyers’ Sunrise Harley Davidson dealership, where everyone comes out to register for the many events to raise money and awareness for our local charities. You get a goody bag full of stuff from all the sponsors: t-shirts and even a dress shirt for the Friday night Bikers’ Bash. It’s pretty cool. For the locals we get to see one another for the holiday season and then we also get to meet many people who come from all over the country to participate. Many we will see again because they have such a great time.
Friday night brings the Bikers’ Bash to support the Broward County Boys & Girls Club at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. What an outstanding place to have a black leather event like this. Attendees of the gala include Seminole Hard Rock Roadhouse builders that are participating in the weekend, as well as NBA stars, models, entertainers and community leaders. Dave & Jodi Perewitz, Todd Silicata, John Shnopes and Eddie Trotta were this year’s featured builders. I usually participate but my bike is on the Easyriders’ tour with my brothers from the Limpnickie Lot, so I was asked to be a special guest for the weekend and just have a good time. The Bikers’ Bash is $250.00 a plate for dinner and the money raised, along with the auctions, both live and silent, are donated to the Broward County Boys & Girls Club. Over the past five years this event has been raising money that would start an educational program to teach the kids the mechanical aspect of motorcycles, and this year we watched as it came to fruition. Community greats like Max Osceola, Bruce Rossmeyer, Jeff Cheek and James McDonnell put years of effort into building a place for the kids who wanted to learn and fill their spare time with something productive. The donors to this program are titled “The leaders of the pack,” and every year they have given money to make it happen.
This past year, the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County enlisted their kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays to participate for the first time and build a bike. Can I just say that I have never seen a cooler 1986 Sportster with a sidecar, ever. I was so proud to watch all those kids come stand with their creation as it went to auction. It went for $100,000.00! Yes, a hundred grand, and those kids, the techs that led them and the donors who created the program were so worthy. The money goes to the program for future education with these kids. How awesome is that? Saturday is its own whirlwind of giving and having fun. It starts in the early morning at the Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital with a tour of the facility and visits with the kids. Then, the kids who are well enough to attend gather in the auditorium where greats like Ritchie Supa and guests sing carols to them and with them; it’s an incredible moment to be a part of. These kids are a bright light even when most people would have no light at all. Next, it’s off to the Jim and Jan Moran Center to hang out with the kids from the boys and girls club and see their art, play for a while and ride over to a luncheon at the Cove Restaurant on the Intercoastal waterway to soak up some fun and sun while watching the boats and yachts pass by. At 80 plus degrees, the sun makes you thirsty, and a live band on the waterfront under a palm tree makes Christmas and its spirit of giving just a bit different for Floridians. The evening is a “do what ya want” kinda gig, and we worked so much this past year, my hubby and I decided to take advantage of that and go for a nice long ride. Just after dark, a small shower passed through town and the temperature started to fall; our ride was fantastic and chilly! It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
Sunday morning and it is a brrrrrrr, 42 degrees. Yeah, go ahead and laugh, at that temperature we are wondering who turned off the heat. Remember, most of our year is spent at 80 and above. I was up early (which isn’t easy for me), I woke my wonderful hubby up with extreme holiday cheer; like a kid at Christmas, bouncing on the bed and ready for the fun day ahead. For me, this day was exciting. Usually we ride in the front of the parade and there are over 30,000 bikes that participate; I am always on my chopper never getting out of second gear. After 23 years of doing it, I get to skip the parade and see it as it comes into the park (this is totally an awesome scene as a spectator) and I get to ride on the back of my honey’s chopper. I love to ride on the back as much as I like to ride my own. It’s another place in my life I know I belong, like being a Motor Maid, anyway… We had planned to leave by 9 a.m. as the highway shuts down a 20 mile route at 9:45 for the parade. I attempted to get my honey out from under the covers starting at 7:30 and take him to breakfast but he just wanted to wrestle. He won, we tried for the best two out of three, and needless to say, we got a late start. There was no getting onto the highway now, so I got the 50 mile scenic route from the backseat. It was fun and I dig getting to squish all of my man while enjoying the wind; it is exhilarating.
Getting into Markham Park was hassle free. This 130 acre county park is quite suitable for the 150,000 people who pass through the gates to attend this one-dayevent. The many volunteers make camp on the Tuesday before, setting up the 3 stages, hundreds of vendors and the kids’ section. What a job they do. It all comes together on a Sunday for a ride and a good time. The Seminole Hard Rock Roadhouse is on display as well as many local builders and the coolest this year were Alan and Phil with their “Old Skool Roadshow.” These guys bring out their collection of antiques so the spectators can enjoy them: sitting on them, taking photos with them and just admiring them. I invited them to the Limpnickie Lot for Bike Week in Daytona and they accepted, so come out and meet them, they love everyone enjoying their motorcycles, like we all do. This event is better to experience than to read about as there are so many things that go on during the day. Of course the parade of 30,000 or more motorcycles is incredible with the fire trucks, celebrities and even Elmo, but the park is full of its own wild and wacky things to do and see. Everyone who attends enjoys their day in one way or another as you can see by the photos. You can shop for holiday gifts, eat, drink, dance and be merry all the while helping kids! A couple even chose to have their wedding ceremony during the event; congrats to Annemarie & Alfredo. Many people flocked to have a chance to wrestle an alligator, some parents even found it a good photo op. Yeah, where was this setup when my kids were teenagers? Just kidding!
Santa was on hand collecting toys outside of the mess hall where we all had prime rib and turkey for lunch. The food was great, the weather fantastic and the Charlie Daniels Band was about to play. Being a special guest is always nice. Deb Amchir rolls out the red carpet to everyone and shows the most southern hospitality you can get here. The backstage show was incredible and watching Charlie play “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” was badass. Charlie Daniels presented Max Osceola with his fiddle to put in the Hard Rock and they both proceeded to present checks to the Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital. The final big check comes up to the stage and the one-dayevent brings in almost 500,000 dollars for the kids at the hospital, add that to the 300,000 dollars that was raised on Friday for the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County and there you have it: bikers bringing almost a million dollars for two charities in one weekend. And so many bikers gave their time to make it happen. FANFREAKINTABULOUS, I’d say! It’s cool. I grew up here in South Florida, and as proud as all my friends are of me and the things I have accomplished as a builder, I in turn am just as proud of them for their efforts and unwavering resolve that they all put into this event collectively every year for 23 years. Good job!!! To all who attended, THANK YOU! Our community appreciates you! Most of all, you ALL bring hope and holiday spirit to so many kids who need it!! Have a great and safe 2011. For more information on this or next years’ event visit: www.toysinthesunrun. com and www.bikersbash.org
