It was December 20th, 1981, and a balmy 20 degrees outside. The cold, wind-chilled day didn’t stop twenty motorcyclists.
The bikes were covered with toys as they rode from Swannanoa to Asheville in the historic first toy run.
This Saturday, December 3rd is the 36th year of the Smoky Mountain Toy Run. Many of those early riders are now grandparents and the tradition has passed to their friends and family. From those humble beginnings the Toy Run has become the longest, continuously running Toy Run in North Carolina, “the granddaddy of North Carolina toy runs” and one of the oldest on the East Coast.
The goal of the toy run has remained through all these years: “making sure that every child has a Merry Christmas.” Your donation will help provide toys and money to support Eblen Charities, Saint Nicholas Project. Everyone is invited to come donate and ride in this police-escorted run from the Kearfott plant in Black Mountain to City County Plaza in Asheville. Cost is a new, unwrapped toy worth at least $15, or $15 cash per person. Gates open at 10 a.m. and the police escorted parade starts at 1 p.m.
Can’t ride? Stop by Kearfott and drop off your donation, enjoy mingling with the riders and stick around and watch the motorcycle parade anywhere on US70 West as it heads toward City/County Plaza in downtown Asheville.