For the past 39 years the American Bikers Aimed Toward Education organization, or ABATE for short, puts on what is called a Toy Run in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The organization invites motorcyclists to bring a toy or more to donate in the Toys For Tots program and then rides around town being escorted by the Tulsa Police Department complete with blocked off streets for the community to thank them for their donations.
Photo taken by myself.
There was an estimate of 5,000 to 6,500 entries and from the time it took, I would believe it. We had been hearing a strange noise outside the apartment for a good 15-30 minutes. Heading out to see what was going on, we were pleasantly surprised to find a parade of noisy Christmas clad motorcyclist dressed up in holiday cheer while carrying gifts as if they were Santa in his sleigh. It was truly a sight to behold.
Photo take by myself.
The ABATE of Tulsa organization is not a biker gang or club. On their website http://www.abateoftulsa.com they state:
ABATE of Tulsa, Inc. works to protect the rights of all motorcyclists through direct involvement in the political process. We feel that all of us, from lifestyle-rider to off-road-fan, are brothers and sisters with a common interest – riding free!
They are responsible for many of the workshops and public education concerning the safety for the motorcycling community here in Tulsa. They usually have two big rallies a year, one of which is the Toy Run where they collect donated toys for the Toys for Tots program. If you would like to donate to them yourself, you can visit this website: https://www.toysfortots.org/
Approximately 45 minutes from the time we arrived to watch the parade, a long string of police cars brought up the rear with lights flashing and sirens blaring as if they were in a slow speed pursuit of these motorcyclists. It was all in good fun and brought smiles from all the little kids that had been waving to all who rode past them. How fun was that!
