Motorcyclists take over Western Avenue for annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots parade
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It was time for another longstanding Chicago tradition Sunday, as motorcyclists took off for a long trek up Western Avenue for the Toys for the Tots motorcycle parade.
The parade, billed as the world's largest motorcycle parade, happens the first Sunday of every December. This is the 47th annual iteration of the event—it has been a Chicago tradition since 1978—and has only been canceled once, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The parade does not cover the entirety of Western Avenue—which runs within the city limits from Howard Street in West Rogers Park south to 119th Street in Beverly/Morgan Park. But it does run from the Dan Ryan Woods near 83rd Street to Lane Tech College Prep at Addison Street—a total of 14 out of Western Avenue's 23 1/2 miles within the city.
Each motorcycle parade rider donated at least one toy for children in the Chicago area.
"Everyone brought a lot of toys. On the South Side here, we had two moving vans full of toys, and then we're heading up north to see what they're collecting up there," said Chicagoland Toys for Tots treasurer Sharon Chote.
Toys for Tots is a nationwide program created at the behest of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Anyone who wants to help out can donate at chicagolandtft.org.