Saturday, December 3, 2016….we met at the Chili’s in N. Stafford
to begin the 7th annual ‘Santa’s Helpers Toy run’….Dan has figured
out this Toys For Tots run every year for seven years…. He arranges the toy collection at various
business, settles the brunch at Chili’s with the corporate manager, Derek and
the local store manager, then secures a commitment from the Stafford County Sherriff’s
office to provide an escort from Chili’s to the National Museum of the Marine
Corps near Quantico, VA. I think Dan is
getting good at this as he laughs at the stress it causes him!
Chili’s opened at 8AM and provided free coffee for the early arrivers….then
about 9:30 the folks begin trickling in.
The “social” time before we leave to go north at Noon is the last time
some of us will see each other till the Spring.
Socializing, something the Princess excels at and is the talent of
choice for the moment. She works the
crowd like she’s giving away someone else’s $100 bills! I stay outside to welcome the folks as they
arrive while keeping a watchful eye on the special rides as I take pictures of
the event. Dan mingles inside mostly to
make sure everyone is enjoying their time while he keeps an eye on the clock so
we stay on schedule. Dan also invites
the Deputies inside for a meal as a thank you for the service they provide us. We
think everyone should always thank any Law Enforcement folks you see for their
service to our communities….they are very special people. Local car clubs like the Fredericksburg
Classic and Muscle Car Club, Virginia Stockers, Northern Virginia Mustang Club
and 610 Cruisers support this event but each year we have “new” folks join us
too. This year we had about 65 vehicles
in the crowd ….we all had a lot of fun while we did something good for
others. The weather was nippy &
windy but sunny….it was an awesome day.
This year the Museum allowed us to bring the toys into the Museum
unlike last year when we had to drop them off in the parking lot. It was much better this year. Some of the folks stayed to take in the quality
and mixture of the displays in the museum and others said Merry Christmas to
each other and left.
This will be the last scheduled entry to the blog till the
Spring of 2017. We hope you enjoyed the
weekly tales of our hot rod adventures in Virginia….we are planning more for
next year! The Princess & I would
like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a special New Year….
