Annual High Country Toy Ride cancelled
You won’t see motorcycles taking off for a Toys For Tots fundraiser in Colorado Springs this year.
“I was flabbergasted, this is for the kids. And you’re talking 27 years that this has happened,” said motorcyclist Lynn Stuart.
Last year’s Annual High Country Toy Ride was his first time for the event and he was hoping to do it again this year.
“It shouldn’t have been cancelled. It just shouldn’t have been,” he said.
But it has been cancelled and event organizers blame the city.
“This is the year we finally have drawn the line in the sand,” said Toy Run founder Jim Wear.
When the city instituted the Office of Special Events, it took charge of events like Territory Days and the Balloon Classic, the latter ended last year.
Wear said his event doesn’t compare to those events because his ride starts on private property and only requires a police escort. He’s not happy about the paperwork and costs associated with the high profile designation, saying it distracts from his event’s true goal – getting kids presents on Christmas.
“We agonized over it,” Wear said. “At least we are due some real dialogue based on our 27 years of service.”
That office said the concern is mainly the size – 1,000 riders come yearly and a massive police presence is required and needs to be allocated through their office.
“We’re talking about 1,000 motorcycles. It requires exclusive officers dedicated to the event,” said Carly Kobasiar, special events supervisor with Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services.
But Wear said they’ve never had a problem with police escorts, especially when he contacted CSPD directly.
News of the cancellation drew a lot of attention; especially after flyers like these were posted. And some of those riders say they’re still showing up to ride the course.
“I’m gonna ride it, there’s no way I’m not gonna ride it,” Stuart said.
U.S. Marines will still be at the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Pikes Peak Harley-Davidson parking lot on Sunday, Oct. 4.
