WILMINGTON — Hundreds of motorcycles will descend on Wilmington this Sunday, but don’t panic, these bikers are not coming to recreate the Hollister Riots of 1947 – it is just the 25th annual Toys for Tots Motorcycle Ride hosted by Carolina Coast Harley-Davidson.
Drivers can expect traffic delays around the city on Sunday, with motorcycles arriving at Carolina Coast Harley-Davidson as early as 9 a.m., and the ride beginning at noon, and lasting until about 1 p.m. The ride is escorted by both City of Wilmington Police and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department.
“The reason for the ride is to collect toys for less fortune children to get for Christmas. We have already collected over 250 bicycles and expect more. We will also expect to receive around 2000 new toys, and monetary donations for this foundation. All make and model motorcycles are invited to participate. If you don’t own a motorcycle, you can still attend the event, watch the parade of bikes leave and have lunch on us if you bring a new, unwrapped toy,” event coordinator Ashley Vereken said.
With more than 500 motorcycles expected traffic can be stopped up to 45-minutes so drivers should prepare for this on Sunday while making their way around town. The route will begin at Carolina Coast Harley-Davidson and turn right onto Market Street at noon. From there, the parade route will turn right onto Station Road, then Right onto Military Cutoff Road. Eventually the ride will make its way to 3rd Street and continue onto Martin Luther King, turning left onto Market Street and returning to the dealership.
The ride will stop all traffic along the route to allow the parade to continue through the city uninterrupted.
“Traffic is stopped at each intersection by the sheriff and police until all motorcycles have gone through. This may cause several delays in traffic and traffic may be stopped for up to 45 minutes,” Verken said.
The event is rain or shine, for more information email ash@cchd.com or visit Carolina Coast Harley Davidson at 6620 Market Street.
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