SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

THINKING-AND ACTING-LOCALLY

  JUS BROTHERS 13th Toy Run

     Stockton, Calif., Oct. 19-

Never a dull moment.  Man, looking at the long list in the events

section of the Thunder Press, if you can't find something to do it's

nobody's fault but your own.  "Something for everyone" is another

old adage that certainly applies here.  You got event listings from

the larger, glamor-and-glitter big time runs to small local events.

Take your pick and most likely you'll end up with a winner.  Hell,

as much as I like the big events, often put on by nonbiker promotion

companies, it's the smaller, local events that are my favorites.

These poker runs, toy runs, campouts and the like are usually hosted

by real bikers, for bikers.  The kind of runs like the JUS BROTHERS

Motorcycle Club puts on.  I was at this 13th annual J.B.M.C. toy run

hosted by the Stockton chapter, and as usual the turnout was pretty

impressive.  I didn't count them, but the pack was long as it left

Stockton Motorcycle Shop at noon.  I'd guess over 200 scooters.

Yeah, roaring thunder on a clear day.  Man, I love it!

     This year's parade was a little different from the previous 12 in

the route and the destination.  Instead of riding to the community

center in East Stockton, the pack rode out to the American Legion

Hall at the Stockton Airport.  They've got a nice setup out there with

a bar, a dining hall and a fenced backyard with a pretty cool chopper

on display.  This particular chopper flies, or at least it used to, so it's

a little different than the choppers most of us are familiar with, and

it looks a lot cooler out there than, say, your average birdbath.  This

is a family oriented run and naturally there were kids on hand too,

and the "yard chopper" was a natural magnet for the little ones (and

for a lot of the grown up ones as well).

     Once everyone dismounted and made it inside the toy pile started

to grow and grow.  Lot's of generosity went into the pile, which is

typical of the biker community.  The J.B.M.C. is well known for their

large assortment of raffle and door prizes, and this year was no different.

Lot's of cool stuff, not the least of which was full leathers- chaps, gloves,

jacket, etc.- ordered to the winners size.  Good prizes with Ol' man

winter jus' around the corner.  The chow on this toy run is the same

every year and it's always a crowd pleaser: a full blown Christmas style

dinner with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, veggies, rolls, and ...

well, you get the picture, it was good!

     Every year the toys collected on this toy run are stashed until Dec.

when a leather-clad Santa arrives to hand them out to under-priviledged

children.  If this sounds like a run you'd like to ride on next year, just

watch the Thunder Press Events Calendar or, check out the J.B.M.C.

website at www.jusbrothersmc.com for more information.  It's Stockton,

California, on the third Sunday in Oct. each year.  See ya there in 2004.

-Irish Mike

Article from The Thunder Press, Dec. 2003