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Jack's Update #65    November 28, 2005
 

 
 

Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade Week

This is it! The big day is almost here.  There is less than one week to go until The 28th Annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade. This Sunday, thousands of devoted motorcycle riders will brave the Chicago weather, to ride together to show the world the fun of motorcycle riding and the joy of helping others.  

This Sunday, motorcyclists from across America will come to Chicago to participate in a most remarkable motorcycle event.  The Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade has become the favorite run of riders across America.  This is the time when the City of Big Shoulders becomes the City of Big Hearted Bikers.

The Parade will start at 9:30AM Sunday morning at the Dan Ryan Woods at 83rd Street and Western Avenue and travels north on Western Avenue to Foster Avenue, then west to the Marine Center at Troy Avenue.  Last year, over 40,000 riders participated.  The last riders in The Parade are expected to arrive at the Marine Center at approximately 3PM. 

This is the week to prepare and even decorate your motorcycle, find your cold weather clothes, and go out and buy lots of toys for the kids.

 


The Spirit of The Parade

This Sunday, the city of Chicago will be part of a very spectacular event. The streets will be filled with the color, excitement and roar of thousands of motorcycles and their riders. As a result, some traffic may need to take a small detour, and some bus routes may be slightly delayed, and some worshippers may arrive late to church, however, in only a few hours, the bikes will be gone, the spectators will have returned home, and Western Avenue will return to quiet normalcy. But that doesn't mean that The Parade has really ended, for that's when the real purpose and meaning of this day begins.  Thanks to the generosity of all the participating riders, the Parade Volunteers, and others who made toy donations, thousands of new toys will soon be distributed to thousands of grateful children.  

The TFT Parade Volunteers will not only coordinate the distribution and delivery of toys to hospitals, churches and schools, but some of the motorcycle-riding Parade Volunteers will actually become Santa and his elves and will be very busy visiting dozens of homes, hospitals, and schools all in the next few weeks. The Spirit of The TFT Parade will continue for those children who never expected to have a merry Christmas long after the motorcycle riders have left Western Avenue.  Thanks for helping us share the Spirit of The Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade.

Come out and celebrate the start of the Christmas Season, either as a rider or a spectator.  Just bring a toy and be part of "The World's Greatest Motorcycle Parade".

 
Chicago Weather in December

Chicago weather can be very unpredictable in any season.  The Chicago TFT Parade will take place next Sunday, rain or shine.  Monday's Chicago Tribune forecast for Sunday predicts a high of 31 degrees and a low of 15 degrees, partly sunny with brisk north winds and flurries south of the city.  Both riders and spectators should monitor the forecasts for any climatic changes and be prepared for various conditions. 

 

The 2005 Chicago TFT Parade Dedication

The 2005 Chicago Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade will be dedicated to the memory of the following four individuals, Johnny Lopez, James Gjeldum, Frank Griseto, and Garrett Wilking.  

Johnny Lopez was a veteran Chicago TFT Parade member who lost his life this past year. 

James Gjeldum "Jimmy Z" was a Parade Member who was killed in a motorcycle accident on Easter Sunday.

Frank Griseto, was the DuPage County Deputy, whose life was lost when he collided with an automobile that broke into the 2004 Chicago TFT Parade.  

Garrett Wilking was an avid Chicago TFT Parade supporter and participant who was killed in a motorcycle accident this past summer.

 

Toy Drop-off Locations

The following businesses are some of the locations that will be accepting your toy donations. Please bring your toy donations before December 15.  In addition to collecting toys, many will be having parties after The TFT Parade.  We want to thank all the following locations that support the Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade. 


Abbey  Pub  3420 Grace Avenue
Bo's  NW Hwy and Bryn Mawr
Brandy's  5200 South Cicero Avenue
Chi-Town Harley-Davidson  17801 LaGrange Road, Tinley Park
Circle Inn  7300 Circle Avenue, Forest Park
Corner Joynt Tavern  7600 60th Place, Summit
Crabby Kim's  Waveland and Western Avenues
DoubleTree Hotel-Alsip  5000 127th Street, Alsip
EZ Inn  921 North Western Avenue
Gamblers Tavern  4908 North Pulaski Avenue
Gruben's Uptown Tap  512 West Lockport Street, Lockport
Gumby's   Wrightwood and Austin
Fraternal Order of Eagles  2019 South Chicago Street, Joliet
Harris Bank and branches
Hedgehogs  6915 West Pershing Road
Illinois Harley-Davidson  13th and Harlem Avenue, Berwyn
Koffee Kettle Restaurant  63rd and Mayfield Avenue
LAMA Headquarters  3519 West Fullerton Avenue
Little Franks Pizza  79th and Narraganset, Burbank 
Marine Center  Foster and Troy Avenues
No Name Pub  4511 South Harlem Avenue, Forest View
Oak Lawn Harley-Davidson  110th and Cicero Avenue, Oak Lawn
Pie-Eyed Pizzeria  1111 West Chicago Avenue
Spynners   Western and Eastwood
Stempien VFW  47th and Tripp Avenue
Studio 31  5147 South Archer Avenue
Ted's Tap  3300 West Belmont Avenue
Third Down Sports Bar  4839 South Central Avenue
Tick n Tin  7100 79th Street, Burbank
Turtle Wax Car Washes  15 in Chicago and suburbs
WildFire Harley-Davidson  120 West North Avenue, Villa Park
Zelmos Bar & Grill  1117 Plainfield Road, Joliet

Vondrak Newspapers Support The TFT Parade

Mr. James Vondrak from the Vondrak Publishing empire, has supported the Toys for Tots Program by issuing a special Thanksgiving Day advertising supplement which featured the participating businesses that are 2005 Toy Drop-off Locations.  This is the second year that the Vondrak folks have helped in this unique manner.  Mr. Vondrak is the publisher of the Southwest News Herald, the Southwest Shopper, and the Clear-Ridge Reporter.  Mr. Vondrak attended a Parade Meeting to tell the members about his help, and the Parade members thanked him with an official TFT Parade jacket which he excitedly accepted and quickly donned. Thank you Vondrak publications.

Exclusive Doubletree Hotel Rates for Parade Riders

The Doubletree Hotel Chicago-Alsip at 5000 West 127th Street, near Cicero Avenue and 127th Street, will again be supporting The TFT Parade, making this their third year, by offering rooms for the night before The Parade, at a special price of only $79.  To obtain this rate you must mention the Chicago Toys for Tots Parade.   The Doubletree Hotel has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, so the hotel looks better than ever.  There is a secure parking lot next to the building, so folks with trailers should have no trouble finding suitable parking spaces. For reservations, call  708-371-7300 or 800-222-TREE or go to www.chicagoalsip.doubletree.com and use convention code TFY.

Obtaining Toys

Many families ask about how to obtain toys for their children.  The thing to remember about obtaining toys is that the Marines do not give toys directly to children or families.  They are not equipped to do that.  The Marines and The Chicago TFT Parade Organization give the toys to neighborhood groups such as local churches, schools, hospitals, the DCFS, Catholic Charities, The Community Chest and other similar organizations.  Those looking for toys must contact one of these groups to obtain toys.

2005 Schedule of Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade Events

 For more information on the following meetings, and many more events, visit the TFT Parade web site calendar at http://chicagolandtft.org/calendar.htm .

North side meeting dates have been amended from those listed in the Parade Newsletter. 
All dates and times are subject to change or will be announced at a later time.

Stempien VFW at 4235 West 47th Street.  Parade Warehouse at 8900 South Odell, Bridgeview.  Gamblers Pub is at 4908 North Pulaski Avenue, in Chicago.

  

September

17
 20
 22
 30		 The 2005 Kick-off Party-Stempien VFW
 Parade Board Meeting-Stempien VFW
North Side Meeting at Gamblers
Parade General Meeting #1-Stempien VFW
October 7
14
18
20
21
28		 Financial Gift Presentations-Stempien VFW
Parade General Meeting #2-Stempien VFW
Board of Directors Meeting-Stempien VFW
North Side Meeting at Gamblers
Parade Warehouse Open at 8900 Odell
Parade General Meeting #3-Stempien VFW
November 4
10
11
15
18
24
25
 26

29

 Parade General Meeting #4-Stempien VFW
North Side Meeting at Gamblers
Parade Veteran's Day Party-Stempien VFW
Board of Directors Meeting-Stempien VFW
 Parade General Meeting #5-Stempien VFW
Thanksgiving Day at "The Rock"
Friday -- Parade Warehouse Open at 8900 Odell
Saturday -- Joe and Leroy's Annual TFT Parade Party at Lot 4 Bar

Special Stationary Road Blockers Meeting & Ribbon Committee Volunteers-Stempien VFW
December 2
3
3

4

13
16
20

 Friday -- Parade General Meeting #6-Stempien VFW
Saturday -- Dan Ryan Woods Clean-up at The Woods
Saturday -- North Side Meeting at Marine Center on Foster

Sunday -- 28th Annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade

Birthday of the Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade
Friday -- Parade De-Briefing Meeting-Stempien VFW
Tuesday -- Parade Board of Directors Meeting-Stempien VFW
 

Archived 
Updates

#64
Nov.. 2005

#63
Oct.. 2005

#62
Sept. 2005

#61
June. 2005

#60
May. 2005

#59
Mar. 2005

#58
Feb..5 2005

#57
Jan..4 2005

#56
Dec.14 2004

#55
Dec. 7 2004

#54
Dec. 4 2004

#53
Dec. 2 2004

#52
Nov. 2004

#51
Oct. 2004

#50
Sept. 2004

#49
Sept. 2004

#48
Aug. 2004

#47
May. 2004

#46
Mar, 2004

#45
Feb, 2004

More archived updates here

Anyone who wishes to receive toys for underprivileged children should contact their local church, school, hospital or community aid organization.
 

Chicago area groups that would like to be considered to receive toys to distribute, please notify:
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program
 3034 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, 60625. Phone 773-539-7393

For assistance outside the Chicago area, click here for your local Marine Coordinator
http://www.toysfortots.org/2002/index.html

Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade Organization Schedule... Click here

Attention Website visitors

We appreciate your interest in our Parade and organization, and in order to better serve our members and friends, we now have a TFT E-mail List. This enables us to communicate with each other much faster than we can with either our Newsletter or our Website.

To be notified of the latest Parade updates, and news and activities of our Organization, just E-mail us, and tell us to add your E-address to our E-list.

And while you're connected, please tell us what you think of our Website.

 Email us here

Or fill out our handy form

The Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade
P.O. Box 388260   Chicago, Illinois.  60638 
Hotline  773-866-TOYS

 


Jack's BMW

This Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade Update is a production of
The Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade Website

http://.ChicagolandTFT.org

Copyright  "The World's Greatest Motorcycle Parade"  2002

 


Jack's Harley

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