ROSCOE VILLAGE — Get ready for 50,000 bikers to rumble along Western Avenue Sunday during the annual Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade.
Bikes will start rolling at 9:30 a.m., setting out from 83rd Street and Western on the South Side, the parade's starting point since 1985.
Riders will head north in "tiers," allowing for cross traffic at various intervals.
This year's endpoint is the Lane Tech-DeVry campus, 2501 W. Addison St., which the final riders should reach by 2:30 p.m.
The motorcycle parade has been an annual tradition in Chicago since 1978, when founder Ed Wisniewski was the lone rider. In 1979, he was joined by 50 other bikers, and the number of riders swelled to a record 70,000 in 2012 for the parade's 35th anniversary, according to organizers.
In order to participate, riders are required to donate a toy. Those collected at the parade are given to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.
Parade organizers also collect toys from the general public at numerous locations across the city (click here). These are distributed to individuals, group homes, shelters, hospitals and youth groups throughout Chicago.
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