Thousands of motorcycles are expected to rumble 20 miles across Clark County this Sunday as the Highway Hikers Motorcycle Club holds its 48th annual Toy Run, a tradition that began in 1978 with 17 riders and a pickup truck full of donated toys. This year's ride carries extra weight: organizers have severed their decades-long partnership with the Salvation Army following child sex-abuse charges against a former local Salvation Army major, and are instead teaming up with a New Carlisle nonprofit to get toys and bikes to kids across the county.
The ride kicks off at the VFW in Medway, where the grounds open at 9 a.m. for staging ahead of a 1 p.m. kickstands-up departure, according to FindPullTabs. From there, riders travel along Gerlaugh Road and Lower Valley Pike, merge onto State Route 4 past the Ohio Masonic Home, cut through Main Street in Springfield, and follow South Charleston Pike into the Clark County government-mapped route toward the Clark County Fairgrounds. As reported by the Springfield News-Sun, the procession is widely considered the largest parade to travel through Clark County, and law enforcement has issued annual traffic advisories to manage delays along the route.
From a Pickup Truck to a Semi-Trailer
What started as a modest gesture nearly five decades ago has grown into one of the region's signature charity events. The News-Sun reports that the club's first Toy Run in 1978 drew just 17 riders who delivered their haul to a local children's hospital in the back of a pickup truck; today the event fills an entire semi-trailer with donated toys and has drawn close to 4,000 riders in some years, including participants who've traveled from as far as Texas and California. Club public relations liaison and chaplain Ken “Barron” Seelig told the paper the Toy Run has benefited hundreds of thousands of children and generated millions of dollars in donations over the decades.
Seelig has also floated the idea that the event could be recognized as the longest continuously held toy run in the nation, per the same account, but the club has decided against pursuing official Guinness World Records verification. That certification process runs roughly $16,000, according to the Springfield News-Sun, and Seelig said that money is better spent buying toys or bicycles for children instead of chasing a title. Riders can join for a $10 entry fee or by bringing a new toy, and non-riders are welcome too — the paper notes that anyone can show up at the fairgrounds when the ride ends and contribute a toy or a monetary donation.
A Charity Switch Forced by Abuse Allegations
For years, the Highway Hikers partnered with the Salvation Army to distribute the toys collected along the route. That relationship ended after allegations surfaced against James Allen Gingrich, a former major with the Springfield Salvation Army who was fired by the organization in 2018, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Gingrich, now 64, was indicted in Clark County on more than 40 counts including rape and attempted rape, with alleged offenses reportedly spanning 1996 through 2009 and some cases reportedly involving children under age 13.
As Hoodline previously reported in our coverage of the Gingrich indictment, the former major was arrested in Florida in September following the 44-count Clark County indictment, and he allegedly used his authority and his role as a taekwondo instructor to gain access to local children, per WHIO. In the wake of those charges, the Highway Hikers cut ties with the Salvation Army and have instead collaborated with Family and Youth Initiatives of New Carlisle.
New Partner Serves Hundreds of Local Kids
Family and Youth Initiatives executive director Nikki Stefanow told the Springfield News-Sun that the nonprofit first partnered with the motorcycle club last year and served 1,100 children in Clark County during that first year together, even though turnout was lower than usual because of bad weather. FYI now operates with a budget exceeding $740,000 and provides parenting education, youth mentoring, and material assistance like cribs, car seats, and diapers across four regional offices, according to Cause IQ. The organization describes its mission as helping and empowering families and providing hope, the News-Sun notes.
The nonprofit's work is backed by local grants, including a $6,000 award from the Nehemiah Foundation of Springfield/Clark County in late 2024, as well as ongoing campaign partnerships with the United Way, per Cause IQ's records. That kind of institutional support matters in a county where U.S. Census Bureau estimates show 21.5% of children under 18 live below the federal poverty level, well above Ohio's statewide rate of 12.7%, according to USAFacts. Child poverty in Clark County has stayed above 20% for the past decade, the same data shows, underscoring why toy and family relief drives like this one remain a lifeline for local households.
A Route Steeped in History
Along the way, riders pass George Rogers Clark Park, a 240-acre site along Lower Valley Pike that was the location of the 1780 Battle of Peckuwe, a Revolutionary War-era clash between Colonel George Rogers Clark's militia and Shawnee forces. The park today includes the historic 1854 Hertzler House and a replica Woodland Indian Village, according to the National Trail Parks & Recreation District. The ride finishes at the Clark County Fairgrounds, a 127-acre complex off Interstate 70 built on the former site of the Springfield Municipal Airport, which regularly hosts large-scale community events like the Toy Run finale.
Seelig is encouraging everyone, rider or not, to come out for Sunday's event. Whether on two wheels or showing up at the fairgrounds with a toy in hand, organizers say the goal remains the same one that started with 17 bikers and a pickup truck back in 1978 — getting gifts into the hands of kids who need them most.
