Engines were roaring, and tailpipes were blowing.

Dozens of bikers recently let up their kickstands and revved up their engines to kick off the annual DeKalb County Toy Run.

The event, put on by the DeKalb County Marines, set out to raise donations to help uplift the spirits of children and their families with toys around the holiday season.

James Brantley, who heads up the DeKalb County Marines’ annual Toy Run, said he was not surprised by the event’s turnout.

“We get about 30 bikes average, and we’ve got the [Midwest] Jeep [Alliance] group that comes in now,” Brantley said. “It looks like about average.”

He said he felt motivated to take charge of leading the ride.

The event saw dozens of bikers this year. Participants came from several local veterans groups, including the DeKalb County Marines, American Legion Riders, and DeKalb Elks Lodge.

Brantley himself served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1983 to 1985.

“I think it’s the toys for tots,” Brantley said. “We raise money, do this ride ... and then, we go buy toys at Farm and Fleet in October. And we give the toys to the DeKalb County Marine Corps, and then they distribute that through the Salvation Army and other organizations that help the needy kids in the county.”

Brantley said he feels the event goes a long way to helping spread cheer around the holiday season.

“We average about $18,000 for the ride,” he said. “We have sponsors that give us money, too, and that helps out the Marine Corps with toys.”

Brantley said his favorite part of the event was the ride.

“Getting out there and having all the first responders help us block everything,” he said.

The ride was made possible thanks to the assistance of multiple area agencies, including the DeKalb Fire Department, Waterman Police Department, Shabbona Fire Department, and more.

Brantley gave kudos for the support of first responders, who helped make the ride safe by blocking intersections.

The ride, which took about an hour, featured no stops but took participants on a bit of a scenic ride around DeKalb County, They began in DeKalb before heading south toward Shabbon State Park and ending at the DeKalb Elks Lodge in DeKalb.

Brantley said bikers tend to enjoy the ride.

The toy run is one of the larger fundraising events put on by the DeKalb County Marines. The group also hosts a monthly breakfast at the Sycamore Vets Club.

“It’s a lot of needy kids in this county,” Brantley said. “I think last year we helped out about 3,000 kids in DeKalb County, so that’s big.”

The ride was capped off by a post-ride celebration at the DeKalb Elks Lodge.

Once there, riders were met with live entertainment provided by the Party Doctors, food, drinks and raffles.

Brantley described this year’s ride as a success.

“Without doing the ride right now, we’re at ... $15,000 raised,” Brantley said.

Brantley credits the success of the ride to “having a great team” to work with.

“We worked with the Sycamore American Legion Riders,” Brantley said. “We worked together as a team, and that makes it more successful because we have different people [who] are good at doing certain other things.”