Published: December 26, 2006 09:25 am      

31 Kings bearing gifts

Annual bicycle give-away makes kids’ Christmas

The excitement was palpable, as the crowds of kids waited for their turns to pick out bikes at the annual 31 Kings bicycle give-away Saturday.

Some crossed their arms and scowled, still not believing their luck, and distrusting the kindness of strangers who would give away such riches, while others cried, frightened of all the fuss.

In front of them, on the floor of the Carroll Elementary School gym were 167 bikes in row after row, from tiny two-wheelers with training wheels, to medium-sized bikes with fat, knobby tires.

One by one, with excruciating slowness, their names were called, and they were allowed to walk out among the forest of bikes to face their choices among pink and white, blue, green, purple and black.

For Tamia Smith, 7, it was difficult, but she finally selected a large pink and blue girlie bike so new that the protective cardboard still covered part of the frame.

“I had to go down every aisle,” she said. “I like big bikes to ride.”

Jessica Newby, 9, also chose a pink two-wheeler with bumpy white tires, and she grinned as she tried out the seat and rolled it a little on the gym floor, just to get the feel.

“I had a bike like it, but it broke,” she said, a common story among the children.

Newby, who attends Dawson Elementary, said at first it was scary. Weeks ago, she was given a mysterious, sealed note from the principal to take home to her parents.

“At first, when my principal gave me a note, I thought I was in biiiig trouble,” she admitted. “Why else would the principal give you a note?”

More than a dozen parents came alone to pick up bikes, sneaking them out of the gym to wait until Christmas morning.

Ashley Davis, 8, who attends Rice Elementary, knew she was getting a bike, and she used a calendar at home to track the time until Dec. 23.

“She was counting down the days,” said her mother, Christina Davis. “This morning, she got up real early and came in and said “Is this the day?”

The money for the new bicycles was donated, and the bikes were assembled by the motorcycle club 31 Kings, which spent about 10 days putting them together, explained President Jimmy Parhm.

“Our goal was 100, and our total was 167,” Parhm said. “We never imagined that many. It just goes to show you there are good people in Corsicana.”

The motorcycle club donated 10 of the bikes, and businesses and individuals pitched in to buy the rest for kids who might otherwise not receive a bike for Christmas.

For Vicky Reimin, with four children under the age of 7, it was an enormous relief for her family to receive the bicycles for her three oldest children. The Reimin children, Christina, 7; Intevenso, 5; and Reiminton, 4, were able to choose their Christmas gifts Saturday.

“The principal at Mildred called and asked if we need bikes,” Vicky Reimin said. “This is the biggest gift they’ll get.”

—————

Janet Jacobs may be contacted via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com