4th Annual Tow Trucks for Tots Parade to Descend on Toyota Park

Organizer Pat Winer is hoping 400 trucks will pack Toyota Park in Bridgeview at this year’s Tow Trucks for Tots Parade on Sunday, Nov. 13.

The fourth annual toy drive parade will begin its 42-mile trek at Hollywood Casino in Joliet, where drivers will start to assemble at 5 a.m. They will get on the road at 9 a.m. and should arrive at Toyota Park at 9:50 a.m. with a state police and local police escort.

Waving them out of the starting gate will be Ed Forsythe, a tower from Jack’s Towing, 4440 Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn.

“I don’t get to drive in the parade,” said Forsythe, of Oak Lawn, who has been involved with the parade since the beginning. “I get them lined up and start them on their way. Then I meet up with them at Toyota Park.”

“This parade is one of the best things that towers do. I know it’s the best thing I do all year as a tower,” he said.

Forsythe said towers, who can be extremely competitive with one another, put all of that aside for the parade.

“We do it for the kids,” he said.

Forsythe, who is president of the Professional Towing & Recovery Operators of Illinois, said towers go out of their way to help collect toys.

He said one tower this year sent a letter to his customers asking for contributions so he could buy bicycles.

“He was hoping to get enough money to buy 25 or so bikes,” Forsythe said. “At last count, he had 105 bicycles.”

Jack’s is a big supporter of the parade, Forsythe said.

“There’s more than $1,000 in presents here for the parade,” he said, listing 20 tricycles and 10 pogo sticks as toys already at the shop.

Bob Sharocki, owner of Ambassador Car Carriers Inc. in Orland Park, has also been an organizer from the beginning.

“It’s very gratifying to know we are doing something for the kids,” he said. “It’s something we look forward to every year.”

“It brings tow people together. There’s a lot of camaraderie,” he said.

Sharocki, who lives in Orland Park, said he likes to donate toys for kids from 12-15. “It seems kids that age get left out a lot,” he said.

There’s a slightly different route for the parade this year because of Harlem Avenue construction, Winer said.

“Instead of exiting Interstate 55 at Harlem, we’ll get off at First Avenue and then cut over to Harlem,” Winer said.

Also new this year will be a Tow Truck Olympics, said Winer, owner of Worldwide Equipment Sales in Rockdale.

“The Olympics will consist of an agility course for towers with events like who is fastest at unlocking a car and getting it strapped onto a truck,” Winer said.

Winer said the parade and after-party have grown every year since he started the event in 2008.

“We had the most trucks (309) two years ago,” he said. “But we had the most people last year. This year, we’ve really been reaching out to towers and I hope to have about 400 trucks show up.”

After the trucks arrive, the toys are collected and then drivers and the public can enjoy food and beverages and live music. The Chicago Fire inflatable jumbo jump will be available for children. Chicago Fire mascot Sparky will be in attendance and you can tour Toyota Park.

Door prizes and awards will be given out starting at 1 p.m. Awards are given in a variety of categories including most toys collected and farthest distance traveled.

Winer said all toy and monetary donations are turned over to the Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade.

The public is encouraged to bring unwrapped toys and donations to Toyota Park, as well.

“We have three restrictions,” said Winer. “No guns, no swords and no stuffed animals.”

Towers interested in joining the parade can sign up at www.towtrucksfortots.com or just show up at Hollywood Casino in Joliet on Sunday.

“We don’t turn anybody away,” said Winer.