Forget the Sleigh: Santa rolls into Denali Harley-Davidson for annual toy drive

The high winds may have stopped jolly old St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) from making a dramatic entrance via helicopter into Denali Harley-Davidson on Saturday, December 13, but it didn’t do anything to dampen the spirits of everyone who was came out to see Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The visit was part of the annual Denali Harley-Davidson Helicopter Santa Toy Drive event to benefit Toys for Tots, which has been held since 2016 and is designed to collect toys to help Valley children have a merry Christmas. Denali Harley coordinates with the Biker Elves, a local group of motorcycle riders who collect toys each year for the Mat-Su Special Santa program.

Santa Claus was joined by Mrs. Claus as they visited with kids big and small, checking their lists twice, and taking pictures on his Harley with children and their families.

Because of the weather, this year, the folks at Alaska Helicopter Tours gave vouchers to kids that brought a new, unwrapped toy for a free 15 minute helicopter ride over Knik Glacier.

“The weather has been a bummer for the past two years,” remarked Denali Harley-Davidson Manager Aaron Fischer, who was undeterred by the weather to carry on with the event. For, the day was all about the children, and doing their part to brighten the Christmas holiday for families in need.

The toys collected will be donated to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. Last year, the program distributed over 37,000 toys here in Alaska, supporting 23,784 children. All donations go specifically to the children of Alaska.

“We want to help the little ones that need it, especially this time of year, and that means that everyone who needs help get it,” says Fischer of the motivation to hold the event.

For an extra dose of holiday cuteness, two puppies from the newest litter of puppies from Dallas Seavey’s AK Sled Dog Tours were on hand. Puppies Elbow and Shelly, part of the “noodle” litter born back in August to JoAnna, who herself has run the Iditarod twice, were there team kids can learn and interact with sled dogs from AK Sled Dog Tours.

Casey Kjelland had made the visit to support her younger brother’s choir that performed, but enjoyed spending time with the dogs. “I’m here for the concert, but the puppies were an added bonus. So cute.”

The Denali Harley-Davidson team hosts this annual community event with local partners and motorcycle clubs to help locals spread the Christmas spirit by having a good time for a good cause. “It is for the community. It’s a Valley tradition. Everything that we do around here is not just for the motorcycle community—it’s for Alaska. We just want this to be a place where people can feel comfortable bringing their families, whether they ride or not.”

Jennifer Barlow brought her daughter Quinn to see Santa, saying that her family comes to every event that Denali H-D hosts, from Halloween “We enjoy it here. We buy all the stuff here, but we also enjoy the staff. Great people, great events, love how kid-friendly it is.”

Fischer says people should not be surprised by the generosity and service to the community by Mat-Su bikers, and that most of the motorcycle groups out here in the Mat-Su do community outreach in some way, whether it is getting together to ensure a mother can make her son’s dream motorcycle ride come true, or supporting veterans during Veterans’ Day or in times of need, standing up against child abuse, or collecting toys for children in needs.

“They all reach out to the community somehow. There are a lot of groups that donate their time, their effort…just bikers in general are some of the most giving and caring people. They want to give back to the communities they ride in.” Fischer says it isn’t uncommon to see people post on social media that if they find themselves in trouble, to run to the big guy with a beard-he’s a biker, he’s going to help out.”

Fischer says that the dealership will continue collecting toys all the way up until Christmas Eve. “Keep coming out. We love having the community here.”

For more information, please Denali Harley Davidson, call (907) 373-3366 or visit their Facebook page.