The Friday Flyer | Cart Parade gets toys

In what is turning into one of Canyon Lake’s most popular, festive and unique holiday events, the Street Carts of Canyon Lake Toy Drive and Christmas Parade brought hundreds out to watch decorated street carts traverse Canyon Lake Drive Sunday to not only entertain the masses, but to collect hundreds of toys for charities who benefit the less-fortunate children. Photo provided by Canyon Lake POA

Cart Parade gets toys

BY Dawn Rankins

The Street Carts of Canyon Lake Toy Drive and Christmas Parade was viewed by hundreds of Canyon Lake residents and included over 100 golf carts all decked out with their favorite holiday-themed decorations.

The carts paraded down Canyon Lake Drive from BlueBird Drive to Eastport Park. Residents lined the street as the brightly-lit and festive carts drove by.

Toys were collected at the beginning of the parade and again at the end. A trailer was filled with hundreds of toys for the charities of International Christian Adoption Services Temecula and Bethany Christian Foster Services Riverside.

The parade was led by the Canyon Lake Fire Department’s Engine One. The Canyon Lake POA security ensured that those in the parade and those sitting along the parade route were safe.

Photo provided by Canyon Lake POA

After finishing the parade, those carts participating in the parade parked in the lot at Eastport Park where residents were able to get a closer look at the details of the decorated carts. Food vendors Cali Grub, Baja Dogs and California Street Food set up their food trucks in the lot as well and provided a variety of dinner options to those gathered there.

Awards were given to the best carts in the parade. Brent Pyles won the Griswold Award for his Polar Express cart. Other winners were Kyle and Serinna Eason for their gingerbread house cart, Robert and Laney for their Santa Sleigh, Lorenzo Strong for his gingerbread trailer, Mary and Erica Leathley for the pink sleigh, Eric Kazakoff and Kelly Clement for the abominable snowman cart, Dan and Renee Jaques for their Star Wars cart, Anthony Kanutson for the Grinch cart, Nathan and Miranda Knight for Mean 1 Grinch sleigh, Diana and Brandon Karpowitz for A Tiki Christmas, Jeff and Shelly Knight for the North Pole Experience, Rich Franski for Great Lights, Tim O’Marra for the Hot Wheel Sleigh, Elizabeth Codovec for the Ralphie golf cart, Kim West for the Fireplace golf cart, Maverick Grant for the ornament cart, Adam Fisher for the Candy Cane golf cart and Mike Fry for his Winter Wonderland golf cart.

Organizer and founder of the Street Carts of Canyon Lake Club Mike Shroyer is accepting toy donations at his home located at 22055 Mustang Court through Thursday.