In the midst of all the chaos and tragedy in the Southeast, hundreds of good hearted people are coming to the 28^th Highway 41 Toy Convoy & Show Sunday Nov. 3 to help brighten Christmas for the Middle Tennessee kids and the hurricane kids in the mountains of North Carolina and East Tennessee.

 “So many people wanted to help the children of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, in addition to the local children, so we all voted in favor of taking a load of small teddy bears and cuddly blankets to the children who were affected by the hurricane,” organizer Katy O. Ishee said. “Normally we would keep the toys in the area, but when our neighbors have been so tragically affected, we wanted to reach out. We have heard a lot of the kids may be living in tents and shelters, so we ask that you keep the bears small as they don’t have a lot of room. We are hoping the little bears and blankets will give some comfort and warmth to the kids who have lost everything. We ask that the bears and blankets be new as most stuffed animals are given when a child is sick.”

The convoy lineup begins Sunday, Nov. 3 at the Coffee County Raider Academy, located at 865 McMinnville Hwy at I-24 Exit 111 in Manchester, at 9 a.m. The convoy rolls at noon with a police escort. Ishee said motorcycles, hot rods and jeeps, big trucks, rat rods and horns that go beep beep are to be expected.

“This year over 5,000 post cards have been given out and the enthusiasm is off the charts,” she said. “Rodney Hall is furnishing the trucks to haul the toys.”

Ishee said there has been a big wave of enthusiasm this year that previous convoys didn’t have.

“When I announced the convoy at a big concert at Common John’s this summer and let them know our grand marshal was JT Cooper, a machine gunner from Black Hawk Down, the crowd started cheering in the middle of the announcement,” she said “That has never happened, never! Total strangers from out of state have stepped up to support the convoy for our kids and I can’t tell you how thankful we all are for them.”

Ishee said they will be giving out 23 trophies, starting with a 1920s class and up to 2024 for cars, trucks, favorite 4 x 4, rat rods and Jeeps. There will also be plaques for long distance traveler, most patriotic vehicle and a young at heart award for the oldest participant.

“The oldest person we have ever had was a 97-year-old man who was Santa for 40 years for Macey’s in NYC,” she said. “A little bird told me we will have our first cyber truck entering this year.”

Virgil T and Friends will be entertaining the crowd with an Allman Brothers salute, with special guest, 14-year-old Webb Schmidt. JT Cooper, also a singer songwriter, will be joining the band, and Dede Douglas will be back to sing the National Anthem.

Door prizes will also be given away throughout the day from local businesses in Tullahoma, Manchester, Wartrace, Lynchburg and Shelbyville. Admission is only $10 per carload and $20 if you show. Participants will receive 10 tickets towards the door prize drawings. Families with four or more kids will get in free. Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be on hand to visit with the kids. Bailey’s BBQ will be back by popular demand along with Skins, Nuts and Messy Butts food trucks.

The convoy will travel with a police escort from Manchester to Beechgrove and then hit Highway 64 over into Wartrace, the village that saved the toy convoy per Ishee.

“We will cross the railroad tracks turning right in front of the hotel and around the corner to the park on the left,” Ishee said. “The large circle drive in the park is reserved for show parking only. The motorcycles will be parking down the walking trail and non-show vehicles please use the park across the road in the show horse grounds.”

Ishee asks everyone to be patient and sit back and enjoy “one of the most patriotic events in Tennessee.”

“It is a tradition of the convoy that everyone please fly the American flag,” she said. “It is the most amazing feeling in the world when we start rolling down the highway and we get into the hills in horse country. You look in front of you and all you can see is the American flags and then you look behind you and all you can see are the American flags being flown by hundreds of people who are there to help the children. I have seen people pull off the road and get out of their car and salute us as we passed by.”

Those wanting to help but cannot make the convoy can drop bears, blankets and toys off at Custom Auto & Rod Shop (C.A.R.S.) at 807 McArthur St. in Manchester, the Wartrace Town Hall at 29 Main St. E., the Stone Depot in Shelbyville at 756 Madison St., and the U.S. Post Office in Normandy at 1 Cascade Hollow Road.

Toy are distributed by the Gene Taylor & Steve Graves Christmas Foundation with the help of Coffee County Rescue, the Manchester Police Department and the Wartrace Fire Department.