The weather did not wash away the resolve for one man at the West Kootenay Toy Run on Sunday as he chose an on stage moment during the height of the event in Castlegar to propose to his girlfriend.
Although the heavens opened up on over 450 riders briefly during the event that tours the West Kootenay—from Nelson to Salmo, Trail to Castlegar—president of the Run, Vince Gray, said the man wanted to do it in front of everybody.
“He actually asked us to get her on stage,” Gray said.
“Then he got down on one knee and proposed. I don’t think they rode off into the sunset, but they were definitely stuck on each other after that.”
Gray said although 450 people registered for the event, there were almost as many on the road as two years ago when 671 riders took part.
The event pulled in a near record amount of cash for the association, said Gray, with over $30,000 raised and hundreds of toys collected.
The day began in Castlegar with a breakfast before riders took got out on the highway, stopping in Trail, Nelson and Salmo before returning to Castlegar.
A score of vendors in the Castlegar Community Complex Arena parking lot were soaked by the storm, said Gray, but it didn’t soak them enough to leave when the riders returned in the afternoon.
With two bikes raffled off in honour of the silver anniversary, it was two local people that won: Dennis Costa of Castlegar won the 2012 Harley Davidson Blackline, and Joanne Fenner of Castlegar won the 2012 Harley Davidson Iron 883 Sportster.