TOY EXPRESS LAUNCHES 25TH ANNUAL BUS JAM DRIVE Pacific Rail Car Operators and Coos Bay Rail Line help Rotary launch a milestone year of giving. The Coos Bay–North Bend Rotary Club is celebrating 25 years of Bus Jam this holiday season, and one of the community tradition’s most colorful partnerships will help kick off another year of giving. The Pacific Rail Car Operators Toy Express is scheduled to arrive at the Coos Bay Boardwalk at approximately 1:15 p.m. Monday, October 19, carrying toys collected along the Coos Bay Rail Line from Veneta to Coos Bay. The annual Toy Express is made possible through a partnership between the Pacific Rail Car Operators and the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, which operates the Coos Bay Rail Line (CBRL). Toys collected along the journey will support the 25th Annual Bus Jam Toy and Food Drive and Bykes for Tykes Toy and Food Drive. “For 25 years, Bus Jam has been about people and organizations coming together to make the holidays brighter for local children and families,” said one of Rotary’s Coordinators, Randy Thompson. “The Toy Express is a great example of that spirit. Every stop adds more toys and more generosity.” The “speeders” are restored motorcars once used by railroad crews. Today, volunteer operators preserve and operate the historic equipment while supporting communities along their routes. Rotary volunteers, representatives from Coos Bay and North Bend, local firefighters and other community partners will welcome the Toy Express and help unload the toys at the Boardwalk. The public is encouraged to attend, meet the rail car operators and learn more about this year’s Bus Jam. The celebration continues Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coos Bay and North Bend Bi-Mart stores, when the community will once again be asked to help “jam” buses with new, unwrapped toys and food for local families. “This 25th anniversary belongs to the entire community,” Thompson said. “Bus Jam continues because people show up, give and work together year after year.” TOY EXPRESS ARRIVAL Monday, October 19 | Approximately 1:15 p.m. | Coos Bay Boardwalk 25TH ANNUAL BUS JAM Saturday, December 5 | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Coos Bay & North Bend Bi-Mart