CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Christmas can be a time of joy and presents, especially for children, but on Saturday it may have been a group of adults who got the biggest surprise.

County veterans groups banded together this holiday season to put on what they said would be their biggest-ever toy drive.

And they weren’t kidding.

For three hours on Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people descended on the American Legion Post at 14770 Austin Ave. in Clearlake for the Joy Madeiros Veterans Museum Toy Giveaway.

“This was a success,” said Rick Mayo, the project support team coordinator.

Irl Morehouse, commander for the VFW Auxiliary Post that’s also based in Clearlake and fresh off wrapping up that group’s first Christmas tree sales lot, said this was the toy drive’s first year.

District 1 Supervisor-elect Helen Owen was on hand, along with Congressman Mike Thompson and his newly appointed Lake County field rep, Luca Moretti, and United Veterans Council President Cindy Sobel.

The toy distribution was scheduled to run from 1 to 4 p.m.

Ron “Rooster” Regnier, the American Legion Post commander, said people had begun lining up by 10:30 a.m.

By the time the event started, the line to get into the post in order to select presents and visit with Santa Claus and the Grinch wrapped around the building.

Regnier said the situation was “‘pretty crazy” and they were running out of toys by 1:30 p.m.

“This is beyond what we expected,” said Joy Madeiros Veterans Museum Board Chairman Dave Waldschmitt.

Shortly afterward, at around 2 p.m., as the vets were watching the piles of toys set out on tables rapidly disappearing, a new load of toys arrived, allowing them to replenish the supply in order to serve those still waiting in line.

Charles Thompson, also known as “Maverick,” is the post’s finance person and chaplain.

A veteran of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division who did a tour in Iraqu, Thompson — sporting short purple hair — is the post’s youngest member and one who expects more younger vets to start joining.

He noted they had done a lot of well-attended and successful events this year.

But on Saturday, it was clear that none of those previous events had prepared his expectations.

“This is astounding. I never imagined this many people,” said Thompson.

The vets are already talking about how they can go bigger next year, which might involve finding another, larger facility in the Clearlake or Lower Lake area.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.