Chopper Claus comes to Uniontown
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Donnie Koffler of Brownsville will be helping Santa Claus and his gang of helpers deliver Christmas gifts in the Uniontown area on Christmas Eve. Here, Santa waves to his elves (at left) Bailey and Tyler Bernot as the group rides through Knox Avenue in Brownsville, Wednesday.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and one of Santa’s helpers prepare for a motorcycle ride through the Uniontown area to distribute Christmas gifts. Donnie Koffler, Taisha Mantenuti and Rob Bernot, front left, will be helping Santa with his motorcycle ride.
Santa Claus is delivering gifts to all the good little boys and girls of Uniontown. But instead of a sleigh led by eight tiny reindeer, this Santa rides in on a custom chopper designed by Eddie Trotta.
The man behind the beard is Donnie Koffler of Brownsville. He had no intentions of becoming Chopper Claus when he was asked by a friend to dress up as Santa for her Christmas party Dec. 13. But in less than two weeks, his unusual gift delivery system became a community effort.
“This all started with someone asking me to play Santa, and I didn’t really want to in the first place,” he said. “But after seeing the kids light up like that, instead of coming back and eating, I ended up going out and buying gifts.”
He has been riding on his chopper with a pack filled with toys, many purchased through donations from local businesses. He planned a Christmas Eve appearance at the Uniontown Mall with Mrs. Claus and his elves, then dashed away to church with his family.
Koffler said Chopper Claus became much more popular than he anticipated after he made a post on Facebook. Fans began posting pictures of sightings, and he received messages from mothers of children who weren’t able to leave the house to see Santa.
“They said their kids would really like to see this, but they can’t really get out,” he said.
He experienced a sprinkling of Christmas magic when he visited one girl, who asked him for a specific gift he never heard of. He turned around to his pack, saw her requested present and handed it to her.
“She just got so ecstatic,” he said. “She said, ‘He knew! He knew!’ The dad shook my hand and said ‘God bless you.'”
He paused the interview when a young neighbor arose to the clatter of an Ultima El Bruto engine, wanting to meet Santa.
“This is how it is. I get mobbed by kids everywhere I go,” he said, hurriedly stuffing a pillow into his Santa coat. “I love it.”
He said he never expected Chopper Claus would bring so much joy to people.
“Everyone, from 5 to 95, just lights up,” he said. “Every kid I’ve seen is just utterly amazed. Words can’t describe how it feels to see the kids light up like that.”
And he doesn’t want that to end with Christmas: this Easter, Chopper Bunny is coming to town.