Fulfilling your children's dreams of receiving a bike for Christmas means certain sacrifices must be made.

That's why Augusta resident Denise Ray, her son Dymaile, 9, daughters, Ariel, 6, and Dynesha, 7, and granddaughter Denisa, 4, arrived at the front doors of the Imperial Theatre at 5 a.m. Wednesday to wait for music legend James Brown's annual toy giveaway.

The children had just celebrated birthdays, but because Ms. Ray is unemployed and living on Social Security, there was no money to buy them birthday or Christmas presents, she said.

"We have a Christmas tree, but we don't have any gifts under it," said Ms. Ray, who helped Mr. Brown give away free turkeys to the needy last month.

Standing with them was Aurelia Overton and her three children, who arrived at the same time as Ms. Ray's family.

"It's very nice of him to give away the toys," said Ms. Overton, who hoped to get a kiss from the Godfather of Soul. "He knows where he came from."

Mr. Brown, an Augusta native, pulled up to the Imperial Theatre in a black limousine at about 11:30 a.m. Dressed in a red shirt, gray suit and a tan overcoat and wearing shiny black sunglasses, he smiled and waved to the crowd as he walked inside.

Hundreds of children and their parents, some of whom had been waiting all morning in a line that stretched down the 700 block of Broad Street, eagerly surged forward to get bikes, dolls and board games.

After handing out several toys, Mr. Brown talked about his charity work and said he hoped "we all see the need for a little love and a little giving."

"I wish I could do more, but I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed it and everybody's very proud of this," he said.

Reach Kate Lewis at (706) 823-3215 or kate.lewis@augustachronicle.com.

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