Deejays, Marines Looking for a Few--No, a Lot of--Good Toys : Some K-HAY listeners respond to Taylor’s invitation to drop in at the station by bringing donations.

What do hair curlers, Teddy Bears and Marines have in common? Just keep readin’ to find out.

The K-HAY country radio early-bird audience is familiar with the perpetual Burns-and-Allen shtick between on-air personality Ray Taylor and his sidekick, Charlye Parker. On weekdays Taylor delights listeners with remarks about Parker’s personal life, erratic arrival times and her latest penchant--wearing hair curlers to work.

But until last week he never invited listeners to drop by the station to experience the sight for themselves. It’s radio, don’t forget, so they can show up in in their PJ’s and we wouldn’t know the difference.

But all bets are off since the deejays kicked off K-HAY’s sixth annual Toys for Tots drive last week. And Heckle and Jeckle have added a new, interactive twist to the popular morning drive time format.

“Because of the generosity of our country listening audience, we are the only people in the U.S. that exceeded the need-for-toys figure set for the Ventura County community,” said Taylor, who spearheads the annual campaign.

And they don’t plan to fall short this year. So don’t be surprised if you hear your name on the radio thanks to a well-intentioned brother-in-law’s challenge pledge.

“People call in a pledge and challenge others in their line of work to match or beat it,” said Parker. “For example, (local country musician) Darlene O’Connell made a pledge and challenged all entertainers to meet it. And Troy Robinson of Caught Red Handed called in and exceeded it.”

But back to Parker’s hair curlers.

Since Taylor’s 5 a.m. inducement to visit, listeners have been coming by with toy or cash donations.

“There’s a family that brings in a new boy’s and a new girl’s bike every year,” said Parker. “And in another household, the kids make their wish lists. And then each child picks one thing from the list to donate to instead of getting it for themselves.”

The toys must be new and unwrapped so they can be properly directed to a child. And, of course, the jocks welcome cash, checks or money orders for their annual toy shopping spree. So get your toys or cash to K-HAY by 5 p.m. on Dec. 23 to allow time to buy and transport the toys.

That’s where the Marines come in. But they can use volunteers to help at the warehouse.

Don’t wait ‘til the last minute if you’d like to participate. Just come by the station between noon and 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 for the annual K-HAY toy drive party.

Darlene O’Connell & the Dixie Flyers will entertain with great country tunes. While the Marines load the trucks, the kids can climb all over the Humvees that will be on display. All the K-HAY jocks will be there, including the new guy, Dave Bradley.

And who knows? While fiddler Tom Ricardo plays his hot version of “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” maybe someone will teach Bradley the ten-step.

Details

* WHAT: Toys for Tots Collection Drive.

* WHO: Darlene O’Connell & the Dixie Flyers, K-HAY deejays and the U.S. Marines.

* WHEN: noon to 3 p.m., Dec. 17.

* WHERE: K-HAY radio station parking lot, 3897 Market St., Ventura.

* CALL: 642-8595.