BY MATTHEW E. MILLIKEN

mmilliken@heraldsun.com; 419-6684

DURHAM -- The weather was soggy and cold, last weekend's snow seemed a distant memory, no bells jingled and there were no reindeer in sight. But Santa was on the spot, and the joy on the faces of the kids was real.

In this case, Santa took the form of a red-sweatered, red-hat-wearing former Marine Korean war veteran named Lewis Days. His combined toy factory and gift-dispensing operation was based not at the North Pole but at a modest one-story house at 1309 Fay St.

And unlike the traditional Santa, Days was distributing just two types of gifts for young ones, both free for the asking -- bicycles and bicycle helmets.

The 76-year-old's home would have caught the eye of anyone who drove by Friday, and not just because of the people and camera-wielding reporters hanging out there. A fleet of about 30 kids' bicycles was deployed in the front yard, with another 20 or so frames packed into the ends of the narrow porch. There were also piles of bikes -- frames to be cannibalized for spare parts -- in the driveway, including one epic mound that stood about 6 feet high.

Days has been giving away bicycles en masse since 2002. He began fixing two-wheelers as a kid and has been riding and repairing ever since.

Asked why he started the giveaway, he answered simply. "I just always have loved children," Days said.

Why does he enjoy cycling? "You know how it is when you feel the wind hitting in your face," he replied. "It's just different."

Ryheme McLaurin knows. The 27-year-old got a hand-me-down bike from Days 18 years ago; it was McLaurin's first bike. He came by Friday to get two-wheelers for his 7-year-old son and his 4-year-old daughter.

"I even picked up another bike for my niece, who is 8, because they all like to ride," said McLaurin, whose children's first bicycles came from Days.

"He's been doing this for a while," McLaurin said of the 76-year-old donor. "We love him for it."

Other visitors included Nestor Aguila, 9, who came with his dad and younger sister and brother, and Ron Blackwell and his 9- and 7-year-old sons. The kids all had big smiles on their faces when they picked out their new bicycles.

"They're real, real excited," Ron Blackwell said.

The biggest crowd at Days' house showed up around 10 a.m., with many stopping by even before the giveaway's official start. Forty-seven bikes were given out by around 11:30 a.m.

Watching from the porch was Melva Henry, the North-East Central Durham community engagement manager for the city's Neighborhood Improvement Services department. Last year, the city helped Days buy a shed so he'd have an indoor workshop. This year, it connected him with Partnership for a Healthy Durham, which donated 70 bike helmets.

"So we can make sure that the kids not only have fun, but they're safe while they're having fun," Henry said.