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Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05
August 2 , 2007 issue
VFW Post 7031 Hosts 3rd Annual Poker Run to Benefit Military Families August 25
Story by Ron Fitzwater
For the third consecutive year, motorcycle enthusiasts will join members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7031 for a day of fun on Saturday, August 25, in the beauty of the High Country to raise money to assist military families with someone assigned overseas in combat.
Post Commander Alan Scott said, “The poker run was started by myself and Brian Gregory and the first year we raised $1,100 and had about 35 bikes entered. Then the second year we raised over $2,500 starting with only about 12 bikes but growing to more than 30.” Calls to Scott from riders interested in participating in this year’s run have Scott looking at the possibility of over 100 bikes and has prompted him to start trying to reserve rooms in local hotels to accommodate them. “We have the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club, and members from Rolling Thunder, as well as individual riders from Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington D.C. and Tennessee and several places in North Carolina,” he said.
The money raised by the run will be split between the VFW and the Unmet Needs Program operated by the National VFW and sponsored by Vermont American Power Tool Accessories.
The program provides critical aid to the families of service members from all five branches of the military, (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard), as well as members of the Reserves and National Guard. Financial assistance awarded by the program is offered in the form of grants, not loans, so recipients don’t need to repay them. For more information, click to www.unmetneeds.com
Signup for the event will take place at the VFW Post, 144 VFW Drive, in Boone from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. the day of the event, with the ride starting at 10:00 a.m.
Riders will travel nearly 150 miles with five stops along the way: Spruce Pine VFW Post 8060 via the Blue Ridge Parkway; Newland VFW Post 4286; the Ice House in Hampton, Tenn.; Stateline Tavern in Mountain City, Tenn.; and finally a group ride back into Boone with the final stop at the VFW Post. An auction of donated items will take place immediately following the ride.
During the ride, participants will draw cards for poker hands, with the winner determined at the end of the run. Prizes will be awarded for the two best and the one worst hand. This year’s prizes for two best hands include a two-night stay at Little Switzerland, including meals.
The signup fee for the event is $20 per person and includes the poker hand, a commemorative T-shirt and admission to the cookout and live performance by Top 40 country band George Wilson and the Buck Haggard Band from 7:30 until 11:30 p.m. Participants may purchase extra hands at $5 each and extra cards at $3 each. People interested in attending the auction, cookout and concert only will pay $6 for the cookout and $10 for the concert.
Parking for the event will be available for participants at the VFW Post.
Scott wants people to know that the main purpose behind the event is helping the families of deployed personnel. “They don’t have any choice that they are over there. Yes, it’s a voluntary Army, but they sign up not knowing where they are going to go and we need to do whatever we need to do to help them, regardless of political opinions.”
For more information on the Poker Run or to make a donation to Unmet Needs, contact Scott at P.O. Box 1125, Boone, NC 28607 or call 828-264-9570 or 828-773-2049.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, August 25
Time: Registration at 9:00 a.m. Ride begins at 10:00 a.m.
Location: 144 VFW Drive, in Boone
Cost: $20 per person