The fifth annual West of the 5th Poker Run is right around the corner. The event has become one of the biggest winter events in Alberta.
In 2022 over 1,000 riders from across the province attended the popular winter Poker Run. This year, it will be bigger than ever.
This year’s edition will add a Friday night social on February 24th, where there will be a dinner and a dance, a silent auction, and a live 50/50 Friday night draw.
On Saturday, it’s time for the main event. Bring out your riding buddies, hop on your machine and ride around Pigeon Lake, making stops at checkpoints to collect a poker hand. The top three hands, as well as the worst hand, will win a cash prize and a trophy. There’s plenty of door prizes to be won as well.
Helping Local Communities
The money raised in the Poker Run supports schools in Pigeon Lake, Falun and Pipestone. Though when the event started, organizer Corey Kozack says the goal was to help a single mother who was raising money for her daughter to get a wheelchair accessible van.
Corey knew that to raise money, he had to try something that people could hop on-board with, “we wanted to do something that we enjoy doing, that people would enjoy doing and that we could have fun at it. We love ski-dooing, we love motorcycling, UTV’ing, ATV’ing we love all that,” Corey said. “We just thought we’ll take something we enjoyed doing and see if we can make it work!”
And did they ever make it work.
In the 1st event, there were 50-75 machines and they raised about $2 500. Although Corey says they felt like “we were at the top of the world” with this turnout, it was relatively small in comparison to the scale of what we see today. In 2022, in the event’s 4th edition, those numbers were through the roof. There were over 700 machines on the lake, with over 1 000 participants. They raised $53 000.
With the money raised, Corey wants to help give children similar opportunities “whether your parents make six million dollars a year, or six thousand dollars a year,” Corey continues, “they all go on the ski trips, they all go swimming, they all take the same lessons, nobody is left behind.”
UTV Canada will be located at the first checkpoint with games, snacks, a photo booth, and of course, your first poker card.
Here’s the details you need to know for the West of the 5th Poker Run:
When
Pre-event social: Friday, February 24, 2023 – Doors open at 5:00 PM MST – last call at 11:00 PM
Poker Run: Saturday, February 25, 2023
Where
Pigeon Lake
Friday: Lakedell Ag Society (hall) located at 461043 Range Road 12 (south of Lakedell school)
Saturday staging: Ma-Me-O Beach Hall (615 2 Ave, Ma-Me-O Beach, AB)
Who is it for?
Local Schools in Pigeon Lake, Falun and Pipestone.
What machines are allowed?
Any OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) you can safely get around Pigeon Lake on!
Registration
You can register by clicking HERE.
The first hand will cost $35, every additional hand you want to play with is a $20 donation
Who can come
Anyone! This is a family-friendly event.
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