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It’s only the first week of October and the month has already brought with it some crazy news. But while the government continues to focus on their squabble, the families, friends and advocates of those with breast cancer are fighting to bring more awareness to their cause as October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Among those focusing on the cure for breast cancer are the members of the Road Knights car club of Colorado, who hosted their annual breast cancer benefit poker run last weekend – and we were lucky enough to be able to tag along!
Fundraising For A Cause
The annual breast cancer benefit put on by the Road Knights car club is a fundraiser to support three areas of the fight against breast cancer. Money is raised through the sale of poker run cards, extra card picks at each stop, raffle tickets and a live auction. Some of the participating stops also donated a portion of their drink and food sales to the cause.
All proceeds from the event are split between the Susan G. Komen foundation for cancer research, an organization that provides patient navigators for women and men fighting the terrible diagnosis along Colorado’s Front Range, and a private individual dealing with the effects of breast cancer.
The Pursuit Of A Perfect Hand
Kicking off at the Happy Hour Bar & Grille in Loveland, Colorado, the “fundraiser for the cure” started off with breakfast and drink specials at the host bar while participants of the poker run got registered for a day of mountain scouting fun. At 11a.m., hot rodders and motorcyclists alike took to the road to hit up the first of five stops on the route- either Berthoud’s Derby Grille or Fort Collins’ Crazy Jack’s Saloon, depending on what direction the participants headed.
Long-time Road Knights car club member Terry Heyne allowed us to tag along on the poker run in his 1938 Chevy, a moderately modified (by engine standards) and natural patina’ed classic.
The Stops
While most people are familiar with the premise behind poker runs, we were pleasantly surprised to see the Road Knight’s unique way of distributing playing cards to participants. At Crazy Jack’s hot rodders and motorcyclists threw hacky sacks at a triangular shaped board featuring playing cards dispersed under cup targets for their first card. And if the card wasn’t what the participants wanted, they could opt for more throws for $1 a piece.
Up in the foothills behind Fort Collins, participants stopped at Canyon Grill, a mountain oasis along Colorado’s County Road 7, for another chance at contributing to a winning hand. With drinks flowing and plenty of hot rod talk, those aiming for certain suits lined up for their turn at two spinners to tell them what their next card would be. At this point, several participants were already well on their way to an awesome hand.
A special thanks goes out to Terry Heyne for allowing us to tag along with him on the poker run!
Back at the host bar, Loveland’s Happy Hour Bar & Grille, participants finished off their poker hand with a spin of a playing card wheel.
The After Party
Although the poker run was a major part of the breast cancer benefit, the raffle and live auction at Happy Hour Bar & Grille brought in many participants that hadn’t taken part in the run. Raffle items up for grabs included power tools, gift certificates, and even hand pinstriped flasks with bottles of alcohol.
Hosting the raffle was radio host and DJ Marla Stone from the Marla Stone Radio Show on Live365.
After the raffle, the Road Knights auctioned off all kinds of fantastic merchandise, including NASCAR hoods, Screaming Eagle and BF Goodrich jackets, custom bird houses made by club member Del Blehm, specialty Jagermeister coolers, and Auto Zone bar stools. There were also more pinstriped flasks, a couple of motorcycle/four-wheeler jacks and even a four-seat custom hot rod dining set up for bid.
By 5p.m., the Road Knights had collected several hundred dollars for breast cancer research, advocates and sufferers while producing yet another great event for the season. We can’t wait to see what next year brings for the Road Knights and all the area hot rodders that participated in this life-changing benefit.
For more photos from the Road Knights poker run, check out the GALLERY below! Also, be sure to check back soon for a look at an amazing feature car we shot while at the event!
