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Search and rescue deals off-road poker run fundraiser

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Off-road enthusiasts will get a kick out of a new Lake County Search and Rescue fundraiser planned Saturday for the 4-wheel drive trails between Buffalo and Sloan’s bridges: an ATV, UTV and Dirt Bike Poker Run.

Participants can use just about any type of all-terrain vehicle for the ride, which covers approximately 16 miles of rugged riverside trails and includes five stations where riders draw a new card to add to their hand.

The top three hands will win prizes, and riders can also try their luck in a 50/50 raffle. With takeoff at 11:30 a.m., the poker run will stretch through the afternoon and end with a barbecue dinner at Sloan’s Bridge.

While registration doesn’t start until Friday evening, from 6-8 p.m. at the Polson VFW, organizer Hannah Elmore, an incident commander with search and rescue, expects a large turnout because LCSR has had a lot of people asking about the event, she said. Late registration will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday; riders must have a wristband to participate.

Lake County’s nearly 40-member volunteer search and rescue team serves an area of more than 1,600 square miles containing myriad terrain challenges, from steep, rocky mountain cliffs to swirling whitewater on the Flathead River, not to mention the vast, temperamental Flathead Lake, where unsuspecting boaters can be caught in a summer squall all too quickly. To efficiently provide rescue services throughout Lake County, search and rescue employs a variety of vehicles, from ATVs to jet skis and snowmobiles, and it’s time for upgrades to much of that equipment, according to Elmore. Proceeds of the poker run will help buy that gear as LCSR gears up for the recreation-heavy warm months, when most search and rescue missions are needed.

“We put in 1,000 volunteer hours last year,” Elmore said. “Summer’s our busiest time of year.”

For more information on the poker run fundraiser, contact Elmore at 605-212-1173.

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