The second annual Border Valley Snow Goers Poker Derby sets off from Plum Coulee later this month for a day of snowy fun all across the region.
The club have once again selected Segue Career Options as the recipient of partial proceeds from the day, with the rest going to support the ongoing maintenance of the hundreds of kilometres of snowmobile trails the Snow Goers oversee every winter.
Last year’s inaugural derby saw upwards of 80 riders come out, shares club president James Wall, and they’re hoping for similar success this time around.
“If it’s decent snow conditions and temperatures … hopefully we’ll get a good turnout,” he says.
Registration runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Co-op gas bar in Plum Coulee on Saturday, Feb. 14.
From there, riders will embark on a 120 kilometre route that takes them to the Four Winds in Altona, the South Border Shack, Mr. Mike’s in Winkler, and finally back to Plum Coulee at the arena where dinner and a silent auction will take place starting at 6 p.m.
At each stop on the route, participants will get cards to build up their poker hands, which need to be in by 5 p.m.
“The best hand wins,” explains Wall, noting there are $1,500 in prizes up for grabs. Participation is $10 per hand or three hands for $25. Tickets to the dinner are $25 each.
All the snow we’ve gotten this winter had made for some pretty good trail conditions, though the warm weather a few weeks ago really did a number on them, Wall shares.
“We haven’t had a lot of snow since then, but we’re hoping for a little bit of snow in the near future—we don’t need a lot to bring them back into decent shape.”
Volunteers maintain the trail network, and they’ll be out in full force in the weeks leading up to the derby.
“We cover from Morden all the way to the Red River and then from the border to the Hwy. 23,” Wall says. “We have lots of volunteers for signing all those trails, a really good bunch of supporters.”
Segue, which is a program of Eden Health Care Services, is thrilled to be partnering with the Snow Goers again on this event, says program director Lavonne Kroeker.
The agency helps those with various challenges in their lives overcome them to find meaningful employment.
“We help individuals that are looking for work,” Kroeker says. “We support people in all aspects of their job search, particularly those who have some type of employment barrier. That can range from being out of the workforce for a number of years to potentially having a physical disability that maybe makes it more challenging or you need to kind of look longer in order to find an opportunity that’s a good fit for you.
“We work one-on-one with folks as well as have group sessions where people can come and learn together with other people and help them to know that they’re not alone in their job search.”
Segue will be using their portion of the proceeds from the derby in a few different ways.
“One thing we have been wanting to do for awhile is replace some of our signage outside our building,” Kroeker says. “We’ve had a new logo for awhile and so we want to make sure it all lines up.”
Kroeker shares they will also use some of the funds to support ongoing training opportunities for their staff.
“There’s always other opportunities … over and above what we are funded for,” she explains. “So with this we can register for some specific training that can be helpful for us in the services that we provide.”
