Minus eight degrees with the sun trying to burn off the morning fog was the weather at 9:30 a.m. Saturday when registration opened for the St. Jean Trailblazers annual Poker Derby.
The Trailblazers are a group of local snowmobile enthusiast in Saint Jean Baptiste. They meet regularly to talk snowmobiles but also to invest in their community by providing financial support for local initiatives.
“The club has a request for money to help purchase defibrillators,” shared spokesperson Gerald Lafond. “This annual fundraiser helps us raise money to support the club, but more importantly to help our community.”
The Trailblazers started in 1970 but became official the following year. None of the original members are involved today, but the spirit of the club remains in the sleds of the seven-member executive today.
“We had to cancel the event one year because of a storm. Minus forty doesn’t keep people from riding, but not being able to get here does,” says Lafond. “The event runs smoothly every year. People show up for the ride and the steak dinner. We are hoping to make over $2,000.”
Organizers were expecting over 100 riders from all over Manitoba, including a group from Rennie calling themselves the Whiteshell Griswolds who noted the trails in their area aren’t ready yet and so they’ve been desperate to find some good snow to enjoy.
Poor accumulation of snow in parts of the province certainly drew many other snowmobilers to the event.
“Cloudy sky and fog have prevented the sun from melting the snow [here] for the last week,” Lafond said. “There is no snow east and west of us, so people are coming to ride.”
The 100-mile route passed through five communities in Southern Manitoba. Snowmobilers began in St. Jean, headed north to Morris and then southwest to Plum Coulee, southeast to Altona, east to Letellier, and north to finish back in St. Jean.
The $25 registration fee bought participants three hands of poker. Before departing, riders drew their first card from a bag of card chips. They drew further cards at the stops along the way and submitted their completed hands at the end of the ride for a chance at the prizes. Local business contributed money and/or items for the prize draws.
The winners of the derby were announced as the steak dinners were searing on the grill.
The first-place prize of $1,000 was a hand of four of a kind by Donald Bissonetter.
