Dave and Tammy Mintz, from Baltimore, settle onto their motorcycle beforestarting the Toys for Tots Poker Run.
Thirty leather-clad, smiling bikers met in Stafford Saturday morning to do what most people might have expected them to do: gallivant on deafeningly loud motorcycles, which they did quite thoroughly.
The bikers peeled out of Stafford and into Fredericksburg, blowing through trafficsignals, indiscriminate of color ... with a police escort, of course.
At each destination, the bikers were dealt a playing card before heading to the next bar for another card. The event, dubbed ‘‘Poker Run,” was a competition to see who could get the best poker hand at the end of the ride.
While some people may expect those sorts of shenanigans from a gang of bikers, what they probably didn’t realize was that the bikers were only doing it for the kids.
The event, organized by Roger Pearson, was a way to collect donations for Toys for Tots, a non-profit organization that collects toys for children in need during the holiday season. ‘‘The bikers are big sponsors of charity groups. They wanted to do Toys for Tots,” said Pearson, who has been riding motorcycles for more than 25 years. ‘‘There was really no big, organized bike ride for them around here. I just wanted to bring the bikers into this.”
Pearson’s involvement with Toys for Tots was ignited by his proximity to WWUZ 96.9, a Toys for Tots sponsor — he’s the superintendent of the station’s building — and fueled by an old friend.
‘‘A friend of mine up in Dumfries, from Classic Iron, used to have one of the biggest rides in the United States for [Toys for Tots] in Virginia and it got too big for him to handle by himself,” Pearson said.
Pearson took it upon himself to organize a motorcycle ride that would rouse the bikers and help the community.
The bikers were mostly retired or active duty military members and came from cities as far out as Orange, Haymarket and Arlington. They braved wet roads and cloudy skies to participate in the Poker Run. Despite the weather, spirits were high.
‘‘It was a lot of fun. You get to meet a few different people you haven’t met before,” saidretired Maj. Larry Carmon. ‘‘Looks like everyone was very enthusiastic. The Marines were very much into doing what they were doing. I always look forward to giving something back.”
Though the Poker Run is new to the area, the event has been used to collect toys in other parts of the country. Some of the riders had participated in Poker Runs near other military bases.
‘‘I’ve been doing Toys for Tots rides for eight years now,” said Alex Johnston, formerly a sergeant in the Marine Corps. This is the first one up here in Virginia; I’ve done four of them in North Carolina.”
For the self-described ‘‘Marine Corps brat,” Toys for Tots was something he could always look to when he wanted to volunteer his time.
‘‘I like the cause. Before I got a motorcycle I was one of the volunteers standing there in their [dress] blues,” said Johnson. ‘‘I figured once I got the bike I could do two things Ienjoyed. Help out Toys for Tots and ride. It’s definitely a worthwhile cause.”
The ride ended at Q-Ball’s pool hall in Fredericksburg. Pearson rode his bike through the front door and the police escorts, who had been escorting them through the traffic lights, departed.
Once inside the bar, the bikers weredealt their final playing card and bellied up to bars or tables and waited for the winner tobe announced.
Pearson, as it turned out, was holding all the aces – or two, anyhow – which was enough to earn him a pair of tickets to a Jimmy Buffet concert. Ever the philanthropist, he raffled the tickets to raise more money for Toys for Tots.
Second place, a highly coveted pair oftickets to WWE Survivor Series, went toLarry Albright.
At the end of the day, they collected 30 toys and raised $965 in donations.
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