‘Relic’ Derby helps out Neepawa Rifle Club

Details

Published on Thursday, February 4, 2016

Photo by Eoin Devereux. On Jan. 30, area snowmobilers hit the trails riding their vintage machines for the Neepawa Junior Rifle Club’s first ever Relic Poker Derby. 

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Snowmobile enthusiasts recently took to the trails to support a local community group, as the Neepawa Junior Rifle Club hosted a Relic Poker Derby. The event, held on Saturday, Jan. 30, featured participants using snowmobiles to travel to several checkpoints and drawing a playing card at each one. The object was to have the best poker hand at the end of the run.

The ride was designed to raise funds for the rifle club to assist with the ongoing costs of maintaining its building, located at the Neepawa Fairgrounds. The desire was to also raise money for some potential upgrades to the facility. 

Rifle Club vice president Harris Lowe said this is the first year they’ve organized an event of this type. He noted that it was very well received.

“We’d like to turn it into an annual thing. The response seems to suggest that it was a good idea. We were hoping for about 50 people signing up for the Derby and we’ve exceeded that number.” said Lowe. 

A unique aspect of the derby was the inclusion of vintage or “relic” snowmobiles. Riders were encouraged to use their older machines as part of the festivities. Lowe noted that some of the snowmobiles that were used were from as far back as the mid 60s. He said it was a lot of fun for many of the participants to see the evolution of the machine.

“There was one guy who said he brought his 64 [snowmobile] out with him. There were a bunch from the 70s and 80s out there. It was a real step back in time. Obviously compared to a new machine, they’re not as much fun to ride. You feel every bump in the trail,” Lowe said with a chuckle. “But everybody brings them out once or twice during the season to show them off and to also support a cause such as this. It’s great to see them get involved like that, especially when it helps out the club.”

After the ride was completed, prizes were handed out to some of the participants and a dinner was held at the Rifle Club. The exact numbers from the fundraising derby were still being calculated as the Banner went to publication, but Lowe suggested that the final results should be something the Rifle Club will be very pleased with.