MINERAL COUNTY – Snowmobilers from across the region gathered in the west end of Mineral County last weekend for the 27th annual Montana Nightriders Snowmobile Club Poker Run, an event that raises money for club affairs and which featured two days of fun in the snow.

Beginning on Saturday and continuing on until Sunday, the event featured a trail run with various stops where riders would draw a card until they had a full hand and the best hand would go on to win various prizes. One of the organizers, Brooke Lincoln, said she has been involved with every one of the poker runs. She said the event came about as a way to raise funds to groom the trails the fledgling club needed to maintain.

“The snowmobile club bought a groomer,” Lincoln said. “They are not cheap and we needed a fundraiser to operate it. I don’t know how many riders we have but it’s more than last year.”

Last year, over 170 snowmobile enthusiasts made the trip to participate in the poker run. She said the club that puts on the poker run came about because the founding members could only ride at a certain time of day.

“It’s called the Montana Nightriders because all the members had jobs and kids and they could only ride at night,” Lincoln said. “They would ride after work and it has grown from 22 charter members to over 300 members. We even have members as far away as Illinois.”