More than 500 people turned out for the 13th Annual WestEnd ATV Poker ride in De Borgia on July 21. It was a new record for the group, which had 307 waivers signed. However, almost 80 percent of the riders had a side-by-side, which brought the number of participants up. Last year, 280 riders had signed waivers.

“It was just unbelievable,” said event long-time coordinator PJ (Patrick Jennings), who owns the O’Aces Bar in De Borgia. “We sold 1,200 poker hands and raised over $3,000.”

Most of the funds raised are used for charities in Mineral County, primarily for youth activities, including participating in giving Christmas presents to families in need. The group also pays 3 percent of the proceeds on their clubhouse to the U.S. Forest Service.

“We try to spend whatever we get. Mineral County is not a rich county, and there’s a lot of people who need help and we try to do our part,” said PJ.

He said the ride would not take place without the help of volunteers, and wanted to thank Dan and Lori Burgmer; Paul and Sherri Dilly; Jerry Hatcher; Michelle Hahm; Frank and Nancy Crampton; and the employees of the O’Aces Bar.

The 73-mile ride stretches from De Borgia to Taft, Saltese, the Montana Bar, past the Up Up Lookout Tower, and the last card is drawn at the O-Aces Bar. After the ride, there were raffles, prizes awarded and the Ray Starke Band out of Spokane entertained the crowd.

People come from all over the United States to participate, including New Mexico, California, Utah, Washington and Idaho. It’s also a great infusion of tourists into the area.

“People come and stay four or five days and camp, fish, float, dine out and stay at the local hotels,” said PJ.

Most off-highway vehicle trails are on public land and are maintained by local clubs like the WestEnd ATV Association, along with government agencies.

The club often works with the Forest Service on trails and other projects. For example, they helped pay for dust abatement on a railroad grade to help keep the dust down last year. They are also working on getting another shelter built on the west end by Ward Creek. Other past projects have included an outhouse at Silver Lake, work on watershed projects, and helping to keep old logging roads open to outdoor recreation.