Club to host kids carnival, poker run

Officials at the Boys and Girls Club of North San Luis Obispo County are looking forward to a busy weekend as they prepare to host the annual Kids Day Carnival on Saturday, May 31 and benefit from the fifth annual Poker Run on Sunday, June 1.

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of America is to enable all young people, especially those who are most in need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The Kids Day Carnival, which will be held on the Flamson Middle School campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be a completely free resource for family friendly fun.

“It is to get kids and their parents together to have a good time, because it is a busy world and that doesn’t happen very often,” said Sue Daniels, the club’s chief professional officer. “Because it is free, they can have a lot of fun together and not have to worry about it costing a lot.”

The family event features all the mainstays of carnival entertainment, including a bounce house, relay races, face painting, balloon tosses, plenty of games and prizes. A deejay will be on-hand at the event playing a variety of different genres of music and California Gold has signed on to wow crowds with a display of cheerleading, gymnastics and street dancing skills. In addition, the Paso Robles Police Department’s K-9 unit will be giving a demonstration of how canines aid their officers in their duties.

This year’s carnival theme is “Sports Crazy.” Kids and parents are encouraged to dress up in full sports regalia or as their favorite sports figure. Prizes will be awarded to the day’s best-dressed participant.

Boys and Girls Club officials will be raising money for the organization through the means of a raffle, with prizes donated by local merchants. Each child in the Boys and Girls Club program will be contributing an item to be sold at a bake sale, the proceeds of which will also benefit the organization.

On Sunday, fundraising kicks into full swing as the Paso Robles Moose Lodge No. 243 and the Paso Robles Monkeys Motorcycle Club sponsor their annual Poker Run Benefit Ride. Funds raised at the event will be split evenly between the Boys and Girls Club of North SLO and the MooseHeart Foundation, a residential childcare facility that cares for youth whose families are unable to care for them.

The fundraising effort comes at a particularly crucial time for the Boys and Girls Club, which is facing budget shortfalls as they approach the summer months.

“We are going to have trouble making it to the end of the year, so we can always use donations,” Daniels said. “We are going into summer time so we are going to have a lot more kids that are showing up, so we have had to hire more staff and we have more programs, so of course, that always requires more money.”

According to event organizer Guylean Smith, who is both a member of the Paso Robles Monkey Motorcycle Club and the Moose Lodge, the Boys and Girls Club is an invaluable community resource.

“It is very important because we have a lot of single parents — that would be male and female — and childcare is very, very expensive,” she said. “I think it is very important that we have somewhere that our kids can go after school and be supervised and given the opportunity to learn.”

Registration for the event will take place at the Boys and Girls Club of North County at 600 26th St. on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The first 300 people to register will receive a free Poker Run T-shirt. A $25 ticket includes a barbeque lunch, one poker hand and a raffle ticket. A $10 ticket includes either the barbeque or a poker hand.

Ride participants pick up one card of their poker hand at each of the five stops along the 63-mile run through the back roads of Paso Robles. When their poker hand is complete, ride participants return to the Paso Robles Moose Lodge to play out their hand for prizes. The barbecue will get underway at noon and the band Code Blue will provide live entertainment for event-goers.

“It is just a way to have a good day and a good fundraiser,” Smith said.

Additionally, the Boys and Girls Club was able to secure a donation of 1994 Harley chopper with custom trailer. They will be selling raffle tickets for the bike at the event. Tickets are priced at $100 each and only 200 will be sold.

Paso Robles Press

News Added: 23 May, 2008

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