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Don Kraemer is praying for good weather on May 1.The Temple firefighter is organizing a motorcycle poker run that’s part of an effort to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest poker run.
The event will be held rain or shine, and Kraemer hopes at least 100 other riders join him.
Kraemer is a member of New Hampshire Chapter IV of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club, an organization of U.S. and Canadian riders who are connected to fire departments.
Firefighters from 11 local towns will participate in the run, which will start in Milford. Registration will be at Souhegan Valley Motorsports, Route 13 South, from 8:30-10 a.m.
Registration is $10. The money will be donated to the Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The ride will end in Jaffrey at the American Legion, where there will be a barbecue, door prizes, a prize for the best poker hand and raffles.
T-shirts will be given out; Kraemer has ordered 12 dozen of them.
“Uncertain weather is the hardest part of organizing an event like this,” he said.
In a poker run, participants visit several checkpoints and draw a playing card at each one, trying for the best poker hand at the end of the run.
The run is being organized nationally by a Florida group, said Kraemer, a longtime motorcycle rider. There are more than 250 groups participating in the United States and Canada, but he said there is no way to tell how many riders there could be on May 1.
Membership in the Red Knights is open to all firefighters, active or retired, volunteer or industrial, who have access to a motorcycle and hold a valid motorcycle driver’s license. Their mission is to promote motorcycle safety, project a positive image of motorcycling and enjoy the fraternity of firefighters, according to the Red Knights’ Web site.
Chapters all across the U.S. and Canada are participating, and will also start their poker runs at 10 a.m. May 1 to fulfill the Guinness requirements.
Hundreds of poker runs have been held around the world. The record for the largest event may have been in 2009 with more than 2,000 motorcyclists.
This Saturday, Kraemer and some of the other Red Knights will ride in Temple for Christopher Ernest “Ernie” Harling, 81, an avid motorcyclist who died last week.
Firefighters from 11 local towns will participate in the run, which will start in Milford. Registration will be at Souhegan Valley Motorsports, Route 13 South, from 8:30-10 a.m.
Registration is $10. The money will be donated to the Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The ride will end in Jaffrey at the American Legion, where there will be a barbecue, door prizes, a prize for the best poker hand and raffles.
T-shirts will be given out; Kraemer has ordered 12 dozen of them.
“Uncertain weather is the hardest part of organizing an event like this,” he said.
In a poker run, participants visit several checkpoints and draw a playing card at each one, trying for the best poker hand at the end of the run.
The run is being organized nationally by a Florida group, said Kraemer, a longtime motorcycle rider. There are more than 250 groups participating in the United States and Canada, but he said there is no way to tell how many riders there could be on May 1.
Membership in the Red Knights is open to all firefighters, active or retired, volunteer or industrial, who have access to a motorcycle and hold a valid motorcycle driver’s license. Their mission is to promote motorcycle safety, project a positive image of motorcycling and enjoy the fraternity of firefighters, according to the Red Knights’ Web site.Chapters all across the U.S. and Canada are participating, and will also start their poker runs at 10 a.m. May 1 to fulfill the Guinness requirements.
Hundreds of poker runs have been held around the world. The record for the largest event may have been in 2009 with more than 2,000 motorcyclists.
This Saturday, Kraemer and some of the other Red Knights will ride in Temple for Christopher Ernest “Ernie” Harling, 81, an avid motorcyclist who died last week.
