Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

:;TOYS FOR TOTS POKER RUN Q" t; ... 00 ... .. 0> Slory aod Pllolos by Georce 8..,.s otIIer clubs could take lessoos from tile OXlW'd Motorcycle Club wIleD it comes to public relations and improviJlc Ql tile lmage of motorcycliDg. On SaDdI,y, December 10, tile Club IIe1d its annual CJ toy drift and poker run. The entry fee Ql was 5O~ and one oew or repairable toy. Q All toys and proceeds were doDaled to CI) tile Marine Corps' "Toys for Tots" ~ Drive. ~ Olal&J'd is a small town 00 the Califor:2: nia coast between Los Angeles and ~ .,J Santa Barbara, and the area doeso't u usually draw a large crowd for motor:>. cycle eveats. But tbis year the Club did u some advertising by passing out invitatioo sheets at tile indio Tour, and listing their event in tile Cycle News Calendar of Events. A crowd of 140 riders rewarded their efforts, not a bad turoout for a Sunday poker run, witll riders comtoe from as far as Riverside. The Olal&J'd Club is one of the most active road cIabs going. Even though tIIey lave to ride in from _y out there, you'U always fiod a large group of lbem at lU\1 Soatbern California road rider eveot, and it was gratifying to see some of their own entllusiasm returned. The Club also wrote Cycle News,asking for a reporter to cover tile roo.Club President Ron Schall welcomed your correspondent at tile start of tile event, and offered all kiods of useful Intorma- "" ii .. Abo..: TIIa plMil ride draw la._ I....at flo .... ..-etators. R1Pt: Omn llatarCJcle Club P .. lldaDt Itea $dIail .....n..d. nellIDad of tlIJl ..d • d1ack for 572.50 til ...... $Dr.ant Faulk.r. tioo. Tbroughout tile day Ron and otIIer Ozoard Club members kept popping up, always readY to answer questions. Minutes after the trophy presentation. Ron furnished the list of winners, a welcome change from IDlU\1 events wbere tile reporter . . . till sc:urry aroUDd becPIIC for tatormatiolllDd results. The _ of the run ~ one of those rare, beautiful days just after a rain wilen the smog and haze are gone and the distant mountains stand out in sJarp rellef. Riding down from tile top of the COlleJo Pass on the Ventura Free~, the clear, crisp air gave new dimensions to an old familiar scene, with the coastal plaln below stretching out to tile sea, and the Channel Islands clearly visible. The sign-in was Just off the Free~ in the parking lot of the Wallace Machinery Co., the friendly local Caterpillar Tractor dealer. The ComPlU\1 made their facilities available to tile Run as a public serVice, and other local businesses also donated, making It possible for the Club to turn over the entire proceeds to the Toys for Tots Drive. After warming up a bit with coffee and donuts, the riders signed 10 and bad a chance at a trophy right oft by guessing the Dumber of bottle caps in a large jar. The route of tile 4O-mUe run described a large circle. It led north to the foothills, then east to a wid e spot 10 tile road called Somis, then south, circling Camarillo and passing i'he Air Base, fI.nally eading in Olal&J'd. The ride was a pleasant one, witll the riders leisurely cruising throucb tile green countryside, pUBtoe by orcJards and farms. Farm kids were seen alone tile way, astoIIisbed SlIm'" tlIlIIa Omard LCo'I cII"tJ IlIlI lIlI lIIe _k III a H• .., 74. To, ....... lIIe ....., ...... ...-,rtYlI..... llIds Ud a Cllltst.al ... _t .....11. wal part III by tile number of cycles t1owioc by, and thrilled wlleo tIIeir _yes were returned by tile riders. Nofree_ys were traYe1ed, allowiog the smaller hikes to eater, and car entries were accepted, insuring a larger crowd. (The car drivers and trail 'bike riders are the 74 buyers of tile future, so it's not a bad idea to eucoUJ"age them.) The two check points were marked by large limed circles, where riders dismounted and searcbed the area for a bag of odd-sJaped rivets. Altllongh the bag at tile first check point was in plain sight near the base of a stop sign, a large grotij> of riliers gathered and SPent 20 minutes searching for it, looking up in trees and down in drain pipes before they spotted it. The run was so well marked that even tile writer, who can get lost going from tile kitchen to tile bathroom In his own house, bad DO trouble foUowing the route. The finish Une was In the parking lot of the Oxnard Eagles' Hall, where riders turned in tIlelr ticket stubs and rivets, and were dealt a poker hand for a cbaoce at winning atrophy. There was no machine judging, eliminating a lot of handto hand combat. There always seem to be entries in tbis type of event who will try to get a trapy by lassling If not by actually winning it. Field events started at 11:30 a.m. witll a slalom race around traffic CODeS, Abo••: SI&DlIII WII "eld In ... parlll.. lot of lIID frl..dl, local e.t.rplll. dealer. 1Ie1..: o ldelt blk. OD the run WII Bill E. .OlICIlon'S '32 Indl.. SCDUt. BIll won flrst plac. poker band troPbJ. a short drag race and a slow race witll the riders baiaocing a bean ~ on thelr heads, and a plank ride. It wasn't an ordinary plank ride contest. The Oxnard Club must have searcbed tile county to fiod that plank. [t was 15 feet long and bad a 2- foot curve in it. It was also boWed, so the ends stuck up off the ground 6 inches. 'lben tIley added another 20- toot plank on the eod. EveryODll had trouble keeping their wbeels on the hoards _ everyone except a smarty named SandY Whetnall on a Harley 74. '!bat gal reallY knows how to herd a hog. Not content to show the guys up once, she did It twice. She should stay home once in a while to give the men a better chance at the trophies. The Oxnard Club really thought up an original event tor passengers. The rider rode up to a barrel, the passenger jumped off, wiggled out of a pair of hiplength rubber boots, and leaped on tile bike for a fast trip back to the finish line. Fastest time won. After the trophies had been won, tile riders assembled In the Eagles' Hallfor the trophy presentation, and by 4: 30p.m. they were on their way home. The Oxnard Club was able to present a big trucltlOlUi of toys and a cbeck for $72.50 to the Marine Corps "Toys for Tots" Drive. Since everything was d0nated, the Club was out only a lot of time and effori, but they gave generously of both. Put the "toys for Tots" Poker Run on your calemin for next year. You'll aida worthy cause, help Improve motorcycling's image, and best of all, you'n lave a lot of tun doing it. (Results on pages 26-27)

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