By Paul Barrett
MONTICELLO — June 25, 2004 – More than 650 riders showed up last Saturday to participate in the fourth annual Monticello Fire Department ATV Poker Run.
Not all the riders got to complete the course though. The grueling 35- mile trail showed little mercy to dozens of ATVs, many of which had to be towed out.
Several acres of private property were opened near the Concord Monster Golf Course to accommodate the trail.
Each participant was given a sealed envelope, which contained a sheet of paper with all 52 card values listed on it. The rider then visited five predetermined locations.
At each location, a hole was punched in the envelope, which marked a certain card value. When all five holes had been punched, the rider returned to the start – where the envelope was opened to reveal the poker hand.
The winner at Saturday’s event was Jim Edger, a resident of Pine Bush. He won with an ace-high flush.
Many participants returned without a full hand of cards. The difficulty of the trail combined with poor luck forced several groups of riders to return early.
Group 10B, the last group to go out, was nearly the first one back. One of the Group 10B members had engine trouble with their ATV and the entire group decided to head back to the starting line.
“It [the trail] was for a professional rider – not for an amateur” said Shawn Beers, a Group 10B member who hails from Catskill.
Lloyd Van Dyke, also from 10B, said that he witnessed one ATV roll