By Andy Simek
WURTSBORO — July 25, 2006 – Some people who don’t know any bikers cringe when they see a pack of Harleys ripping down Main Street.
The people of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, however, don’t.
The Wurtsboro Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) held its 12th annual Poker Run this past Sunday, which started at O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson, located at 4 Sullivan Street in Wurtsboro.
The proceeds of the run will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, an organization the Wurtsboro HOG has donated to many times before.
John O’Toole, owner of O’Toole’s HD, said that in the past 10 years, they have raised approximately $100,000 for St. Jude’s, with an average of $15,000 per year.
Last year’s run was especially successful, with more than $20,000 raised by the 573 bikers involved.
That run was a little larger than usual, O’Toole explained.
The average poker run gets anywhere from 200 to 300 bikers, he said, and this year they were just about on target.
The run, which started at O’Toole’s and ended at the Mamakating Town Park, sent off bikers about 20 at a time between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m..
This year’s 350 bikers made the 72-mile trip from Wurtsboro, around the Neversink Reservoir and then back to Wurtsboro to the park.
While the figures were still being calculated yesterday afternoon, Ken Kavanaugh, one of the coordinators of the event, said that a good estimate would be that they raised “in excess of $10,000.”