A parade of motorcycles, Jeeps, vintage cars and sports cars rumbled onto Ellis Boulevard late Saturday morning.
The vehicles trailed through Sandy Hook and other small communities on their way through Central Missouri.
In all, about 200 people participated in the Jefferson City Elks Lodge’s 16th annual Motor Rally for Vets.
During the event, Elks members and other supporters of local veterans drove (or rode) to Jamestown, California, Centertown and Russellville and rallied at each location before returning to Jefferson City. While at each location, participants could pick up a playing card and help create their best poker hand during the poker run.
Eileen Scrivner, chairperson for veterans at the lodge and a representative to Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, said the event is annually the lodge’s largest fundraiser. A goal Saturday was to raise about $10,000.
“This is the biggie,” she said. “We encourage each person who goes along — because we have Jeeps and buses — to pay $10.”
When rally-goers returned, the lodge hosted a pork steak dinner, announced the winner of a 50/50 raffle, and held silent and live auctions. Silent auction items included gift baskets with kitchen-canned items, sports memorabilia and patriotic products. The live auction included a large wooden cooler container.
Scrivner said she personally went business to business in downtown Jefferson City to ask shops to offer gift certificates for the fundraiser, adding they were generous with their donations. Businesses outside the downtown area were equally as generous, she said.
People also donated homemade desserts, Scrivner said. The desserts can bring $200 in the auction.
“Most people know — and they see it on our flier everywhere — we always have this on the third Saturday in August,” Scrivner said. “Of course, the weather is gorgeous. Better than the rest of the week coming up.”
An Elks member, Holly Kolb, drove her Jeep for the rally. The Jeep group doesn’t go by a name, she said.
“We have a bunch of people from the Elks. We all own Jeeps,” she said. “We bring them out to be involved in the poker run. We’ve always been involved in the poker run.”
Kolb said she’s been at every rally.
“Once we all started buying our Jeeps, it was a fun way to make it more of a part of the poker run,” she said. They all do it to raise money for veterans, she added.
Mandy Foreman said there are 18 women at the lodge who have Jeeps.
“It’s Jeep life,” Foreman said. “We support anything that’s made in the U.S.A. We all wanted Jeeps, so we started our own club at the lodge.”
Barry Bryson said he has personally ridden close to 500,000 miles on motorcycles. He said he missed the ride last year, but has participated in 11 rallies.
“A lot of my friends are here. These are guys I rode with for many years,” Bryson said. “But mostly, it’s to support veterans.”
Josh Cobb/News Tribune photo: The Motor Rally for Vets was held Saturday in Cole County. The drivers began at the Elks Lodge in Jefferson City and made stops in Jamestown, California, Centertown and Russellville to raise money for veterans programs.
Josh Cobb/News Tribune photo: Participants in Saturday’s Motor Rally for Vets sign up for the silent auction at The Elks Lodge in Jefferson City before making stops in Jamestown, California, Centertown and Russellville.