A favourite event for local riders is returning to the open road in the Foothills this weekend.
The seventh annual Leather ‘n’ Chaps Ridin’ for Snaps motorcycle poker rally takes place July 22. It’s one of two major fundraisers for Foothills Special Needs Association for Parents and Siblings (SNAPS).
The organization works each year to fundraise 20 per cent of its annual budget and the upcoming ride makes up a big portion of this amount.
“It’s a pretty important fundraiser in that it is probably half of our fundraising we hope to make,” said Orvella Small, executive director of Foothills SNAPS. “Our goal this year is $20,000 for the ride. Last year we were half that, so this year we’re hoping to have more.”
She said the economy impacted last year’s event. There were fewer sponsors and riders than normal, which Small said could have been due to the downturn or the number of motorcycle rides in the area.
“As time goes on I think they’re getting more and more popular, so bikers have opportunities to go other places,” she said. “We had fewer bikers than we had hoped for last year, but we still did pretty good when we can clear $13,000.”
Foothills SNAPS event and volunteer co-ordinator Becky Webster said they’re hoping for at least 100 riders this year.
Registration for the event takes place at 9 a.m. on 4 Avenue in downtown High River with a pancake breakfast served up by the Stampede Batter Boys and the ride takes off at 11 a.m. It costs $50 per rider and $35 per passenger, which includes breakfast and supper, said Webster.
“Hopefully, we’ll have some great weather and get a good turnout this year,” she said.
The forecast shows a high of 26 degrees Celsius for rally day.
The ride takes off from downtown High River, heading west to Longview where the gas station will be the first water and poker stop. At each pit stop, riders will draw one card, and at the finish line their hands will be turned in to see who has the highest-winning hand, she said.
From Longview, the motorcycles will take Highway 40 to the gas station at Fortress Mountain before looping back around to Black Diamond and then returning home to High River for the final hand and a street dance on 4 Avenue.
Bands Rooster in a Hen House, One West and Roamin’ Cadillacs will play live music for a street dance and barbecue to wind things up.
The public is welcome to join in the family-friendly street dance, which costs $10 per person (children 14 and under are free), she said. Burgers cost $5 each.
Webster said the street dance is a new element this year.
“We’re trying to do more on 4 Avenue because it’s designated to be a festival street,” she said. “We’ve done a few events down there and it’s just the perfect venue.”
Small said the street dance offers a great opportunity for families to be involved in the Foothills SNAPS fundraiser.
“Being able to have our families join us makes it a little more enjoyable for everybody and more community-spirited,” said Small.
She said the Leather ‘n’ Chaps motorcycle rally is just one of three other major fundraisers done by SNAPS through the year. The organization also runs an art show event in February, and last September marked the first annual Twilight Long Table dinner outdoors on 4 Avenue.
It’s important to run successful events in order to accommodate an every-growing number of families seeking support, she said.
Foothills SNAPS currently serves 817 families and individuals – or 2,634 people – in the MD of Foothills and MD of Willow Creek, up from 774 families in December 2016, she said. In Okotoks alone there are 327 families served.
She said services are being streamlined to continue to offer support to families in need of help because the numbers continue to grow but Foothills SNAPS has limited resources.
The organization’s goal is to help everyone who approaches the organization, she said.
“That’s why events like this are extremely important,” said Small. “And the volunteers who come out and help us are just as important, because every event we do like this requires a lot of volunteers as well, to help us run a successful event and raise money for our programs.”
