1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run Nearing Capacity—Adding Speed On The Water/Scrapyard-Produced Video
A little more than three weeks ago, the organizers of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run, which is set for July 14-16, opened registration. The weekend-long event in Clayton, N.Y.—the pristine United States gateway community to the 1,000 Islands waterway—is limited to 120 boats.
Organizers of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run are expecting an epic comeback this year—and longtime event sponsor Aqua-Mania will be back in the mix. Photos by Tim Sharkey copyright Sharkey Images.
Thanks to 83 registered new and returning participants, only 37 slots remain. (Would-be participants can register for the event by clicking here.)
“We are getting there,” said Renee Lalonde, a member of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run organizing committee that includes her husband, Ken, Alexandra Buduson, Bobby Cantwell, Jeff Morgan and Courtney Rutherford. “We know the rest of the spots will go quickly.”
All of the elements that made the event an instant hit when it debuted in 2017 are returning this year. That includes the Thursday night street party and exhibit in downtown Clayton and Friday’s powerboat rides for Make-A-Wish children, as Make-A-Wish of Central New York is the happening’s key benefactor. And, of course, Saturday night’s charity banquet and auction will follow the daylong poker run on the St. Lawrence River, one of the world’s most beautiful waterways.
“Eleanor Roosevelt once said that, ‘It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan,’” said Renee Lalonde. “We’ll let the kids work on their wishes—and we’ll work on making them come true.”
All of the event’s favorite elements are returning this year and will be chronicled in a Speed On The Water/Scrapyard Media video.
But there’s also something new happening this year. Inspired by the Speed On The Water “In The Lead” video series—now entering its second year and primarily sponsored by new 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run backer Mercury Racing—the organizers have contracted Speedonthewater.com and Scrapyard Media to produce a 12- to 15-minute video that will not just capture the event, but to tell its remarkable story.
“We loved the quality of the ‘In The Lead’ series,” Ken Lalonde said. “It’s exactly the kind of storytelling we want for the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run, and exactly the kind of storytelling the event deserves.”
Speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden will capture and offer still images from the 2022.
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