There are a few things I can guarantee will happen with this year’s Boyne Thunder Poker Run in Boyne City, Mich. First of all, the 14th annual event will sell out—there’s no doubt about that—once registration for past participants opens on March 1 followed by some limited spaces for new participants that open on March 15. The question isn’t if the event, which takes place July 7-8, will reach its 115-boat capacity, it’s a matter of how fast it will fill up.

Michael “Doc” Janssen is going to bring his Outerlimits SV 53 to the poker run in Boyne City, Mich. Photo courtesy Florida Powerboat Club

Second, the event’s well-liked Thursday evening welcome party will take place at the top of Boyne Mountain Resort followed the next day by the well-supported community street festival that will be packed with boats, hot rods, motorcycles and more. The show will then spill over into the adjacent marina for the stereo wars before everyone shuts it down in preparation for the next day’s picturesque run through Lake Charlevoix, Round Lake and Lake Michigan.

Third, and most important, the Boyne Thunder Poker Run is sure to raise an impressive amount of money for local children’s charities Camp Quality Michigan and Challenge Mountain. I saw it firsthand when I attended the event three years ago, and it’s impressive how many volunteers contribute to the cause and how willing the event participants are to donate money.

Read more: Boyne’s Thunderous Approval

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