hat a great day for a poker run! We hit a new all-time record with 168 participating boats.

The 8th Annual Missouri River Poker Run was held on Saturday, July 15th. Boats traveled from as far away as Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and across the state of Nebraska to participate in this years event.

We sold 817 hands of poker making this the largest one yet. Congratulations to the folks who went home with a little extra cash in their pockets. Their names, hands & prize money are listed below -

1st	John Wooden	$2,800	4 Jacks / 9
2nd	Chuck Ziska	$2,000	4 9's / Queen
3rd	Preston Woolery	$1,200	4 8's / Ace
4th	Preston Woolery	$800	4 6's / 3
5th	Carol Caster	$400	Full Hse 3 Kings/ 2 Aces

We are still trying to locate our 5th place winner so if anyone knows Carol Caster, please have her contact us.  August 13th (30 days) is the deadline for claiming the winnings.

The 2nd place winner this year traveled from St. Joe, Missouri to participate and for the first time,

	NP Dodge Park Marina was the final Poker Run stop. Boaters were welcomed by live music by Mid-Life Crisis.

one person took home both the 3rd & 4th place winnings after towing his boat all the way from Sterling, Colorado.

In addition to all the prize money given out, we also raised $1, 094 for CASA. This is an outstanding organization that trains volunteers to work on a one-to-one basis with children who have become victims of abuse or neglect. The volunteers are ultimately appointed by a judge and represent these children in the legal process.

Thanks to all the folks who helped make this day such a success, especially those who endured the extreme heat to man the poker run stops. Special thanks to Omaha Marine Center, Jamie Knott, Melissa Cederstrand, Gary & Jen McConnell, Midwest Performance and Pop-n-Doc's Too Marina.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. We sincerely hope if you are in need of any of the services these companies provide, you will keep them in mind and thank them for their support. A huge thank you to our major sponsor - Kevin Woodard with Superior Honda of Omaha.
 
Other sponsors included:
96.1 'The Brew'
Premier Boating Center in Lincoln, NE
Auto Enhancements
1st Stop Mortgage
Omaha Marine Center
Aksarben Brewing
Midwest Performance Boats
Eliminator Boats
The Sports Lodge
Valley Marine
EGS Marine & Auto Detailing
Lakewood Electric
Xtreme Boat Detailing
Rick's Cafe Boatyard
Pop-n-Doc's Too @ Cottonwood Marina

Unfortunately, this is the last year OmahaRiverFront.com will be organizing this event. If anyone is interested in keeping the tradition going, please contact us. What started 8 years ago as a local boater get-together, has now grown into a major regional boating event. Many more volunteers are needed to run something this large and it has now become a bit overwhelming for one person to handle. Anyone interested in taking over this project should contact Nancy Neurohr at 402-571-7602 or by email:  info@omahariverfront.com

The new 2006 Poker Run Photo Gallery will be posted soon. If you have pictures you would like to send us, please forward to the above email address.