1100 FROGS INVADE SMALL DESERT TOWN
Over the weekend of January 28th, an invasion of nearly eleven hundred frogs took over the small town of Boardmanville, California. Was global warming to blame for this massive attack of frogs? Riding in on ATVs, two-wheelers, and sand rails, these were no ordinary frogs. They were all listeners of K-FROG, a local country music station in Southern California. The station was hosting their “1st Poker Run” to benefit the The American Heart Association and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, who specializes in the treatment of cancer and other fatal diseases affecting children. The event was just one of many promotions the station hosts throughout the year that benefits charitable causes.
In a poker run, riders are given a map to five different locations to obtain their playing hand. Just like poker, in the end, the highest hand wins the pot. In this case the pot was a custom sand rail from Suspensions Unlimited. Festivities fired up at 8:00 in the morning and quickly grew to a sizeable crowd. Riders were allotted six hours to complete the course and collect their cards. By day’s end, the dust settled and the crowds poured back into town for the finale. The station had arranged for a live musical performance from Kevin Cameron and the Pale Riders. One of the event’s sponsors, Suspensions Unlimited, drew in the crowds, giving demo rides in one of the several custom sand rails they had on display. While another sponsor of the event, Throttle Junkie films, filmed this day long event capturing some great footage of the endless riding possibilities the dunes have to offer. Copies can be purchased on line at www.Throttlejunkie.com. To escape the dust LUV 2 CAMP, donated trailers for both the K-FROG and ToyHauler Magazine staff members to seek refuge in. Sandra Gillman from Moreno Valley, CA, came up the day’s big winner, driving away with the grand prize custom sand rail. She would have to agree that the day was a huge success filled with family, friends, great riding and all for a worthy cause. You would have never known this was the station’s first attempt at a poker run.
An avid off-road enthusiast for several years, the station’s Promotions Manager, Ron Martin, first exposed the station to the off-road community at last year’s Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, CA, and the Advan-Star Off road Expo in Pomona, CA. Ron explained, “The station chose to partner with Suspensions Unlimited who raffled off the grand prize custom V6 sand rail valued at $40,000, because they are so driven to do exactly what we hope to do—help all of the worthy causes, such as the ASA [American Sand Association], to educate and keep the dunes open. Glamis is terribly misunderstood by the general public that is not involved with the off road community. That is where we hope to step in with our voice and help everyone understand that Glamis, like most other places, is as safe as we make it. For the past several years, the group that I recreate with has made multiple trips to the dunes, some of whom are third generation ‘duners’ who make every effort to keep everyone safe. In fact, a large percentage of the community on a given weekend is family oriented and just looking to have a good time. I thought that by bringing an event like this to them, maybe we could help. The crowd was exactly what I expected: ‘duners’ looking for a good time. We had no problems. This allows us to make the next one even better.”
So where can you find the K-FROG crew next? Ron mentioned, “They’re kicking around several ideas, but they’re not quite sure which direction they are going just yet.” Ron went on to say, “but if the ’duners’ want us back, we would love to come back!” Meanwhile, next time you’re out at the dunes or at an off road show, be certain to look for the bright yellow sand rail with the K-FROG logos & graphics on it; you should find Ron behind the wheel.
- THM
