FVCC Turkey Shoot and Poker Run provides classic fun

Forty-four classic car enthusiasts, twenty-one couples and two individuals participated in the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club’s (FVCC) 2009 Turkey Shoot and Poker Run. The pre-planned course sent the participants driving their meticulously restored vintage automobiles through the scenic canyons of Fallbrook, Bonsall and Rainbow, ending at their destination in Temecula: Richie’s Diner.

Fred and Connie Ragland’s 1939 Packard was the favorite of the run. Ragland’s Packard has year of manufacture plates that announce ‘California World’s Fair 39.’ How fun is that?

Howard and Linda Burke drove their 1953 Chevy truck, complete with the original external windshield sun visors, and very wide classic whitewalls. What a beauty!

John Waugh and Marvin VanVoorst did a great job of organizing this year’s FVCC Turkey Shoot and Poker Run. They set up a beautifully scenic course, which began at the offices of the Fallbrook Public Utility District at the corner of Santa Margarita and East Mission Road. The route took the contestants on a run through the forested canyons of Fallbrook, Bonsall, and Rainbow, ending in Temecula.

Each team picked up one poker card from each of five envelopes attached to white poster boards along the route. Marvin VanVoorst posted each of the envelopes and participants received two more cards when they arrived at Richie’s Diner.

Three contests or games were conducted during the event:

Best Course Time: The first contest was for the team with the best time. The best time designation is awarded to the team that comes closest to the official course run time. Four participants had perfect course times of one hour, nine minutes. To determine the winner, the four teams played a poker hand to see who received the first through fourth place prizes. Chuck and Barbara Rose took first place.

Best Poker Hand: Each year a different type of poker game is played. The participants don’t know ahead of time what type of hand will make them a winner. This year the worst poker hand, with each team using five of their seven cards was the winner. Glen and Louise Patterson took first place with the lowest poker hand.

Raffle: Each team received a raffle ticket and the winning numbers were drawn during the festivities at Richie’s Diner. The winners of the raffle were Phil and Donna Stoewer, who are FVCC’s newest members. The Stoewers joined the club just minutes before the start of the event. They received a dinner certificate.