The 10th annual Jet Boat Poker Rally went at Athabasca's Riverfront Park July 21, with boaters coming in from the Athabasca area, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and across Alberta.
The rally was put on by the company Grand Rapids Wilderness Adventures, which is owned and operated by Darcy and Shirley Zelman.
Mrs. Zelman said that the word poker does not mean they play cards during the trip.
"The word refers to each contestant drawing chips from five stops along the river," she said. "We then total them up at the end of the race every year, and whoever grabs the closest number to the total without going over shares in a cash prize."
The names of the winners were not known by press time.
Zelman said they usually get a great turnout at the event every year.
"There were 34 players who participated by the start of the event," she said. "They had until 5 p.m. to draw their last chip, but otherwise, they could take as much time as they wanted to take."
One contestant, Ryan Zelman, came in from Barrhead. He said this is the second year he has participated in this event.
"The first year was so fun, I just had to come back," he said. "Boating is one of my favourite past-times, and I really like fishing, having good times with good people, and the river is just a beautiful place to be."
Randy Zelman, another contestant, has participated in the event since it started. He said he really likes come up from High Prairie to boat along the Athabasca.
"It's an easy river, and an easy run," he said. "There's just a great group of people who show up, and it's always great to see them every year."
Shirley Zelman added there were also some activities for the children as well.
"While they are out and about with their parents on the boat, they take part in a scavenger hunt," she said. "They need to find items such as feathers or shiny rocks, and they need to pick them up at any of the five points along the river. The winners get an assortment of toys."
Zelman said their stops are located at an island upstream, three islands downstream, and then they end up at the Riverside Recreation area.
"The rally can be done in a couple of hours if they go straight through," she said. "But again, they can take as much time as they want."
After the rally, she said each contestant was served a supper, and were treated to music from a local band including Hugh Sully, Andy Delorme, Chris Pittman and Fred Minnville.
"They play a mix of today's music and some classics," she said. "It was basically a day of fun for each family, and this year's funds that are donated by our participants will be going to the Riverside Recreation area."
