For decades, locals have gathered together to put on “Poker Runs” for various causes. What’s a poker run? Good question. Participants meet up at a designated location. They receive their first playing card and a list of the destinations on the route and then set out to visit each spot and collect another card to complete their hand. Often poker runs are planned by motorcycle enthusiasts to raise money for good causes like youth and Veterans. The good news is you don’t even have to be a poker player or motorcyclist to be part of the fun.
Now Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture and the Yuba-Sutter Rotary Night Club are teaming up to present their 1st Annual Poker Run for the Arts, “Bridging the Arts.” And it’s all for a great cause, the reinvention of the 299-seat Main Stage theater at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts. Here’s how it works. The big day is Saturday, October 19th starting at 3:30pm. Everyone will meet up at the starting point to check in. You’ll be given your first card and the list of locations to visit. Each location will have a connection to art and culture in our area. The entire route encompasses about 40 miles and there will be eight stops which includes the final location. All in all, the total elapsed time should be about two hours. And that final location is a doozy where you will receive a gourmet meal in a beautiful location. Once all participants have checked in and “played” their best hand by presenting their cards as a poker hand, the winner (s) will be announced. Whoever has the best hand wins $500.
So how does the Bridging the Arts Poker Run raise funds for the arts? The cost for each participant is $95. That includes a gourmet pasta bar with all the sides catered by Marcello’s Italian Restaurant. There will also be a silent art auction at the final location. Sponsorships are available. Live music will be provided by Thorkat, a great local cover band that plays hits from the 70s through today. It all goes to refurbish and open up the Main Stage which is the other half of the original Sutter Theater built in the 1950s. Architectural drawings for the remodel are in process and interior designs concepts have been developed. Stop by the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts for our Business Social and Open House on Thursday, August 29th starting at 4pm for a tour and to see renderings.
Help YSAC bring this important performing arts space into reality for the benefit of the entire community. Tickets are available at yubasutterarts.org or at the Sutter Theater box office on Plumas Street. For regular arts updates, follow Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture on Facebook and Instagram or look at the community arts calendar at yubasutterarts.org for all local arts and culture events.