A group of jetboaters from the Western Whitewater Association (WWA), Pacific Chapter, met at Gills Landing Saturday morning, ready to travel down the Santiam River on a "poker run" to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The day included about 40 miles of travel on the Santiam River, a hand of poker and a buoy obstacle course. The event was organized by Matt Peltier, Gary Weaver and Allen Husky, and attracted thirteen boats from around the state, including Dundee, Brownsville, Portland, Stayton, Albany and Lebanon.

Starting at Gills Landing, the group caravaned downstream to the confluence of the North and South Santiam rivers. Along the way, drivers kept an eye out for four buckets on the riverbank, each containing "treasure" such as plastic jewelry. All but one of the buckets were found (apparently an earlier river user discovered the fourth), and the boaters returned with their loot to a picnic by the river on the property of Matt Herb.

The bucket booty translated into cards for poker, with cash at stake for the winners. Rick Iverson of Springfield claimed the winning hand; runner-up was Dwain Longfellow. Both donated their winnings back to the MS Society.

After lunch, a timed buoy course was open to anyone who wanted to really get their motor going. Longfellow won the class for 18-feet and under and all outboards; Husky took first for 18 to 22-foot inboards and and Bill Langer was the victor in the over-22-foot inboard class.

The day raised about $1,000 for the MS Society of Oregon. The club plans to make an official donation in January after garnering even more funds from future events.

For more information on the MS Society of Oregon, visit www.msoregon.org. For more information on the WWA Pacific Chapter, visit http://wwaportland.org.