Larry Hughes and Stef Purdy have a reputation for throwing a good party. ‘Round these parts, the pair is known for the annual Bordello Thunder Run, an early summer poker run for charity.
Last year, a fall event was added and Sept. 21 will mark the second annual Bordello Run, also for charity.
Riders will register from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Red Rock Harley-Davidson, 2260 S. Rainbow Blvd., in Las Vegas, and get their first card for the poker hand. The ride fee is $30 per person and ride patches are available for the first 400 participants.
Bikes will head for Pahrump and stop by the Chicken Ranch and Sheri’s Ranch before heading to Amargosa Valley and Dennis Hof’s Alien Cathouse. The ride finishes at Miss Kathy’s Short Branch Saloon in Crystal.
The Short Branch hosts “Larry’s Famous Steak & Chicken Thunder Barbecue. The price of a good meal is included in the rider’s fee.
Expect a lot of bikes. When the festivities begin at the Short Branch, it’s not unusual to see between 1,000 and 1,500 bikes lined up on both sides of the road.
Hughes said one of the reasons his events draw such a crowd is the prize money. “We pay pretty well,” he said. “Better than other events like this.”
The best hand takes $400 in cash, second-best hand pays $200.
Live music will be provided by On Target.
Although the summer poker run benefits an organization for athletes who have had a limb amputated with training and sports equipment, this event will benefit the Local Equine Assistance Network. The Las Vegas-based non-profit organization helps horses in distress. Some animals have been found wandering the edges of the desert, are abandoned or turned over to animal control which in turn uses LEAN to find foster homes for them.
The horses are nurtured back to health and then retrained before they are put up for adoption.