Newsletter
Thank You, Rice Lake
The 36th Bruce Nicolle Memorial Poker Run delivered $28,000 to Make-A-Wish Canada on September 19 — and more than half of it came from two girls with a box of handmade earrings.
Thirty-six years ago a man who lived on this lake decided to do something for children facing critical illness. Bruce Nicolle ran his poker run every year until he passed in February 2008. The Performance Boat Club took it on rather than let it end, and it has gone off every single year since — never once cancelled.
On Saturday, September 19 it ran for the thirty-sixth time. Net proceeds: $28,000 to Make-A-Wish Canada. That brings what this run has delivered since 2009 to $376,860.
Teagan and Paige
Teagan and Paige Parker make jewellery. It is a small business run by two young people who decided that what they had made should go to the wish kids, so they donated six pairs of handmade earrings to the auction and hoped to make a splash.
The room took it from there. When the bidding finally stopped, six pairs of earrings had sold for $15,000 to longtime club member and supporter Kevin Primmer.
That is more than half of everything the run delivered this year. Two girls, a folding table, and a room full of people who understood exactly what was being asked of them.
“That was one of the finest moments in our club’s history. Amazing cause and a rewarding experience for these two entrepreneurs. Very proud moments for the club. Well done everyone.”
— Beth Steinbeck
“That was so exciting for these girls and the bidding was very very generous. Congratulations girls.”
— Patrick Bray
Thank you to Teagan, to Paige, to Kevin, and to Miranda Parker for letting us tell it.
Why we come back
There is a thing our members say to each other every September, usually on the dock, usually quietly.
We get to do this.
We get to spend a Saturday on a beautiful lake, with people we like, in boats we love, and hand a cheque to a charity at the end of it. Somewhere out there is a family whose Saturday looked nothing like ours — a hospital room, a treatment schedule, a wait with no end date they can see. More than 4,000 children across Canada are still waiting for their wishes.
That gap is the whole reason this run exists. Bruce understood it in 1991. We try not to forget it.
What the lake said back
This was the first year we published the full history — thirty-six years, never missed, and the money. What came back from around Rice Lake told us something.
“We love the poker run. Little chilly when moving. Blankets are required. But we come annually to see. What a show!”
— Ang Bullock
“Loved watching it from Hastings. … Perfect day today, best one yet.”
— Kelly Sage
“Love watching the beautiful boats.”
— Karen Craig
And one that stopped us:
“My friend the late Bruce Nicolle started the poker run years ago. He did it for the Children’s Wish Foundation.”
— Linda Wisson
Thirty-six years on, people on this lake still remember him as a friend. That is the legacy.
Thank you
To our members. You bring the boats, the crews and your wallets, and you do it five times a season. This club is a hundred people who show up. The photograph from Saturday morning is what $28,000 looks like before it is a cheque.
To our sponsors. Title sponsors Edwards Mazda and Double R Performance, and our supporting sponsors: Birch Point Marina, Hull Life Insurance, Dock Links, MD Marine Insurance, Canadian Waste Management, W.B. White Insurance, Brett & Sherri Wells, Angels Touch Massage – Paradise Spa & Tanning, BMLE Muskoka, Nordic Group, StoneLink, C-TOW, TRC Dave Grant, The Gravity Group, Fawcett Excavating and Golden Beach Resort. Without you there is no run, no auction, and no cheque.
To the communities around Rice Lake. Roseneath, Bewdley, Hastings, Gores Landing, Keene and the Otonabee. You open your docks and your shorelines to us every September, you line the banks, and you wave us through.
“What a fantastic event to have right here in Otonabee-South Monaghan’s backyard. Not only does it bring visitors to our beautiful waterfront, it also provides a great opportunity to support the many local businesses, resorts, marinas, and restaurants that help make Rice Lake such a special destination.”
— Tara Loucks
We are glad of that. Mostly we are glad you let us come.
“Bruce started this run because he wanted to do something for kids who were facing the worst thing a family can face. Thirty-six years later we’re still doing it, and we’ve never missed a year. That’s not our achievement — it’s his legacy, and it belongs to everyone who’s shown up on this lake since 1991.”
— Jeff Devolin, President, Performance Boat Club Events Inc.
Our 2026 season closes October 3 with the Kawartha Lakes Fall Run in Bobcaygeon, for the Kawartha Lakes Spirit of Christmas.
See you next September.
About Performance Boat Club Events Inc.
Based in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Performance Boat Club Events Inc. (PBCE) has run charity poker runs on Ontario’s lakes since 2005 and was incorporated as an Ontario not-for-profit in 2009. Its season runs under the banner POWER · SPEED · COMMUNITY · CHARITY. Over 22 consecutive seasons, PBCE and its charitable arm, Performance Boat Club Charities, have donated more than $1.2 million to more than 25 Ontario organizations.