By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
"Alright ramblers, let's get ramblin'" is a line from the 1992 movie "Reservoir Dogs." Alright gamblers, let's get gamblin' may be a more appropriate quote for nearly 70 drivers heading through Barton County this weekend as part of the Kansas Outkast Gambler 500. Organizer Oree Klein, from Canton, said it's a fun weekend with a good cause.
"These events are all over the United States now," he said. "Almost every state has a Gambler 500 if not two or three events. Some of them have some different rules. In Kansas, we've adapted to let everybody come have fun."
Central Kansas Off Road Association (CKORA) is welcoming the event that runs from Friday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 24. The rules are simple: bring a cheap or wild vehicle, be self-reliant, and pick up some trash along the way to several waypoints along a 500-mile stretch of mostly back roads. Base camp will be the CKORA riding area south of the Radium bridge.
"The gamble part is seeing if you're going to make it the 500 miles in your cheap vehicle," Klein said.
Sometimes the cleanup is substantial. The group met near Herington Lake and Reservoir for an event in April. More than 170 tires were picked up from the sides of roads, and the group filled a 30-yard dumpster with 2,100 pounds of garbage they collected.
No points are handed out, but the Outkast 500 will have some custom trophies created by a gambler who is driving in from WyoTech to participate.
"The trophies we give out are usually for who picked up the most trash, who lived the gambler style for the weekend, so giving back by picking up the land and helping others," said Klein.
Klein encourages participants to shop locally once they arrive at a location, and he plans to meet with the CKORA board to determine which local organizations might benefit from a small donation.
Drivers will arrive and register Friday around noon. A driver's meeting will be held Saturday morning, and a parade of vehicles typically follows.