Dozens of people attended the Marietta Morning Rotary Rally and Poker Run last week in downtown Marietta. (Photo provided)

The Marietta Morning Rotary Club held a fundraiser last week downtown, bringing drivers and spectators together for its Rotary Rally, Poker Run and Cruise-In to support the Dick Hanf Memorial Fund and help offset fees for the Marietta High School crew team.

The event featured live music, 50/50 drawings, a small car show and pizza from Over the Moon Pub & Pizza, which donated 10% of its sales back to the Rotary club. Proceeds from the event will go to the Dick Hanf Memorial Fund and be used to offset rower fees for members of the Marietta High School crew team.

Dave Haas said the event was organized as a three-part competition centered around automotive enthusiasts.

“The first part was what’s known by car enthusiasts as a poker run,” Haas said. “Essentially, you stop at multiple destinations and you draw a card at each one of those destinations, and then at the end of the event, the highest wins.”

Participants also competed in a precision rally, where drivers attempted to complete four route segments at legal speeds while matching pre-calculated travel times as closely as possible.

Cars lined the riverfront in downtown Marietta for the Morning Rotary Rally and Poker Run last week. (Photo provided)

“The goal to win is to drive the route at legal speed and try to match the calculated time,” Haas said.

Haas said organizers calculated the time for each leg of the route based on speed limits, then tested the route themselves to make sure it was accurate. Drivers were timed at each stop, and the results were run through a spreadsheet to determine which participant came closest to the target time.

The winner of the rally portion was about 12 minutes off the calculated time for all four legs, Haas said.

“That’s not bad at all,” Haas said. “Because, you know, if you get stuck in traffic, or you get stuck in the traffic light, or there’s a farmer with a tractor going down, pulling a wagon, that all holds you up.”

After the driving portion concluded, participants returned to Marietta for a cruise-in and small car show on Second Street. Those who participated in the event, along with spectators who bought a food and beverage package, were able to vote for their favorite car.

Julian Barhorst checks out a DeLorean at the Marietta Morning Rotary's Rotary Rally and Poker Run. (Photo provided)

Haas said the winning vehicle was a blue Porsche.

The fundraiser also served as a tribute to former Rotary member Dick Hanf, who died in 2023. Haas said Hanf had been an active member of the club and regularly took part in fundraisers, work parties and other Rotary projects.

“He was always in every fundraising event and every work party and anything we did, he was always there and involved,” Haas said.

Haas said the club created the Hanf Fund at the Marietta Community Foundation after Hanf’s death to support causes connected to his interests.

“When he died, we wanted to honor him, so we started the Hanf Fund at the Marietta Community Foundation,” Haas said.

The fund is restricted to youth baseball, the Marietta High School rowing program, band activities and permanent community improvements, Haas said. He said Hanf had been active in youth baseball and had family connections to the rowing program and band.