The parking lot at Stanton’s Forest Inn in Bryson was overflowing on Saturday evening as the near-400 participants in the annual Bryson Grand-Calumet Fire Department poker run made their way to the finish line.
Participants kicked off the run from Dépanneur Bérard on L’Île-du-Grand Calumet, and spent the day zig-zagging across the island to collect cards for their poker hand, which would only be unveiled at the final stop in Bryson.
There, lineups for hot dogs, hamburgers and fried fish snaked through the growing crowd. A gaggle of kids wrestled on a nearby sand pile, and groups of friends cracked cold ones on their tailgates, all waiting for the evening’s party to get under way.
This was the fourth year the fire department has hosted the event, and the first it has done so with support from the Campbell’s Bay-Litchfield Fire Department, with which it officially joined forces last summer.
But this year’s event was unique for a second, more significant reason – it served as a fundraiser for the families of Pontiac residents Charlie Frost and Steve Morin, two best friends who died tragically in a snowmobile accident in Mansfield this winter.
Kelly Nitschkie was the organizer of the poker run. She’s been a firefighter with the department for five years and said while the event usually draws around 130 participants, this year’s saw 390 people sign up.
“I can’t get over the amount of support. I’m not originally from the Pontiac, but it’s part of what’s made it my home, the humanity here. Seeing this today was just like, wow,” she said.
“There are some proceeds going to the fire department, a small amount, but the rest is going right to the families, and obviously the turnout is a lot in support of the families.”
The event also included a 50/50 draw and a silent auction with items donated by the community, as well as live music from Willy Rivet and Copper Moon.
“This was the opportunity to actually show the community that the fire department is not just about the fire department but is actually able to give back to the community,” she added.
The poker run’s winning hands belonged to Becky Early, Claire Sauriol, and Shelley McNamara.
‘They should be here’, says Morin’s wife
Many of the people gathered for the party were family members or friends of Charlie and Steve, or otherwise knew them from around the community, some coming from as far as La Pêche or the south side of Ottawa to support the fundraiser.
Charlie and Steve both left behind young families. While their kids stayed home, both their partners came out for the party.
“They should be here,” said Lauren Kluke, Steve’s wife. “They would love this, and they’re the first guys that would be doing this for other people.”
She described her late husband as an open, accepting guy who had a deep love for life.
“He loved everyone for who they were and how they came,” she said. “He always had this outlook on life to live it to the fullest, and he did.”
Lauren, who was pregnant when the snowmobile accident happened, now has three young boys at home, one just a month old.
“I’m still in January,” she said. “Time is moving, but we’re not.”
Regarding the turnout at Saturday’s poker run, she was speechless.
“The support from the community is positively overwhelming. It’s very emotional.”
These feelings were echoed by Charlie Frost’s longtime partner Tammie Bérard and mother Peggy Frost, also among the family who showed up to the event.
“I’m thankful for everyone that’s here. It’s overwhelming to see the community come together,” said Tammie, who runs Dépanneur Bérard Store on L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet.
Peggy said the men had been best friends since they were only three years old.
“[Steve’s mother] would phone my house just down the street. ‘Is Steve there?’ ‘Yup’ ‘Will you send them home?’ ‘I will once they’re finished playing,’” she recalled of the formative time the boys spent together growing up in Campbell’s Bay.
Tammie and Charlie had been together for 18 years, and have two boys together.
“Some days are hard. The kids keep me going, the store keeps me going, family, friends. I’ve never had to be alone, but when I am alone is when it’s hard,” Tammie said.
“Even this today, there was one trail we were always driving together,” she shared, tearing up. “It was so hard. There’s good days, bad days. One day at a time, is what I say.”
There are several other fundraisers in the works to support the families, including a pickleball tournament organized by the Pontiac Lions Club happening June 27, and a 3-pitch ball tournament happening over the weekend of July 25.
