BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Merrill Area Community Ride (MACR) will hold their 7th Annual Mud ‘N Jams ATV/UTV/Motorcycle Ride and Poker Run this Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. at Z’s Fork Horner’s Bar and Grill, N4291 Cty. Rd. X in Gleason.
MACR’s mission focuses on “bringing Merrill area communities together to enjoy an array of outdoor recreational activities, while supporting fellow community members: individuals, families, and non-profit organizations in need.” For the first six years of the event, MACR focused primarily on helping Merrill and Gleason area community members in need; however, “based in large part to generous support over the years from the Tomahawk community,” MACR has expanded its reach.
“In 2022, the MACR Board of Directors unanimously voted to expand the organization’s reach to all Lincoln County communities, including the City of Tomahawk,” said Jeremy Ratliff, Chair of the Board of Directors of MACR.
“This year’s event is quite special as it is the first event in MACR’s seven-year existence that the organization has selected a Tomahawk-based support recipient, Kinship of Tomahawk!” he said.
Kinship of Tomahawk is a non-profit organization that provides mentoring opportunities to youth and families in the Tomahawk area community. Established as a result of a Feb. 14, 1997, community roundtable held by Tomahawk Together during which a youth mentoring program and family resource center were determined to be the top two needs for the community, the following summer the Tomahawk Together Board of Directors selected the Kinship Program and established a Board of Directors for Kinship of Tomahawk. Dec. 1997 marked the first official mentor match and the program has been growing in the 25 years since.
In 2011, the organization started their KinsKlub Program; in 2013 they moved into Kinship House in downtown Tomahawk; in 2022 the Lunch Buddy Program officially started (COVID disrupted an attempt to start earlier); and last fall Kinship received an AT&T Foundation Grant to begin an afterschool tutoring program for middle school and high school KinsKids.
The proceeds from Mud ‘N Jams 2023 will be donated to Kinship of Tomahawk to further support their mentorship programs.
This year’s event kicks off at 11:00 a.m. with guided ATV/UTV and motorcycle rides on a seven-stop poker run through Lincoln, Langlade, and Oneida Counties, both starting and ending at Z’s Fork Horner’s. Evening events include the poker run drawing, food, cash and raffle prizes, and live music provided by Merrill’s Honkytonk Highway, sponsored by 365 Powersports of Merrill. More information is available on the MACR Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/RideMerrill.