MONTE VISTA— The second annual Kids Connection Charity Poker Tournament, hosted by Three Guys Farms and Kids Connection, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20. This year’s tournament will take place in the evening again at the Monte Villa Hotel. Social hour begins at 4 p.m. with seating and registration starting at 4:30 p.m. and a beginners’ introduction to Texas Hold’em at 5 p.m. The tournament starts at 5:30 p.m. with a complimentary dinner for players served from 7 to 8 p.m., provided by Three Guys Farms.

Individuals can purchase entries for $50, which includes dinner, one complimentary beverage and a tournament ticket to play in the charity event. If players wish to purchase more chips they can, but only for a limited period of time, to accommodate smooth game play and elimination of players from the tournament.

Individual and business sponsorships are also available, with several options to choose from. Bronze sponsorships, for $100-$249, include two entries, mentions on radio announcements and flyers and event t-shirts for players. Silver Sponsorships, for $250-$499, include all of the bronze perks in addition to up to five entries and a feature on the campaign page and a listing on the event banner. Gold Sponsorships, for $500 to $999, include everything from the silver level, in addition to ten entries and sponsoring a table. Platinum Sponsorships, for $1,000 or more include appearances in radio interviews with Monte Vista Kids Connection Director Anika Velasquez and Alex Notov of Three Guys Farms, two table sponsorships, up to 20 entries and all of the perks from the previous sponsorship levels.

Three Guys Farms will also be accepting in-kind donations which can be used for door prizes or other awards throughout the tournament. Some of last year’s local company sponsors were Monte Vista Wilbur-Ellis, San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Rio Grande Savings and Loan, Valley Publishing, Marty’s Maintenance LLC, Three Barrel Brewing Co., San Luis Valley Brewing Co., Absolute Shine Autobody, Myers Brothers Truck & Tractor, Inc, Worley & McCullough, HobbyTown, Bountiful Ventures, LLC - Meats and Processing, Salazar Meats, Cactus Hill Farm, Kim Marquez Photography, Southern Colorado Computer Services, Ron McClure Architecture, and Haynies Napa Auto Parts.

Players of all skill levels are encouraged to attend. The 2017 event included experts and first time players alike with initial seating done randomly. 

All of the proceeds from the sponsorships, entries, additional drink purchases and additional chip purchases will go directly to the Monte Vista Kids Connection, which provides after school activities, a healthy snack, homework help and a variety of beneficial social, educational and recreational programs to students ages five to 18 after school during the school year.

During the summertime, MVKC is open four full days per week and provides a healthy lunch, field trips to a variety of destinations around the San Luis Valley and gives children an opportunity to learn new hands-on skills through partnerships with other community organizations like the Jessie May Olson Memorial Community Garden.

“We’re very excited to again be helping such a vital institution in our community,” said Notov, “The Kids Connection provides as many services as possible for Monte Vista’s youth and we’re happy to give back to them and our community. The poker tournament is a unique fundraiser in the San Luis Valley and we hope to grow attendance every year.”