Tampa, Fla., club to hold poker run April 5 to recognize 75 years 

Photos Courtesy of Golden Eagles MC

For the last 75 years, Golden Eagles Motorcycle Club has been a staple of Tampa, Fla., and the motorcycling community, and to celebrate, the club is hosting their GEMC 75th Anniversary Poker Run on Saturday, April 5.

The poker run, which will pass through various counties in and around Tampa, will pay out a cash prize to the first, second and third best hands. The club welcomes all to attend, and participants can purchase each poker hand for $10, with half the money raised donated to a hospice charity. 

The element of supporting the community is one that has been engrained in the history of the club, with the last decade seeing club members supporting Gulfside Hospice by giving donations and helping set up the annual Hittin’ the Road for Hospice poker run. 

Golden Eagles MC got its start in 1950 when a few young members of Tampa’s largest motorcycle club — the Gasparilla Motorcycle Club — wanted to start their own club. With loyalty to the AMA from the start, the club got recognition early on when they were awarded “Best Dressed Club” at Daytona in 1955. 

Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, the club operated a scramble track and owned 11 acres of land, which was home to the Golden Eagles MC clubhouse. When the track closed, the club sold most the land and rebuilt the clubhouse in the mid-1980s. The clubhouse as it is known today was updated again in 2015 and is the site of monthly social events and meetings. 

Beyond meetings, Golden Eagles MC hosts several riding events throughout the year, including the Sea to Sea Ride, Tex and Mac Memorial Ride, Around the Lake Ride and Mountain Ride. 

More information on these events and Saturday’s anniversary poker run can be found by going to https://www.facebook.com/GoldenEaglesMotorcycleClubTampa/.