Record numbers compete in 18th annual Poker Run

Anyone on Navarre Beach on Saturday morning heard them long before they saw them.

The roar of the engines let everyone know the 18th annual Emerald Coast Poker Run was underway. Soon the boats appeared, zooming in from the east. Throughout the day there was a nonstop parade of brightly-colored red, green and yellow boats, called cigarette or cigar boats roaring under the Navarre Bridge.

This year, boats made two stops in Navarre.  They received tickets at Juana’s Pagoda and Helen Back Again, as they raced to Pensacola Beach before returning to Fort Walton Beach.

For more on this story, check out the Aug. 19 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.