BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com

Jack Kilby Square will roar to life Aug. 26 after the Great Bend City Council Wednesday night authorized the closure of a portion of Lakin Avenue for Sunflower Diversified Services’ annual Ride for Independence Poker Run.
The closure includes the north half of Lakin from Main Street to Kansas Avenue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on that Saturday for the event. The motorcycles will leave Larned around 10 am, travel to three locations and end at the square in Great Bend around noon.
Sunflower’s Tammie Caley said at each stop, participants will take part in an activity, earning a card. Prizes will be based on the poker hands collected by the riders.
Sunflower Diversified Services plans is to host over 200 motorcycles and over 20 vehicles, Caley said. Although it is geared toward motorcycles, any street-legal vehicle can be involved.
The end location will have food and other vendors set up along Lakin. Jaron Bell will perform in the Clayton Moses Memorial Band Shell.
Caley said they have arranged it to close the north half of Lakin so it is still possible for businesses on Lakin to have parking and options for Saturday business. All the Lakin businesses have signed a petition allowing the closure.
In other business Wednesday night, the Great Bend City Council:
• Approved abatements at: 305 Fruit St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Manuel Tavarez Valdez; 309 Buckeye St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Ricardo and Griselda Rodriguez; 425 Maple St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Juan Gomez; 712 Holland St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Justin Berger; 4th and Pain Street, accumulation of refuse, owned by Stephen and Norma Byfield.