🏍️ The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill Launches First Charity Poker Run to Fund Local Scholarships

Spencer’s The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill is taking its commitment to local students a step further by organizing its inaugural poker run on Saturday, November 7. The multi-stop ride will connect riders across the Cumberland Plateau region while raising funds for a scholarship program designed to support young people pursuing careers in the trades and culinary arts.

📍 What’s Happening

The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill is hosting a charity poker run that will take participants on a five-stop journey across the region. Riders will begin registration at The Ugly Mug in Spencer between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., with kickstands up at 11:30 a.m. sharp. 🏁 The route includes stops at Willy T’s Off Main in Pikeville, Creekside Brewing Co. in Crossville, Three Boobs Brewing Co. in Sparta, and 1938 Social in Sparta, before returning to The Ugly Mug for the final stop, live music featuring Few Miles On, door prizes, and card hand scoring.

Registration costs $20 per bike and $10 per rider. All proceeds-100% of registration fees and donations-will go directly into The Ugly Mug’s scholarship fund. 💰

💡 Why This Matters

The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill‘s scholarship initiative reflects a deliberate strategy to invest in the future of Van Buren County students. Last year, the business raised nearly $2,500 in donations, which the owner matched with a personal contribution of $2,500, totaling $5,000 awarded to a single student at Van Buren County High School. This year’s poker run represents an expansion of that commitment-a chance to deepen community support for young people choosing skilled trades and culinary careers.

For a region where retaining young talent and building local workforce capacity matter deeply, this scholarship program carries particular weight. The business owner has articulated a vision that extends beyond one-time aid: the hope that scholarship recipients will stay local, build careers in the area, start businesses, and eventually pay forward their own scholarships to future students. 🌱 That cycle of investment and reinvestment strengthens community resilience and economic opportunity.

❤️ Community Connections

The poker run weaves together multiple layers of community. It connects riders and supporters across three counties-Bledsoe, Cumberland, and White-bringing together people who might not otherwise gather around a shared purpose. The route itself becomes a statement: these businesses and communities are linked by a commitment to local students and shared values. 🤝

The scholarship program specifically targets students at Van Buren County High School pursuing trade and culinary careers-fields that directly support local economic development and small business growth. By directing funds toward these pathways, The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill is signaling that skilled trades and food service careers are valued, viable, and worthy of investment in this region.

🎯 What Residents Should Know

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 7. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m., ride begins at 11:30 a.m.
• Starting Location: The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill, 70 I B Maynard Street, Spencer, Tennessee 38585
• Cost: $20 per bike, $10 per rider
• Route Stops: Willy T’s Off Main (Pikeville), Creekside Brewing Co. (Crossville), Three Boobs Brewing Co. (Sparta), 1938 Social (Sparta), and The Ugly Mug (Spencer)
• Can’t Ride? Donations are welcome in person at The Ugly Mug via cash, check, or electronic payment. 100% goes to the scholarship fund.

🚀 Opportunities for Connection

The poker run offers multiple ways for community members to participate and support local students. Riders can join the multi-stop journey and enjoy live music and prizes at the final stop. Those unable to ride can donate directly at The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill, knowing their contribution funds scholarships for students pursuing meaningful careers. Local businesses along the route-including Willy T’s Off Main, Creekside Brewing Co., Three Boobs Brewing Co., and 1938 Social-become part of the fundraising network simply by being stops on the route. 🎵

For Van Buren County High School students and families, the poker run represents visibility and validation: the community is actively investing in their futures and the futures of their peers.

🔄 What Happens Next

After the November 7 poker run concludes, The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill will tally donations and registration proceeds. The full amount will be added to the scholarship fund. The business owner has already demonstrated a pattern of matching or supplementing funds raised, suggesting the final scholarship award may exceed the amount collected on the day itself. 📊

Community members should watch for announcements about the scholarship recipient and award ceremony, likely to follow in the coming weeks or months. This visibility helps reinforce the connection between community support and student success-a powerful message for future fundraising efforts and for the scholarship recipient themselves.

💭 Community Threads: The Scholarship-as-Relationship Model

The Scholarship-as-Relationship Model: The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill‘s approach to scholarships goes beyond one-time financial aid. By explicitly hoping that recipients will stay local, start businesses, and eventually award their own scholarships, the owner is building a long-term relationship between the business, the student, and the community. This thread matters because it transforms a transaction into a legacy-each scholarship becomes a link in a chain of local investment and reinvestment. Residents benefit by understanding that supporting this event isn’t just about helping one student this year; it’s about seeding a culture of mutual support that could shape the region’s future.

The Multi-Stop Community Network: The five-stop route-connecting Pikeville, Crossville, Sparta, and Spencer-reveals an invisible network of businesses and communities that share values around local support and gathering. By making these stops part of the poker run, the event strengthens relationships between establishments that might otherwise operate independently. Residents who participate will see firsthand how their region is connected by shared commitment to community.

❓ Questions Worth Considering

• How might a scholarship program that explicitly encourages recipients to stay local and build careers in the region change the trajectory of young people in Van Buren County?
• What other local businesses or organizations might adopt a similar model of matching community donations or funding scholarships tied to specific career pathways?
• How does a multi-stop event like this poker run strengthen relationships between communities and businesses across county lines?
• What would it look like if scholarship recipients, years from now, began awarding their own scholarships in their business names-as the owner envisions?

🌟 Long-Term Community Impact

If The Ugly Mug Bar & Grill‘s scholarship model takes root and expands, it could reshape how the region thinks about workforce development and local retention. Rather than young people leaving to find opportunity elsewhere, a culture of business-backed scholarships tied to trades and culinary careers could create visible pathways to success that stay local. Over time, this could mean more skilled tradespeople, more food service entrepreneurs, and more business owners who remember their own scholarship support and reinvest in the next generation. 🏗️

The poker run itself-a community gathering with a purpose-models how social events can serve both connection and fundraising. If successful, it may inspire similar events across the region, creating multiple channels for community investment in student futures.