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STANFORD – If anyone is looking for a good excuse, and a great cause, to go out off-roading this weekend, Priscilla Miller has something for you.

For the past five years, Miller, along with her husband George, has devoted time and energy to helping raise money to put Christmas presents in the hands of children who might otherwise not receive any by planning and coordinating the “Christmas in June” Off-Road Ride. All proceeds benefit the Ft. Logan Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) “Shop with a Cop” event, were members of the Stanford Police Department are paired with children to pick out presents, paid for by donations of various kinds.

On Saturday, June 22, the Millers are doing it again, inviting the public to ride their off-road vehicles down Stanford’s Main Street and through Lincoln County in the 6th Annual “Christmas in June” Off-Road Ride.

“We have had 4-wheelers, Jeeps, Razors, dirt bikes. This is for anything anybody can take off-road,” Priscilla Miller said.

In 2018, around 500 riders and even more spectators turned out for the fundraising event, bringing in over $7,100 for the “Shop with a Cop” program.

“It’s grown and grown every year and we’re hoping to have more this year,” Miller said. “We’ve been told by the police that this is the main fundraiser for it (“Shop with a Cop”). We (herself and George Miller) do most of the planning but we have a lot of people who help us. We couldn’t do it alone.”

The event gets underway Saturday morning on Spoonamore Lane, just outside Stanford, with the registration period running from 10 a.m. until noon. At noon, riders will head to Main Street and the steps of the Lincoln County Courthouse where door prizes will be awarded.

There is a $15 fee per driver, which earns them a spot in the ride as well as a hamburger or hot dog meal. There is a $5 fee per passenger and a $5 cover for non-riders.

As an added fundraising opportunity, Wesley Peak will be selling snow cones to riders or anyone interested in coming out and supporting “Christmas in June,’ donating the proceeds to the FOP.

After all the door prizes have been passed out on Main Street, drivers and riders will load up and head back out to Spoonamore Lane where everyone will eat before heading out on the rest of the ride. At the Spoonamore Lane stop, there will be a dirt track for a few races and a mud pit.

“After we eat is when (ride) moves off-road,” Miller said, noting that the riders will be winding through the county’s scenic woods. “And it’s rain or shine. You’d be getting wet anyway because we go through a creek on the ride.”

While planning the “Christmas in June” Off-Road Ride, requires a lot of work, Miller said she has no plans to stop doing it.

“The kids are the reason that pushes us to do it,” she said. “When you see the smiles on the kids’ faces as they shop for Christmas presents, it just gets to you. I have cried at times.”

For more information, contact Priscilla Miller at (606) 282-0588 or George Miller at (606) 510-5855.