Kuttawa Cannonball Run supports local causes close to home
Ison Marine’s Tiffany Ison participated in 24 poker runs in 2024 and one of her favorites is the Kuttawa Cannonball Run.
Run on Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake near Kuttawa, Kentucky, the poker run will celebrate its 10th anniversary May 29-30, 2026. What makes the nonprofit event stand out for Ison is its commitment to charity.
“I love the run. You can tell everybody is there not just because we love boating, but to help the community and the causes,” Ison said. “The simplest way to put it is the vibes are just there. Everyone is amazing and the cause is amazing.”
The Saturday night charity auction at Kuttawa Harbor Marina is the defining event of the Kuttawa Cannonball Run. Led by auctioneer Nolan Ferris, the auction raised more than $110,000 in 2025. Boaters and the community donate auction items from motorcycles to luxury vacations.
The money raised from the auction goes directly to organizations such as the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association Boys and Girls Ranch, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office.
In the past, the money donated has been used to buy equipment for search and rescue teams, send underprivileged kids to camp and provide disaster relief directly to families. The organizers, which include Terry Martin, Jeff Hoefling and Stephen Miles, don’t take any money from the event that raised more than $500,000 for charity over the years.
Ison appreciates the money going directly to Kentucky nonprofits, instead of national organizations.
“You know exactly where it’s going and it’s actually benefiting those around us, not a national charity,” she said.
Ison Marine, located in Somerset, Kentucky, has always had a presence at the Cannonball Run. Tiffany and her husband Paul brought a Cigarette center console to the run, which is more about supporting the run and charity than selling boats.
“Everybody in the community is welcome, you don’t have to have a boat,” Ison said. “It’s not just the boaters that come to the charity event. Anyone and everyone can get behind it to raise money for the community.”
The 2025 event had more than 120 entries for the poker run. Participants can do a 20-mile run on Barkley Lake or a 124-mile run that includes Barkley Lake and Kentucky Lake to pick up their playing cards. Organizers don’t have set departure times, so the poker runners can choose their own adventure.
One event most boaters don’t miss is the Friday raft-off. Dozens of boats tie up together in a protected cove on Lake Barkley, spending the afternoon floating, swimming and listening to music. The boats are a mix of performance boats, runabouts and center consoles that join the raft-off in the tree-lined cove.
“I highly recommend getting there early to experience the raft-up,” Ison said. “It gives you a little mix of everything.”
With the event taking place the first weekend after Memorial Day weekend, the weather in Kentucky can be unpredictable. Even when the rain shortened the 2024 event, the Cannonball Run was still able to raise $80,000.
Ison will always be there, rain or shine.
