By coming out to Clear Creek Campground in Angie next weekend for Saddle up for St. Jude, locals can support a good cause and have some family fun at the same time.

The benefit, to be held Friday through Sunday, is being sponsored by Pushepatappa Horse Riding and ATV Club.

Last year’s event was held during the summer. Even with the hot conditions, attendance was at about about 150-200 people, organizer Danny Stogner said.

“For it to be so hot, it was a nice turnout,” he said. “That’s the reason we’re having it earlier this year.”

In the nine years the event has been held, it has raised an estimated $33,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Stogner said.

The event was started by Floyd Magee. When he got busy with work, he turned the reins over to Stogner, who recently retired from the Bogalusa City Council after serving 12 years.

Activities will include local groups singing on Friday night and music from a band on Saturday night. Throughout the weekend, Stogner said, people gather to socialize and have a good time.

The creek at the campground, Stogner noted, is beautiful. In addition to swimming, attendees can take part in mud pulls and ATV 4×4 riding in a gator pit, at their own risk. There will also be fishing, and participants must bring their own bait and equipment.

The campground includes places for children to play, such as a Cyprus log 8 feet in diameter that they can get in and slide down, Stogner said.

An 8-mile-long trail ride will take place Saturday morning, Stogner said. There will be a break halfway through the ride for sandwiches and soft drinks, and barbecue dinners will be on sale that evening.

Most people bring their own horses and wagons for the trail ride, but Stogner said some will be available to rent.

Additionally, an auction will be held Saturday night. Stogner said area merchants have been generous in donating auction items.

“The local merchants here in Bogalusa have been wonderful in helping us,” he said.

The campground has 10 camper trailer hookups with sewer and water, 12 with electricity only and numerous tent sites.

Benefit trail rides are held throughout the year at the campground, generally for someone in the community who is sick, Stogner said. A trail ride to benefit Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is in the planning stages for this fall, he said.

The campground is located at 29431 Frank Kennedy Road in Angie. For more information about the event, contact Stogner at 516-6597, Richard Crain at 986-9987 or 241-1450 or Ruby Haley Maynard at 515-3985.

If there is no answer, Stogner said, leave a message and the call will be returned.

Stogner hopes to see a large crowd at the Saddle up for St. Jude event.

“It’s for a good cause, and no one ever knows when their child might need it,” he said.