Mavrick Von Haug (a.k.a. Mavrick Harvey), right, was named Honorary Mayor of Lucerne Valley during a grand finale dinner event Friday night at the Lucerne Valley Senior Center. Joining Harvey is Ron Scriven, center, who also ran for the honorary post, and Woody Hart, left, the current president of the Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce who served as honorary mayor for several terms. Peter Day, Lucerne Valley Leader
By Peter Day
Leader Staff Writer
LUCERNE VALLEY — Mavrick Von Haug, who was known as Mavrick Harvey as a mixed martial arts champion, is now the honorary mayor of Lucerne Valley, a small, rural town of about 6,000 residents located a few hours northeast of Los Angeles.
Von Haug was named to the honorary post Friday during a grand finale dinner event at the Lucerne Valley Senior Center. The event was a culmination of a months-long fundraising drive that pitted Van Haug against local karaoke jockey Ron Scriven, a retired mobile screen installer and U.S. Navy veteran. Proceeds from honorary mayor events go to help with office staffing for the Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"I appreciate both of them," Woody Hart, a former honorary mayor who serves as president of the chamber, said of the competitors. "They both did a fantastic job."
In recent years, Von Haug has turned to acting. Since 2013, he has appeared in three feature films with "Boone: The Bounty Hunter" coming out this year. Last year, Mavrick began appearing on the A&E hit, "Storage Wars," bidding on storage auctions for his White Elephant Thrift Store, located on Lucerne Valley's main drag. Von Haug has lived on a ranch in a remote section of Lucerne Valley for several years.
Von Haug assumes the mantle of honorary mayor from Lyle Thomas, a local mining safety engineer who was known for his giant Cat in the Hat hat that he wore during official chamber duties such as ribbon cuttings and grand openings.
Normally an honorary position, Von Haug plans on using his honorary mayor title to help the youth of Lucerne Valley, which with a median household income of around $34,000 is regarded as an economically challenged community. More than one-fifth of the town's residents are considered to be living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
During his fund-raising events, Von Haug held a bicycle giveaway in which about 100 needy children were given new bicycles. Many of the recipients also received haircuts from volunteer, professional hairstylists while families enjoyed a taco lunch prepared by S Five Entertainment, which also provided a disc jockey. Recently, Von Haug was forced to cancel a shoe giveaway event after a bout of pneumonia put him in a local hospital for many days.
In the future, Von Haug wants to bring professionals in different fields to expose local students to a variety of career options, such a marine biology. He also wants to ensure the local children maintain that connection, which will lead them to their chosen colleges and careers.
"We want to strengthen our community," Von Haug said, adding, "We want to keep control of the small town feel."
According to Sherdog.com, the fighter, as Mavrick Harvey, had a record of 8 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw, many in "Kage Kombat" events. He won a dramatic fight rematch against Shannon Ritch on Nov. 12, 2005 when Ritch sustained an injury, which forced a technical knock out ruling.