Benelli’s Tim Bradley’s Shooting Show and Heath Getty, a young archer from the St. John area, were the main events Sat. and Sun., October 24th and 25th, at the shooting range of Smoky Valley Shooting Sports, located 3 miles south of Lindsborg on Highway 81. Manufacturers’ reps from Benelli, Browning, Winchester, Berretta, and Caesar Guerini were also available with an array of products inviting the visitors to “Try Me.” A shooting range was available for all those who wanted to test their skill or try a new firearm. Lee and Genie Swenson, owners, graciously offered a tent for me to campaign and meet avid sportsmen and women from the surrounding area. Their family and staff are always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. (Son Stuart even drove the car for us in the Svensk Hyllningsfest parade accompanied by his nieces Lynn and Lakyn.) Carl, granddaughter Aubrey, and I set up the campaign materials, the flags, and banners and waited for the day’s events to take shape. Our son Brandon, Aubrey’s father, is the bow tech at Smoky Valley, so Aubrey was excited to spend a couple of days at “daddy’s work.”
Saturday the gusts of wind and overcast skies kept the light of heart from venturing out, but about 500 people bundled on the stands to watch the exhibition trick shooter ply his trade. The young archer is quite adept at shooting clay targets with a bow, a video that played in the store through most of the two days, attested to his skill and agility. However, the wind gusts played havoc with the clay birds and a disappointed young man vowed to return the following day for another attempt.
On Sunday, reduced wind speeds and clearing skies promised a much better day for the shooting exhibitions. But as the morning progressed, a light drizzle began to fall that continued throughout the day and into the evening. Tim Bradley, the exhibition shooter, performed his show for a smaller crowd, but amazed and entertained them, none the less, with his precision shooting that included scrambled eggs, and tossed salad! The young archer fared much better, but it is hard to maintain the precision required when the bundled crowd is anxious for the finale and the rain continues to fall.
We had a good time, we met many constituents dedicated to the promise of the Second Amendment and the guaranteed individual right to own a firearm – an American tradition, constantly under attack, that must be protected. None of the other rights, outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are secure without the vital Second Amendment.
Smoky Valley Shooting Sports will be the host of the 2010 Kansas State Sporting Clays Association State Championship June 24 – 27.
You can check out SVSS on the web at www.smokyvalleyshootingsports.com
