A participant from the 2012 clay shoot takes aim down range. The shoot will now feature two (instead of one) target shooters at each of the 10 stations and there will also be two-person flurries, which will give shooters an opportunity to practice or compete amongst themselves for bragging rights.
March 23, 2016
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photo by Brandon Steinert
The Barton Foundation will host its Seventh Annual Clay Shoot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 17 at Camp Aldrich, 884 NE 110 Ave. in Claflin. It is sponsored by Hammeke Electric, Inc, Innovative Livestock Services, MSI and Murphy Family Enterprises.
Shooters can participate as individuals or as three-person teams in the 100-target Lewis Class style tournament. The money raised is used for mini-grants for Barton faculty members to purchase items for their classrooms that will enhance the student learning experience.
Early bird registration is $60 through April 1. The fee is $70 after April 1. This includes lunch prepared by Great Western Dining, a round of 100 sporting clays, prizes for the overall winners and Lewis class winners and chance drawings for gifts. The fee does not include shells, but those will be available for purchase. Non-shooters can purchase a $10 ticket for lunch. Shooters are allowed to bring their ATVs and golf carts. Shooters can register at clayshoot.bartonccfoundation.org.
The vendor for this year’s shoot will be Linden Target Sports, which will supply the equipment, run the operations for the event and design the course to complement Camp Aldrich’s landscape.
This is the first time the shoot will be held at Camp Aldrich, which is located two miles north of Highway 156 between Claflin and the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. It sits on 290 acres of rolling sand hills and wilderness areas. The camp boasts at least 70 species of wild flowers and grasses, 57 different types of birds, deer, turkey and various other animals; some of which are on the endangered species list.
In only seven years, the shoot has already become one of the premier clay shooting events in the state and also one of the largest, said Coleen Cape, Coordinator of Fundraising and Special Events at the Barton Foundation.
The shoot has traditionally been held at LaSada Sporting Clays and Hunting Service in Russell. Cape said there were two reasons the Foundation chose to change the venue to Camp Aldrich: the Foundation wanted to show off the camp to promote its many uses to the public, and the layout and rustic wooded geography of the camp make for a challenging and enjoyable shoot.
Following the fire that burned down the Dining and Events Center at Camp Aldrich, the Foundation scouted several other venues and locations. Each one was found lacking in some way to meet the event’s needs.
“So, instead of forging ahead and holding a sub-standard event, it was decided by the Foundation Board of Directors to hold off and plan the event at Camp Aldrich for April 17, 2016,” Cape said. “This event promises to be bigger and better than ever and we are thankful to all of our donors for hanging in there with us.”
For more information, contact Cape at capec@bartoncc.edu or (620) 786-1136.
Other major sponsors for the fundraiser are:
12 Gauge Sponsors
Cuna Mutual Retirement Solutions
David and Shellie Thill
Dove Chevrolet Buick Cadillac
Farmers Bank and Trust
M & M Equipment
P & S Security
20 Gauge Sponsors
American State Bank & Trust Company
Jack Bowman
Eldridge Fencing
First Kansas Bank
Great Bend Farm Equipment, Inc.
Great Bend Tribune
Wal-Mart Super Center
.410 Gauge Sponsors
Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball CPA
Claflin Pump & Supply
Golden Belt Telephone
Great Bend Coop
Mel & Darnell Holopirek
Holopirek Cattle Company
Keller Real Estate & Insurance Agency
Robert & Julie Peter
Plains State Bank
Abelardo Sotelo MD
Special thanks to The Sportsman’s Corner and O’Brien Sports Shop.