Hello to all and I hope you had a great weekend. The weekend was beautiful and for those that got out to shoot I know you had a great time. Coharie shot over the weekend and Mac has posted the shoot report. Three shoots this weekend with Old Hickory and Gastonia on Saturday and Buckhorn's Toys For Tots shoot on Sunday. Rockingham will host their monthly Lewis Class shoot on Sunday beginning at 2PM.
Coharie held their last registered shoot of 2014 and Mac won the singles, Danny Lloyd won the handicap and Greg High won the doubles with Mac winning the HOA. Looks like a little frost on the ground Saturday morning and shooters arrived to a chilly clubhouse due to a faulty heater. Handyman Al Williams got it working and all heat was restored. Dates for 2015 are as follow......3/7/15 - 4/11/15 - 5/16/15 - 6/27/15 - 8/1/15 - 9/12/15 - 10/10/15........And there you have it.
Three registered and one non-registered shoot this weekend. Gastonia and Old Hickory host a typical 300 target program this Saturday. Buckhorn hosts their annual Toys For Tots shoot Sunday and bring a toy for the Marines to distribute to the local needy children. Rockingham hosts their Lewis Class shoot Sunday at 2PM with 50 singles and 50 caps shot 1 yard past your ATA handicap yardage. Three Lewis class payouts with a $20 entry fee.
I got an email from South Carolina shooter Pat Childers about a new 1 trap gun club near Tabor City NC. Former Myrtle Grove manager Bill Martin will be running the Trap, Skeet, 5-Stand and new Sporting Clays course that is under construction. Terry Roush took a trip to certify the trap field for registered ATA events. I have posted the info about the club and a few pictures of the trap and the folks on site when Terry visited Thursday. Go to NC Club News and then click on the thread "Newest NC Trap Club". The club will be hosting BIG50 shoots and registered shoots just like they did at Myrtle Grove. You are going to pay $8 for a round of trap so just an FYI........
I took a look at the ATA newsletter PostOne and they are stressing the fact that a lot of folks are preparing for the 2015 Grand American. If you had a spot last year you will be good but after December 15th you can register for camping spots. For more info you can visit http://www.shootata.com. Has it been awhile since you received Trap & Field? 12 issues for $35 to keep you up to date with the happenings in the ATA all year round. The ATA is offering 5 free ATA memberships for new folks wanting to join the ATA. If you have friends that are on the fence about joining just check with your local club for more information. ATA average cards can be printed out on the web now and the ATA rulebook is also available on the web........Just got to http://www.shootata.com for the 411.
A week ago on Sunday night I was sitting in the room with JC Nunn at the Hospice Home off of Westchester drive in High Point NC. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would see this man drawing a breath. I got the call Monday morning from his son Ricky and I just knew it was the end for the old Tailgunner. Things went pretty quick and the wake was Thursday night at the Hanes Lineberry Funeral Home on Elm Street in Greensboro. As I entered the viewing area there was an actual bench style trap with a Champion target on the arm and a box of targets in front of the trap. There was his NCTA Hall Of Fame plaque on an easel and the old AL2 on one side and the AL391 I sold JBird in 2006. Around the room were pictures and the wreathes had clay targets attached into the flowers like a pair of doubles. A large flat screen TV displayed about 100 pictures that were supplied by Ricky and myself. At one time a group of about 15 - 20 jockeyed for position to view this smiling gentleman we all knew and loved.
On the other side was the Tailgunner finally at rest and ready to be viewed by his family and friends. He looked good actually and his Hall Of Fame pin was on his suit lapel. I want to thank everybody that attended Thursday night and especially to Billy Thigpen and his wife for making the trip from Shelby to honor JC. There were folks from his Church and folks that worked with him at the News & Record. I also noticed flowers that were sent from the Buckhorn Gun Club and the Watauga Gun Club and they were beautiful and appreciated.
Friday was the day of the service in the chapel and the preacher did a great job even though he new very little about JC. It was a simple service with a couple of old school hymns and JC would have enjoyed the way it was conducted. The procession took off and it was an adventure but we did manage to get to the cemetery before the hearse did. The pallbearers included myself, Lane Murray, JT Brewer, Scott Shoulars, Lewis Wyatt and Tommy Brown. JC was entombed above ground in a chapel and as the coffin was brought to a rest the Veterans honor guard proceeded with their 21 gun salute. I was pretty good until then and then the folding of the American flag was next. It seemed like an eternity and then it was all over.
I rode by Sunday on the way to Rock to see exactly which tomb he was in and evidently they were preparing the plaque for his spot. Every time I ride up or down highway 29 I will be thinking about JC and all the fun we had riding around and shooting Trap. He will surely be missed but never forgotten. I called some of his friends to let them know some of the details and they included Jim Mitchell in Georgia, Bob Batke in Ohio, Chuck Dalmus in Georgia and Russell Tibi in Pennsylvania. He had friends all over and outlived most all of them.......
That is about it for this week and the weather looks good for Saturday and 70% chance of rain for Sunday and 47 degrees...........BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR - Hello to Hap, Scott and Lou and until next week.......................................................Smokem