Project Appleseed

Project Appleseed is an activity of The Revolutionary War Veterans Association and dedicated to teaching every American our shared heritage and history as well as traditional rifle marksmanship skills.

The Project Appleseed marksmanship clinic will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Hernando Sportsman’s Club, 16121 Commercial Way in Brooksville.

Registration begins at 8a.m., Saturday. The clinic starts at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m., both days.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association is a non-profit organization operated by volunteer instructors. Our volunteer instructors travel across the country teaching those who attend about the difficult choices, the heroic actions, and the sacrifices that the Founders made on behalf of modern Americans for our country’s freedom and independence.

Project Appleseed’s heritage program vividly portrays the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Modern listeners are confronted with the danger, the fear, and the heartbreaking separations that arose out of the choices made on April 19, 1775. They are also reminded of the marksmanship skills and masterful organization that ultimately helped set the colonists on the path to success. Those who attend gain a better understanding of the fundamental choices faced by our ancestors as they began to set the stage for the nation we now enjoy.

Participants are taught fundamental rifle marksmanship skills that are to allow a rifleman to be accurate out to 400 yards, with iron sights, standard rifle and surplus ammo. Most of the instruction at a Project Appleseed event is conducted on the firing range at 25 meters, at reduced size targets to simulate 100 to 400 yards. Students will learn safe gun handling, proper use of a sling, and Revolutionary War history.

Please bring your own ear/eye protection, rifle with sling and ammo, rifle mat, bug repellent, hat, sunscreen, a packed lunch, snacks, and drinks. Please bring plenty of water to stay hydrated. Food and beverages are also available for purchase for lunch in the clubhouse.

A .22 caliber rifle is recommended due to the cost of ammunition, but you can use a center-fire rifle if preferred. About 250 rounds of ammunition will be needed per day.

Marksmanship Clinic fees: Adult males: $50 one day or $80 two days; Adult females: $20 one day or $40 two days; Youth less than 18 years old: $10 one day or $20 two days; or one free youth per paying adult, male or female.

Active military, Guard and Reserve, Law Enforcement Officers with ID, disabled, elected officials and Revolutionary re-enactors in costume are free.

Additional club range fees of $14 per day applies for adults and children age 12 and older.

To register online, go to www.appleseedinfo.org. For information, call (727) 452-4650.

4-H Trap Tournament results The Hernando County Sportsman’s 4-H Club hosted a state wide Trap Shoot Fundraiser on March 23.

Several 4-H certified volunteers and Hernando Sportsman’s Club Range Officers were on hand for safety briefings and to lend a helping hand wherever needed.

All Star awards and trophies donated trophies for the top three participants in each division. Thank you to owners Stuart and Maricriss Dausch.

In our youth division, top shooter was Justin Register, a 4-H member from Polk County. Second place was earned by Dillon Jenkins and third place by Michael Fillinger, both from Hernando County.

In our adult fivision, some youth who have earned high levels of achievement also compete to make it fair. Top shooter honors went to Chris Allen with Hernando youth member Jacob Taylor earning second and Frank Zimmer earned third. Youth shooter Tommy Sharp tied Zimmer in regular competition but was the first to miss in the shoot off.

Our senior adult division was won this year by John Maklary with Frank Pete taking second and Harold Bond earning third.

We are extremely thankful to Hernando Sportsman’s Club, and Randy and Diane Rickert, managers, as event sponsors. The club hosts and sponsors this 4-H club year round and we are proud to call them our partners in youth development.

Funds raised from this event will assist our five youth who have earned their way to compete in the 4-H National Shooting Sports Invitational to be held in Nebraska this summer. Our youth earned the top five places in the state for rifle this year, allowing them the honor to compete against youth from all over the United States.

We are still looking for sponsors to help our youth get to this event. If you have any ideas or would like to make a donation to their cause, please contact UF/IFAS Extension Agent Nancy Moores at (352) 754-4433, select ‘option 2’, or email her at [email protected].

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