Youth Day set in Valley View

VALLEY VIEW - August 21st will mark the sixth time that the Valley View Gun Club and the Tri-Valley Bucktree Archery Club will host the annual Youth Day.

It is no secret that the ranks of young people, having exposure to the outdoors and activities related to the outdoors, is shrinking. In order to address this condition, concerned men and women from these two clubs brainstormed an event that would aid in correcting this shortfall.

Staples of the event have always been archery, trap shooting, sporting clays and game calling. Boys and girls having come back year after year have had a chance to develop interests in these fine sports, but the sporting world consists of far more.

In addition to the main events, other venues have been offered as well. Fly tying, trapping, wildlife ID and others have also been included. To continue with the tradition of variety, this year we will attempt to diversify even more by offering skills that are more age specific.

Understanding that these venues are tentative, we are going to attempt to offer fly casting and the DART video interactive turkey hunting simulator as new offerings to the 12 - 15 year old age group and pellet rifle shooting and outdoor trails natural history education for the 9 - 11 year olds.

For those young people who have never attended such an event, here are the details. Registration cost is five dollars and registration forms may be found at all local post offices, including Hegins, Valley View, Sacramento and Pitman. Registration forms may also be found at Schreffler Farm Equipment in Pitman.

Lunch and door prizes will be provided along with shotgun shells for the shooting events. Young people are encouraged to bring their own equipment, (shotguns, bow and arrows), if they have it. All necessary equipment will also be provided for those who do not have their own.

For any questions you may contact Ben Wetzel at 570-682-3971 or Rick Herring at 570-682-9541. All registration forms should be returned by Aug. 1st to The Valley View Gun Club and checks made payable to Valley View Gun Club Youth Fund. The only extra monies needed will be for the purchase of extra shells to use during the one-hour free time at the end of the day when the youngsters may visit any venue they prefer, or for the purchase of fundraising tickets on sale during the day.

A special thank you goes out to all those businesses and individuals who donated time and money to make this event possible. If anyone thinks they may have something to offer, we encourage them to become involved. Speaking from experience let me say that there is very little in this world more rewarding than to be able to offer something you have learned, to a young person, hoping that they in turn may pass it along when the time comes.

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