Published: September 27, 2007 09:35 am            

Friends of the NRA expect large crowd

Even with all the other events scheduled this weekend, the Northwest Oklahoma Friends of the NRA is still expecting the usual crowd to its annual banquet Saturday at the Woodward County Fairgrounds.

Travis Mann, chairman of the chapter, said the attendance at the banquet usually averages around 400 people a year.

And so far they have already sold more than 390 tickets for this year’s banquet, said Dale Blaylock, another chapter member and former chairman.

People are coming from all over the area, he said, including Arnett, Fort Supply, Laverne, Shattuck and Vici as well as from Woodward.

Mann said they also receive a lot of support from area businesses. He said they have approximately 100 business sponsors who have either donated $200, $1,000, or $5,000.

“We want to thank them,” he said.

The reason behind all this support, both from the citizens and businesses, is “because people can see where the money is going,” Mann said.

“All proceeds go to youth,” he said.

Mann said the purpose of the banquet, and of the Friends of the NRA in general, is to collect funds to provide shooting programs and scholarships for area youth.

Blaylock, who helped start the group in 1993, said in their first year they raised $1,800. He said that amount grew over the years and last year they were able to collect $53,000, most of which came back to area 4-H and FFA groups to help them either start or build skeet shooting programs.

The group not only raises money through ticket sales, Mann said, but also through several fun games held before the banquet, where participants have the opportunity to win a variety of different guns.

Attendees will also have the chance to win other guns, including a special custom-made, hand-carved rifle, through a live auction, he said.

There will also be activities for children, Blaylock said. He explained they will have a special youth shoot during the evening, where children get five chances to bust targets with a pellet gun.

The kids will then receive raffle tickets for the opportunity to win a BB gun, a .22 rifle or a single-shot shotgun. The number of tickets they receive will be based on the number of targets they successfully hit, Blaylock said, but every child who participates will get at least one ticket and be eligible for the drawing.

Every child 12-years-old and younger will also receive either a BB gun or a pair of binoculars, Mann said.

And while it takes a lot of work to pull the banquet off each year, especially with only 22 people in the Friends chapter, Mann said that seeing the excitement on the children’s faces when they receive their prize is “what makes it all worthwhile.”

Registration for the banquet activities begins at 5 p.m. and the meal will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets, which if purchased in advance, cost $20 for adults and $10 for children and are available at Mann’s Rental, Blaylock Automotive, Sportsman Supply and Dr. Roger Hammerstrom’s Chiropractic Health Center.

For persons coming from other communities, they may contact Mann for “will call” tickets at (580) 334-3192.

“It will be an enjoyable evening,” Mann said.

        

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