Twelve shooters gathered for the Appleseed Saturday in beautiful sunny Biloxi, Mississippi, on Mother's day weekend. They included three ladies, two youths and two very young youths, and two Marines. Eight were new to Appleseed. Marksmanship instructions and history were well received. In fact, one Marine had recently been transferred to Louisiana from Massachusetts and contributed to the history. His backyard in MA contained a stone marker at the position where Paul Revere was captured. He also briefly discussed some of the other rich historical locations in the area. In addition he told how the residents had corrected him on the pronunciation of the word, Concord. It should sound more like the word "conquered" rather than "con-cored".
The range we shot on was vastly improved from the first Appleseed held there about a year ago. A concrete pad and a metal cover made the MS sun much more tolerable this time.
A lady earned her Rifleman Badge that afternoon with a score of 220. Her husband, who had previously earned his Rifleman Badge, was kept busy encouraging his wife and young son, prepping magazines, and grading AQTs. Their son is well on his way to earning his badge. A short time later that afternoon, her brother, a Marine, also won his Rifleman Badge with a score of 210. Theirs is a real rifle shooting family which appreciates Appleseed. In fact, I came away with the impression that all the shooters appreciate Appleseed.
Only eight shooters returned Sunday, Mother's Day. This was also a good day for the shooters. A father and son, who had only pre-registered for Saturday, arranged with the "higher authority" to return Sunday. Much improvement occurred, and more appreciation for the history was observed. The aforementioned father, a Marine, obtained his Rifleman Score; 225! And his son also shot much better that day and is well on his way to becoming a Rifleman too. Both of these promising young shooters easily deserved the Youth Patches they were given.
We were restricted to the 25 m range, so no KD work was possible. However, a KD presentation was given and understood well.
About mid-afternoon, everyone became tired, as is usually the case. But since this was Mother's Day, they were ready to return home. And at least one couple had a four hour drive facing them. But they are eagerly awaiting their next AS.
Much improvement was attained and much enthusiasm was observed. Many were anxious for their next Appleseed. And at least one of the new Riflemen told my wife that he is anxious to become an instructor following his second Appleseed.
The club Range Safety Officer came down to the range and observed us for awhile. Apparently it was the first time he had done so. Afterward he seemed much more willing to work with Biloxi Steve, our local BOTG and club member, in scheduling additional events. And when Steve turned in the range fees to him, he was anxious to learn more about AS and asked if we had further information about the organization. Steve presented him with several trifolds. It's always good to make such impressions on club representatives. They probably also received a new club member from the event.
This was a great weekend in MS. It was a heartwarming event for me, and I believe it was for the shooters as well. And I must add that calfret and Biloxi Steve did an outstanding job of instructing, as well as presenting the history. Such events as this will certainly make it easier for me to cover the long distance from my home to the fine state of MS in the future.