What an interesting weekend this was, we had sun, we had rain, we had snow, and we had hail. Only thing missing was strong winds but just incase we had the popups secured down with weights. 12 hardy Americans joined us at the beautiful outdoor range in Redmond WA. Multiple family groups were present which was a great sight to see, Appleseed is a family friendly activity and they were all brought here via word of mouth from friends. The day started with a pre-history introduction, followed by a thorough safety briefing, and we quickly got into the first Hits Count target of the weekend. 3 folks were able to join the ranks of Morgan's Rifleman on that first target which was great to see. Everyone was very attentive to all of the instruction blocks and tried their best to put them into practice during all of the practice drills. By the late afternoon of Saturday the ranks of Morgan's Rifleman grew again with a total of 5 shooters hitting that Morgan's shingle on the day's last hits count target.
Saturday we finished up with our very first Rifleman of the weekend with Drew turning in a 229 on the one and only Patriot's Day AQT of Saturday, earning himself the first special full color Rifleman's patch of the weekend.
Sunday, despite the anticipated rain and cold, everyone returned to the range just as eager and excited to continue their journey at becoming Rifleman. We finished up Sunday with 3 more Riflemen in Adam, Jake, and Dan. By the end of the weekend, just about everyone was shooting in the Marksman categories, which shows great improvement in themselves from Sat morning to Sun afternoon.
One of the best parts of the weekend were the history blocks, which were presented with passion and fire by the volunteer instructors; and as a special treat, a personal family history was presented to the attendees, really bringing to life how historical events from the revolutionary war is alive and well with the descendants of those who fought for our Liberty living amongst us! Shortly after lunch a memorial volley to honor the fallen of Apr 19 1775 was completed by all attendees, really bringing to life the sacrifices that were made on our behalf.
Thank you all for coming out to join us to learn about rifle marksmanship, and your heritage as Americans. Keep in mind that a rifleman persists, keep practicing the skills that you were taught and you'll see them pay off the next time you're at the range, or at the next Appleseed event! Please tell your friends about us, help become the 7th step.