It seems I missed a Maine Appleseed and I am hoping to get the plans for another going if at all possible.
For those who were involved with the last one, based on your experience with that what do you see as the best way to get the next one started?
Do you think a different host should be sought or should the same host be approached again?
Again, based on the experience of those who got the first one successfully going here in Maine, what is your suggested approach to the next one?
Maine Marshal
We have two venues in Maine now:
- Skowhegan, which is near Augusta
- Columbia, which is up past Bar Harbor
All you need to do to have a new shoot at either of these two venues is to set a date with them. For a shoot at Skowhegan, contact Jim Whittemore at (207) 449-9070. For one at Columbia, PM SeanO.
When you have a date for either, PM me, and I will prepare the 2010 EIP for the shoot and get it on the schedule.
We have a bunch of new IIT's up there, so getting it staffed shouldn't be a problem.
Good luck, Mr. Phelps...
Thank you! I am in Ellsworth and am familiar with the location of both municipalities.
I will contact SeanO and hopefully we can get another one set up. I've been spending the last few hours watching some of the RWVA/Appleseed Project video clips on youtube and I am sure there we can find a lot of folks who want to attend another one and get that same message and shooting opportunity in Downeast Maine.
Maine Marshal
There will be a shoot in Down East Maine in April, 2010. I'm verbally signed up with SeanO and will soon log in to sign up in writing.
Good morning,
There's been a change here on the Maine thread - for now at least, I'm the acting moderator.
First, I want to thank Firewall99, Appleseed's head guy in New Hampshire, for stepping in up till now to help out in Maine. One of Appleseed's hardest working and most generous promoters, he's done a great job getting his state up and running. Of course, I'm hoping that our Mainiacs will enter into a holy competition with NH to the great benefit of our states and our country.
As advertised, there'll be a shoot on April 17/18 at the Pleasant River club in Columbia, Maine. I'll be shoot boss and am hoping to have our own Maine orange hats helping out.
As not yet advertised, I've contracted to have an Appleseed table at the Biddeford gun show the weekend after the Columbia shoot. I'd like some help spreading the Appleseed gospel to the great unwashed. It should be a lot of fun - I'm sure you know that there's lots of gunnies in our state. Our goal is to have at least one shoot per month somewhere in Maine.
Here's my contact info outside of the forum:
home phone: 207-359-5560
email: seanor3@myfairpoint.net
Lemme hear from you. Best, Sean O'
It's good to hear that Maine is staying active on the Appleseed Trail. And thanks a bunch to Firewall99 for helping to keep things moving forward!
I'll be keeping an eye on your shoot schedule. It's been many years since our last vacation trip to Maine, and I wouldn't mind heading up to work a shoot and then spending the following week in OOB or Portland.
I guess it's time for me to formally sign up for the Colombia shoot. I don't know anything about the facility, but if a warm, dry well lighted office is needed, I'll have it with me.
Great to have you coming!
The "Office" might come in handy if the weather isn't great. It sounds super-spiffy. I'm also interested in your computer smarts. I'm not sure how to incorporate them into a shoot, but I'm sure that you'll come up with some ideas once you see how we operate.
Thanks for checking in. I'm really looking forward to the Big Day. Keep in touch.
Best, Sean O'
I may have a contact in SW Maine.
I'm sure you're familiar with your local celebrities... Carolyn Chute.
I'll be sending her a letter to see if she would be interested in helping set up a shoot in that area, SW maine.
Of course, if there are plans in the works I can keep my nose in the midwest.
Hi, Whisker
Yes, I know who Carolyn Chute is. I enjoyed "The Beans of Maine" too many years ago.
We're really short-handed here in Maine - I'm the only Red Hat. I'm hoping to train up some Orange Hats this season, but until they're up and running, it's best not to overbook.
I'll be manning a booth at the Biddeford gun show the weekend after Patriots Day; then I'll have a better idea of where and how we'll develop.
Thanks for thinking of us. Those of us who don't enjoy a prominent place in the national consciousness must stick together. There's "Flyover Country," and then there's DownEast Maine. But hey, that might not be so bad these days....
All the best to you and yours, Sean O'
Don't worry, SeanO. As long as the dates aren't 4/19 weekend, the rest of New England will be happy to come up and return all the favors you've done for us down here.
Besides, lots of shoots is the way all of those native Maine IITs will turn their hats red and green.
Ditto on what crak said. Out of staters can find out if there really are trees in Maine while they are there.
Thanks, guys. You don't know how relieved I am to know that the cavalry is charging over the hill....
Quote from: crak on March 02, 2010, 05:55:33 PM
Don't worry, SeanO. As long as the dates aren't 4/19 weekend, the rest of New England will be happy to come up and return all the favors you've done for us down here.
We've got your back, Sean. Go for it.
Quote from: Another D.O.M. on February 26, 2010, 03:24:59 PM
It's good to hear that Maine is staying active on the Appleseed Trail. And thanks a bunch to Firewall99 for helping to keep things moving forward!
I'll be keeping an eye on your shoot schedule. It's been many years since our last vacation trip to Maine, and I wouldn't mind heading up to work a shoot and then spending the following week in OOB or Portland.
OOB or Portland? Oh, man, that's Massachusetts!
Quote from: SeanO on March 02, 2010, 10:01:13 PMOOB or Portland? Oh, man, that's Massachusetts!
Dammit! The MAP said I was in Maine! I should've
known when there were no moose in the campground...
I guess I need to expand my horizons a bit, huh?
"The MAP said I was in Maine!"
Musta bin a gummint map!
We'll be happy to see you up here anytime.
Best, Sean O'
I'll have to pay attention to when it ends up being. While I won't be able to attend unless for some scatter-brained reason it's held in December, I can certainly try to talk some of my family members into going.
Before I forget: Hello, my name's Cory, and I'm stuck well outside my beloved state due to the needs of the US Air Force.
Good morning, Cory
We're having a shoot on the Patriots Day weekend (April 17/18) at Columbia Falls. So we'll be using the promo, "Appleseed, from Maine to California," on our High Holiday. How's them apples?
Your excuse for not attending is the only one I'm accepting, so you won't need a note from home.
My best friend was an Air Force brat, and, along with two of her sisters, served as an officer for 17 years. Thanks for doing what you're doing - you've got your head and your heart in the right place.
Best, Sean O'
I'm finally confirmed for Columbia. Looking forward to it.
Yippee! Yippee!
I hope that you're as jazzed about this as I am.
And bring your mobile "office." Depending on the weather, it might come in handy. At least to hang a big beautiful new Appleseed banner.
If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call me at 207-359-5560.
Best, Sean O'
Quote from: hightecrebel on March 14, 2010, 05:50:47 AM
I'll have to pay attention to when it ends up being. While I won't be able to attend unless for some scatter-brained reason it's held in December, I can certainly try to talk some of my family members into going.
Before I forget: Hello, my name's Cory, and I'm stuck well outside my beloved state due to the needs of the US Air Force.
Well, Cory... The only scatter-brained reason I can think of for holding an AS in Maine in December is because people clamor for it - like they did last year in Athol, MA. Think you can shoot in a foot and a half of snow? I know 19 lunatics who did. If you'll be there to shoot, we'll be there to instruct.
I'll come up, too, Sean. Need a good excuse to
stretch the dragon's wings air out the bike.
Well, that's a 26 by 8 foot wall for the banner and it serves coffee. I figure I'll have three 10/22s. One is an Appleseed model with the military sights, one scoped and a spare. That ought to do it. I bought a new Midway shooting pad at Christmas to replace my ratty old one. Then Midway had a half price sale on them. (crocodile tears) Could have had two for the price of the one I bought.
I'll bring the scoped M-14 just to play in case there is a little extra time Sunday afternoon.
When I bought my trailer it had been winterized. I flushed the fresh water system with a hose from the house, put new water in the tank and headed out to camp. Hey, this is Maine spring water that they pay a dollar a pint for down in the city. The first pot of coffee tasted like crap. Turns out the fresh water pump had some non-toxic antifreeze in the pump itself which I didn't discover til after the coffee was made. My coffee will be much better this year.
As much as like like to shoot my first AS shoot in my own home state (Maine), Colombia Falls is a LONG WAY from Oxford County... I was thinking of going to the Dalton shoot over in N.H.
Hey, MMM!
I'm gonna pass over in silence the fact that I had to go to, uh, Massachusetts for my first Appleseed. And I'm not even gonna mention that I had to go back to, uh, Massachusetts for my second Appleseed - and to Vermont for my third.
And, of course, my humility - of which I am very proud - prevents me from telling you that I've worked a number of Appleseed events in Connecticut, New Hampshire and, uh, Massachusetts. Or that I live DownEast in Hancock County. Heaven forfend!
But I've thought it over - I'm not gonna rag on ya with stuff like that. I just want to urge you to do what you can where you can. I'm sure that your circumstances are different from mine. What's important is getting off to a good start in the program. Somewhere. Just do it.
Now then, that being said, I've booked a table for Appleseed at the Biddeford gun show the weekend after Patriots Day. That's down your way. Maybe you can stop by and help out with that. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing all about your first 'Seed at Dalton.
Best, Sean O'
PS And don't be so concerned about where you're going to attend your first Appleseed - hey, it's not as though you're bopping off to Hooters on your wedding night....
Being born before WWII gives you a different perspective. I have been asked to give a talk to about 150 people later this month.
A neighbor of ours, one Pvt. Bowers, served in the Revolutionary War and lived to a ripe old age. When he had white hair he met a young man named Bill Green who later lost a leg in the Civil War. Bill Green Pond in Lee is named for him. Bill Green knew Fred Dingley who happened to own the first Model T in our town. In his 80's, Fred had white hair when he told me about being Bill Green's neighbor and hearing Bill Green tell about Pvt. Bowers. Fred is gone now and I'm the white haired old man, but think about these men. Only four of us neighbors span the time from our Revolution to the present when we are at risk of losing our country.
I was in Chile in 64 the first time Allende, the Communist, tried to take over. I was in the Dominican Revolution in 1965 and served in Vietnam as a helicopter gun ship pilot. I am thankful for every day. People say I'm lucky. I don't believe in luck. I believe in Divine Providence. A few minutes ago the International Space Station rose in the northwest, right on schedule. I watched it until it was just beyond straight up when it went into Earth's shadow.
On April 19, I will fire a salute with my muzzle loader at Pvt. Bowers' grave. I'm not all that far from him. There are only two other men between Pvt. Bowers and me. This sprig of evergreen in my tri-corner hat is like the ones worn by the Maine men who marched off to earn our independence from England. They didn't win it. They earned it. They didn't know if they would ever see their families again, but the sprig of evergreen was a reminder that they expected to have everlasting life.
My goodness - you've seen some things many of us can only imagine.
My father used to tell me stories of his life. Born in 1918, served in WWII (returned from the south Pacific to Englend and came home across the Atlantic in a converted Hudson River steamer, of all things), owned the first Model T in town as well (a used one, but nonetheless). The things that man saw come and go in his lifetime humble me. He passed away several years ago, one month before his 90th birthday.
Every day I hope my life can be so full of - life!
Quote from: Maine MountainMan on March 16, 2010, 09:13:58 PM
As much as like like to shoot my first AS shoot in my own home state (Maine), Colombia Falls is a LONG WAY from Oxford County... I was thinking of going to the Dalton shoot over in N.H.
Dalton will welcome you with open arms. You may get a high instructor-to-student ratio, to boot. The Dalton Gang is NH's premiere Appleseed range, because there is NO RANGE FEE. Don and Nan donate their range to the cause, because they get it.
Just curious, and I understand the answer may be location specific.
How much of the event can be shot with a 22lr? If my wife comes along too, that would mean quite a bit of 7.62 and .556.
I'm a handloader too, but the way things are looking, I'd like to hang on to as much of my centerfire ammo as I can... :cool2:
MMM
The 22 is the Appleseed rifle of choice. Specifically, the Ruger 10/22, dubbed the LTR - the Liberty Training Rifle. There's a thread - maybe the longest one on the forum - devoted entirely to the topic. And you'll find all kinds of other posts on that subject if you do a search.
One of the reasons why Appleseeders recommend the 10/22 is the fact that the low cost of ammo takes away the excuse that it's too expensive to practise. And...the skills learned on the 10/22 are readily transferable to the centerfires.
Best, Sean O'
It's location specific but only for Sunday afternoon. All day Saturday and the first half of Sunday are always at 25m which is fine for .22. Some places go full distance on Sunday afternoon, and that's when many people switch to centerfire rifles these days. Back in the day you'd have a line of dozens of people shooting .308 all weekend but now that's the exception.
Hey, Look at Colombia, Maine!
April 17 and 18:
Columbia, ME 19/20
There are 19 signed up out of 20 points on the line. Good job, SeanO.
- - -
Just noticed this:
"And we'll soon be announcing "Adaptive Appleseed" for those who are disabled or handicapped"
That page is accessible only to instructors. My wife was the National Women's Archery champion in 1959. She got her first buck with a longbow before I met her. She's a pretty good shot with a rifle and she'll be at Colombia to help out. I hope there is info available there regarding "Adapative Appleseed".
- - -
Oh, and that gathering of 150 people I spoke about above turned out to be 420 people.
The following is a message from Crak (Chris):
As I mentioned probably to all of you before, I'm having a micro-IBC up and down the Battle Road on April 10th. It's going to start at 10AM on Lexington Green. Could you guys pass this info along
to your instructors and IITs who might be interested in coming down? Maybe post it in your state boards?
I put a post about it in the Massachsuetts board to make a little buzz here:
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=12816.0
Thanks, Chris
Some of you have attended one of Crak's IBCs and know how good they are. It's time more of you found out. Besides the excellence of Crak's instruction, there's the inspiration of learning our Heritage right where it all happened.
Hope you'll take advantage of this great opportunity.
Sean O'
I had breakfast with my state representative this past weekend. I invited him to the shoot I'm attending at Columbia, Maine on the 17th and 18th this month. He has a prior commitment, but he wants to come to the next one with a little more notice.
My new (larger) shooting jacket arrived from Fred's along with a whole batch of literature - in Technicolor.
We're bound for Bennington, VT in August. We're signed up and the photos of the range look great.
Quote from: The Old Guide on July 04, 2010, 08:51:53 PMWe're bound for Bennington, VT in August. We're signed up and the photos of the range look great.
That's good to hear - it is a fantastic range!
MJA
uhh... How about another Maine Appleseed? :)
..I would love to help out in Maine........Let me know if you need any help when you get a date..
..Sean O, how you doing?...............JW.........
My wife is proud of her pink RWVA hat. She's a volunteer shoot admin, having been involved in various admin tasks for many decades. Just say the word and we'll be at the next Maine shoot.
Good morning, Crak
Just lemme know when you can take time out from your new work schedule to come up and play Shoot Boss. The Columbia people are thinking about a fall date.
Sean O'
Yeah, I'd be up for another AS at Columbia, but it needs to be on the schedule in the near future. Glad to have you back, buddy.
Sean, toss out some dates and we'll get a crew ready. I can SB, too...
It is TOM's club after all...
I'll be there no matter who's SBing as long as it's in Oct or Nov and not on the same day as Harvard or Thanksgiving. Let's get it scheduled. :)
And while you're out there scheduling one, might as well put four or six (I think I just heard Fred yell 'Twelve, dangit!') more on the calendar for winter and out through 2011.
It has been selling out, right?
What about that other place with the Whittemores?
The earlier the better. A nice cool weekend in September would be just right, but we'll be there whenever it comes.
I think it was Skowhegan, IIRC.
Quote from: crak on July 06, 2010, 03:21:15 PM
And while you're out there scheduling one, might as well put four or six (I think I just heard Fred yell 'Twelve, dangit!') more on the calendar for winter and out through 2011.
It has been selling out, right?
What about that other place with the Whittemores?
I was the one who set up Skowhegan last year. Here's the data you need to start the process yourselves.
I'm sure they would be delighted to do it again.
Company: Skowhegan Sportsman Club
Club Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 291
Skowhegan, ME 04976
Club Street Address:
857 East River Rd.
Skowhegan, ME 04976
Full Name: Whittemore Jim
Business: +1 (207) 474-8363
Hey, John
Thanks for the info. We're nailing down the dates on Columbia, and as soon as that's done, I'll be in touch with the Skowhegan people.
Hope everything's going swimmingly with you this summer. Say Hello to Lois for me.
Best, Sean O'
Might want to move some of that info to pm instead of a semipublic forum, FW.
Quote from: crak on July 07, 2010, 06:43:40 PM
Might want to move some of that info to pm instead of a semipublic forum, FW.
I put it for a short time because I'm pretty sure Jim wouldn't mind, and I didn't know how many other people were working on this.
Anyone else needing more Whittemore contact info, SeanO has it now.
OK, boys and boys,
It's a go for October 2/3. I just talked to the Columbia club prez and he's so psyched that he's gonna do the clinic, too.
Also, Crak and I just held a free and open election monitored by the local ACORN chapter in which we voted unanimously for TOMINCT as Shoot Boss.
So, onward and onward....
Yeah, even Minnie Mouse voted for TOM, which is pretty astounding given the incident back in '74...
I wasn't gonna mention that. Until maybe after the shoot. Far be it from me to pass on gossip about a brother, no matter how juicy. Unless there's a rain delay. Or we run out of history stuff. Or maybe during lunch the second day.... Ya know?
Man, now I know what it's like to get thrown under the bus! !@#) But don't worry, I don't get mad I get even. :cool2:
We are signed up for 2 weekends in a row. August 7 & 8 IBC at Harvard and Bennington on Aug 14 & 15. I'll pay for October in next month's budget. Looking forward to meeting Crak.
I have a camp on a lake with 25 acres of old growth woods. I did some trimming and moved some dirt and now I have an Appleseed range. It is shaded with even light and well protected from the wind. I shot my first target today, working with one inch squares only. So far I just have two firing points, but I'll have a third as soon as I cut a little firewood. I have some old paper mill felt to lie on. You don't even need to be on the dirt. The firing point is not yet covered.
If any Appleseeders want to venture north the coffee is always on.
Yardage wise how big is the Columbia range?
It's ~ 20 people wide. Maybe a little more.
I can't remember if it's 100 or 200 yards from the benches to the berm. I'm leaning towards 200 strongly.
The range we used last October was a 100 yard range. They have a 200 yard range, don't know if we will use it. I may try to get in touch with the club president and see what is available. The range space in the past has been limited to 20 shooters.
My wife and I would be very interested in participating in an Appleseed Training Event... where can I get info on the Oct 2-3 event?
Quote from: PatriotPreacher on August 25, 2010, 07:51:41 AM
My wife and I would be very interested in participating in an Appleseed Training Event... where can I get info on the Oct 2-3 event?
The Event Information Page is at:
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=11330.0
I know this is probably too short a notice, but several pastors, preachers, and other devouted who cannot attend an Appleseed on Sundays will be attending our shoot tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday in Peterborough, NH. It's information page may be found here:
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=10001.0
This is one of only two Appleseed shoots in New England that do not occur on weekends. The other one is our annual June shoot in Dalton, NH, which would probably be closer to Maine.
(Sorry for hijacking this thread--his forum name got my attention.)
And now back to our previously scheduled program...
Welcome Patriot Preacher. Just click or paste the link below for info on Columbia, Maine. Your wife attends free as do folks under the age of 21. I'll be there.
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=11330.0%3C/td%3E%3Ctd%3E
I check the Maine page often.
I'm new to the organization. How about a shoot closer to the center of Maine, let's say like Waterville, Maine. Around the city are smaller towns with great fields and open spaces, such as Fairfield, Oakland, Winslow, Benton, Clinton, Smithfield, etc. Waterville is roughly between Bangor and Portland. 75 miles from Portland and 55 miles from Bangor. It's on I-95 and US Route 201. Plenty of motels and hotel rooms. 22 miles away is the Augusta Civic Center.
Jean, we'd do them anywhere. We need everyone's help finding and developing leads with hosts. Do you know anywhere specific?
Quote from: crak on September 01, 2010, 12:13:23 PM
Jean, we'd do them anywhere. We need everyone's help finding and developing leads with hosts. Do you know anywhere specific?
Crak is right on we'll do them anywhere. I helped SeanO earlier this year at a gun show in Biddeford when a fellow walked up and after a while offered a range at his place about 1/2 hr from Portland. Unfortunately we never hooked up with him on it. It wasn't for our lack of trying.
If you know of someone who has the space for a safe 25 meter range OR you belong to a club with the same we could get something going in your neck of the woods.
Columbia is downeast, for sure. Maine is a big state so it could be awhile before there is something within an hour or so. If you have the interest try for Columbia, it's a definite. FWIW I have a possible in the area of Franklin bu it won't happen for some time, unfortunately. Regards, Tom.
Make that Farmington, Maine. Not Franklin.
Jim Whittemore at Skowhegan does the tax returns for Scarborough Fish & Game and was telling me they are a great range.
Look at this link:
http://www.scarfg.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/Rifle
Looks awesome. KD TO 600 YARDS. What's our story on that? Anybody contact them yet?
We need ranges like this, because they are in the Portland area. Find a range near Portland, and you will have Maine shooters galore!
Quote from: Firewall99 on September 02, 2010, 03:27:43 PM
Jim Whittemore at Skowhegan does the tax returns for Scarborough Fish & Game and was telling me they are a great range.
Look at this link:
http://www.scarfg.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/Rifle
Looks awesome. KD TO 600 YARDS. What's our story on that? Anybody contact them yet?
We need ranges like this, because they are in the Portland area. Find a range near Portland, and you will have Maine shooters galore!
We need a member to get a foot in the door, it's that simple. It is very hard to do it on a cold call. At the gun show in Biddeford a fair number of folks brought up Scarborough and other clubs in the state. I don't know if SeanO got any more info from anyone on them. 600 yards would be great but all we need is 25 meters for a shoot. There is nice to have and bare minimum. If there is anyone who has access to any club in Maine or a safe tract of private land contact SeanO, Firewall99 or myself. We'll do our best to make it happen.
If that happens I'll bring my M-14 with scope.
Speaking of another Appleseed in Maine, I have a buddy out that way who is interested in pitching to his club up in Caribou. He said they have a meeting on Tuesday night. I know it's short notice, but perhaps one of you could go there or maybe do a conference call or something?
He just signed up for the Columbia event and already distributed promo material to his local gun shop. He's going to promo at his local club's meeting but would like to get the ball rolling for an event there as well. Any ideas for him? Who should he talk to? Can anyone make it up there to address the club?
He's not on the forum yet so PM me for details.
Keep up the good work out there!
Quote from: slim on September 04, 2010, 06:00:53 PM
Speaking of another Appleseed in Maine, I have a buddy out that way who is interested in pitching to his club up in Caribou. He said they have a meeting on Tuesday night. I know it's short notice, but perhaps one of you could go there or maybe do a conference call or something?
He just signed up for the Columbia event and already distributed promo material to his local gun shop. He's going to promo at his local club's meeting but would like to get the ball rolling for an event there as well. Any ideas for him? Who should he talk to? Can anyone make it up there to address the club?
He's not on the forum yet so PM me for details.
Keep up the good work out there!
If you have contact info for your friend I'll try to get him before tomorrow evening. Caribou is about 10 hours away for me and SeanO is recovering from an injury, not able to drive for a while. I'll be at the shoot in Columbia so I'll fill him in with what I can and maybe get some help from CortJestir for him.
If you have anything that you could pass along to your buddy it would be a good thing. Maine is a bid state and he's probably 2 1/2 or 3 hours from Columbia. Thanks for the heads up! Regards, Tom.
So it's getting down to crunch time. ~~:) Space left for those of you unsure of your schedule earlier. This most likely will be the last one in Maine for the year. Weather can be nice , but cooler. No worry on overheating or mosquitoes the size of Huey's.
We plan on some KD instruction at 200 yards for the folks with centerfires, so don't think of this as a 25m rimfire shoot.
Also, there will be some additional local history on a naval battle nearby in which MARKSMANSHIP played the deciding factor! Don't pass this one up!
As they say in Columbia, Maine, "The weather is going to be 'gawjis". Party cloudy on Saturday and sunny on Sunday. Cold be a little nippy on Sunday morning.
The "club Prez" made Rifleman with a 10/22 and factory sights. He picked up an orange hat.