Project Appleseed

After a prolonged dry spell, Mother Nature decided to relieve the drought with a weekend of rain—which just happened to coincide with the Appleseed in Bunnell. Despite predictions for rainy weather, 10 patriotic Americans came out to celebrate their American heritage and the honored tradition of rifle marksmanship. The earlier predictions of a wet Saturday failed to materialize and instead we just saw heavily overcast skies and only a hint of rain. With many of the group having been to Appleseeds previously, progress was rapid and the Time Monkey remained securely caged. Beardimus Prime kicked off the Three Strikes with a very well told accounting of the early hours of April 19, 1775. Our first Hits Count target showed that there was "room for improvement" so we got right down to it and unleashed the fire hose of information. The subsequent results showed the lessons were absorbed and brought into practice as group sizes shrunk and shooters gained confidence in their abilities. In what seemed like minutes we were ready for a well deserved lunch break and JC/DC made history come alive with the Second Strike. The afternoon brought on transitions, mag changes, and new shooting positions before the first AQT of the weekend was offered. During a midafternoon break Heavy Duty77 gave "the rest of the story" highlighting the choices and sacrifices of our distant ancestors. By the end of the day Abigail showed what "shooting like a girl" is all about with the high score of the day, a respectable 188.

On Sunday, the rain which had held off on Saturday, found us and throughout the day we  had light to moderate rain along with much cooler temperatures. We did see a decrease in attendance, with the weather no doubt playing a part, but even still we had 7 hardy souls populating the line. It was soggy but there was no complaining and our group soldiered on showing their appreciation for our shared heritage and polishing their marksmanship. By midafternoon we were starting to see diminishing returns and with heavy rain rapidly approaching the collective decision was made to pack it up. Our young patriots were recognized for their dedication and sterling efforts and I had the great pleasure of awarding Rifleman patches to Bud and Jaron. Bud earned an additional accolade by shooting a Distinguished score of 244. Huzzah!

Thank you all for making it a great weekend and a special thanks to the instructors who made it possible. You guys rock! I believe more photos were taken at the event so share 'em if you got 'em. As always, your comments and impressions are welcomed so chime in and join the discussion. In Liberty...

Our thanks as always to the Flagler Gun and Archery Club, and its members, for the use of their facilities.

What a wonderful event! Even in light of the dreary weather, this was a very enjoyable weekend. It was great to see some of my favorite young Americans on the line again.

Congratulations to Jaron and Bud. Great work!

I hope to see everybody back at another event soon. Here are some photos.

It was a great weekend. Three of my sons drove up with me from Brevard County and I had a proud dad moment when my second son, Jaron, not only shot a qualifying score but decided to take an orange hat!

We had a great time meeting some new friends and getting to know some old friends better. We hope to make it up again!

Congrats Jaron! I knew you'd do it soon. Looking forward to see you on the line in that shiny new hat.

A family that Appleseeds together is awesome!

Awesome!  We got all of your rain up here in the Panhandle.

Congrats to Bud and Jaron on shooting your Rifleman score!  Jaron, congrats on your new orange hat!  Hope to see you on the Appleseed Trail!!

Looks like an awesome event.
Congratulations Bud and Jaron on earning your rifleman's patch and thank you Jaron for taking an orange hat and helping save our country.