IBC Emlenton, PA 4/5-6/2013

[Charles McKinley]

Thank you to all that turned out to the IBC!

A Special THANK YOU! to Mr & Mrs. McKinley for all the work put into preparing the venue.

Instructors were kDan, EZ3, MrHappy, Stand and a special appearance by Boltgun71 and students bcurfman, Invictus Maneo, Birdman, Wheeler, DeckApe, and gunnergal.

A good time was had by all improving our skills on the line and telling the history.

Pics to follow as others chime in.

Stand

[Birdman]

Stand,
Thanks for setting this up and following through with a great IBC. Thanks to KDan for making the trip. As KDan was my very first shoot boss in 2008, it was great to see him again.

Thanks to all of those who spent a weekend away from home and family to help save a country very much in need of CPR.
And a big salute to gunnergal for setting the bar at the top notch for us old guys to climb over.
Stand, thanks for the great food! I gained weight again at another Appleseed event.
Hope to see everyone on the trail very soon.


A trip back to Oct 27, 2008: Birdman and KDan

[EZ3]

OK, I only took a few pics, and most of them turned out poorly.  Here's the best of the rest.


1) Wheeler explaining SHF, featuring kDan as gumby.

2) Gunnergal sharing some History.

3) Bcurfman reaching hearts and minds.

[kDan]

I have been trying to find a minute to put these pics up for a week!

Thanks Stand, for putting this together, and being the Shoot Boss, and for the rolls, and the biscuits, and the stew, and the chili, and the snacks and sodas.  O, and the brownies.  Yes, thanks for the brownies.

We all know the best thing about Appleseed (besides losing money and wearing out cars, gear and marriages) is the people.  And sometimes I'm afraid some of us forget that Appleseed is a NATIONAL program.  Here was a NY Instructor working an event in western PA, where about half the attendees were from Ohio.  It was a pleasure to meet for the first time, MrHappy, a red hat from Ohio who helped Stand and EZ3 run the show.  If you can't guess where MrHappy got his name, then I don't know what to tell you.  Big smile, big help, and he kept me on my toes.  Definitely a dedicated, passionate man.  I hope to see you on the line some day!

Birdman, it was especially good to see you again.  Ya see, Birdman mentions that I was his first shoot boss back in '08...  Well, he was the first shooter in all my born days who's pop up tent lifted up up up off the ground in the wind, rolled over in the air and came down smack atop of my rental car!  Ding!  Yup.  True story.  Best part was he walked right up to me, said I'm sorry and handed me his auto insurance card, saying to send him the bill.  I was thinking to myself, "this is why we rent cars", as I silently backed away from the shiny white hatchback in the airport parking lot the next day. 

Ha!  Speaking of cars, come to think of it, last time I saw EZ3 and Stand was last time I drove my last car!  Left an IBC in Eastern PA, drove about 40 miles until "Bonk!  Clunk!  SSSSSS!"  and I rolled off the side of Interstate 76.  Appleseed ate that car, not Stand or EZ3 (well, maybe it was Chainsaw), but hey "this is why we take airplanes."

EZ3 not only got me at the airport and put me up in his house, but fresh from a Dond RBC down home range in North Carolina, he also showed us the new way things are being done at the national level.  Maybe this ain't the place to bring it up, but folks, changes is a-comin' round here!

There may be a shortage of ammo, but ain't no shortage of instruction!  No way.

Pics:

Our Host and Hostess.


Kind of the same picture but with way more rifles.


Our Panel of Judges.  Paula Abdul, Blake Shelton, and John McEnroe (but not in that order)
It was garden gnomes what took that case of .22 you see on the desk.  Tra la la!


The Purple Monkey Motorcycle Gang.


Our celebrity guest.  Would you believe this guy is 52 years old!