Lapeer, MI AAR - March 28-29, 2026

[T. WOLF]

We had a solid group of Americans fill out the firing line at Lapeer County Sportsman's Club last weekend. I'd like to thank the club for letting us take over their 25m range for the millionth time. LCSC continues to be a cornerstone for Project Appleseed in Southeast Michigan. They are a host range that truly understands the investment and the urgency of our mission.

Michigan is creeping out of 'Winterseed' territory in late March, but mother nature surprised us with a beautiful coating of snow on Saturday morning. It was brisk but the shooters were energized, and we kept good pace working through the fundamental marksmanship techniques and getting our rifles zeroed before lunchtime. We had an interesting mix of shooters on the line - experienced Riflemen, first-timers, and some folks returning to the program after a hiatus of several years. It was an honor to be able to share our history and traditions with all of them.

We saw measurable progression of marksmanship skills over the course of our weekend, resulting in three new Riflemen and five requalified, with three of those requals being Distinguished scores of 240+. That's two-thirds of our firing line walking away with Rifleman patches - it was impressive to witness - congratulations to all of you:

Scuba Al [Distinguished]
Chip [Distinguished]
Doug [Distinguished]
CantCount
Ben
Kinzie
Katie
David

Special shout out to David who hit 210 on the dot and was game enough to let us "anoint" him with water collected from the North Bridge in Concord. This has become a bit of a tradition in some regions, made possible by the volunteers and supporters who have hiked Battle Road in Massachusetts and stopped at the North Bridge to fill a canteen.

I neglected to mention Appleseed's 250 For America's 250 challenge, but our distinguished Riflemen came very close to winning one of the two remaining Tippmann M4 rimfire rifles. I know you guys are attending Patriot's Day in Fenton later this month, so hopefully there is still an opportunity for you there!

Thank you to Ben for providing some insights into the different ways we can excercise civic engagement at various levels of local govenrnment and city planning. Whether you choose to invest your time there or elsewhere, it's prudent for Americans to understand how all of it works, and to know that we're able to get involved in the process in many of the same ways our forefathers did 250 years ago.

I'd also like to acknowledge Avery for completing this 25m rifle course at such a young age. Your enthusiasm was contagious, and your attentiveness and commitment to safety was inspiring. You are the American posterity that John Adams was fighting for, and we're all trying to step up for your generation as best we can. I hope I'm there when you earn your Rifleman patch.... remember, a Rifleman persists!

Last but not least, thank you to our amazing crew of volunteers - Pookie, MrSurplus and Hardcase - we couldn't do this without your dedication and support!

Hope to see everyone out on the lines with us again this season!

LINK TO EVENT PHOTOS

[PC]

It was a great weekend even with the cold weather!  Seeing Katie receive her rifleman patch was amazing.  Done with a $140 Marlin and a $60 scope!  T. Wolf, MrSurplus, Pookie, and Hardcase did a great job keeping us safe and engaged.  We are signed up for a pistolseed in June!

[Pookie]

Nice to see the old hands out there , Big Tim ! First time Appleseed, you did a good job ! Really was a joy to see you clear the malfunction and see you get all your shots off AND on target
on stage 3. Ashley , it was a pleasure working with you it's always a pleasure to see enthusiastic young shooters on the line.