State Trapshoot at Elysburg
Written by Connie Mertz
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All roads not only lead to Rome, but to the Valley Gun and Country Club near Elysburg. For a week in June, avid trapshooters and their families converge on the renowned sportsmen club. "There are so many people who come to shoot trap at this facility that it's impossible to know their numbers," said Tom Kutza, director of Northumberland County Tourism Promotion. |
While 62 percent of the shooters who compete in the Pennsylvania State Shoot are from the Keystone state, the remainder makes the trek from 35 other states, Canada and England. "We sometimes have shooters (from) as far away as Newfoundland and typically Italy, New Zealand and Germany," said Charles Fritzges, of Milton, who serves as the manager of the event. "The goal of the Pennsylvania State Sportsmen's Association (PSSA) is to make the Elysburg shoot the best in the country," boasts Fritzges. "And we have been told (that it is) by many attendees."
The Pennsylvania State Shoot, authorized by the PSSA, is more than just a boon to the local economy. It is about folks who love the remoteness, the beauty and the pristine nature of the Susquehanna Valley. "We just have so much to offer them here, "Kutza said, "and everyone I chat with tells me how much they enjoy coming to our area. What impresses me most is the friendliness of these people. I have made a million friends and I don't know their names, and I don't even shoot a gun." Obviously, the underlying reason there is such an influx of people converging on the Valley Gun and Country Club is to participate in shooting tournaments, but Kutza said emphatically."It's so much more than shooting, and it's right here in our own backyard. People need to experience this grand event."
For more of this story read it in the current magazine
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