Registrations are being accepted for the Barton Community College Foundation’s sixth annual Clay Shoot, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at LaSada Sporting Clays and Hunting Serving, 3721 183rd St., Russell. The last shoot begins at 3 p.m.
This has become the largest sporting clay shoot in the state of Kansas, and the money raised is used for mini-grants for Barton faculty members to purchase items for their classrooms that will enhance the student learning experience. The event is sponsored by Butterfly Supply Inc. and Smith Supply LLC, with 59 other sponsors and many cash and in-kind donations.
Last year raised a net of $14,000, and the year before totaled $10,000. This year the Foundation hopes to raise $15,000.
While the money goes to a good cause, that’s only one of many reasons the shoot has grown in popularity each year, said Darnell Holopirek, Barton’s executive director of institutional advancement.
“It’s just so much fun,” she said. “We really feel like we’ve done things right. We have good participation and people keep coming back. I think they like the organization of the event, and this is hunting country – this is what we do. It fits in with our Kansas lifestyle.”
The entry fee of $60 per person includes lunch prepared by LaSada, a round of 100 sporting clays, prizes for the overall winners and flight winners and chance drawings for gifts. The fee does not include shells, but those can be purchased at LaSada. Non-shooters can purchase a $10 ticket for lunch, which will include a salad bar this year.
Those who pre-register by April 1 will receive a free long-sleeve shirt, but registrations will still be taken up to the day of the shoot. Shooters can participate as individuals or as three-person teams in a 100-target Lewis Class style tournament.
Owner of LaSada Scott Young said sporting clays offer an exciting experience for any shooter.
“We like to describe it as a round of golf with a gun because each shooting station is different and presents unique challenges,” Young said.  “We can change the size, location, speed and angle of each target, and we even have  rabbit targets that roll and hop along the ground.”
LaSada has been in business for 14 years and sits on 480 acres of wilderness with approximately 100 acres devoted to shooting arenas that are accessible by asphalt pathway. The terrain helps create a unique experience for the shooters as well as those just spectating or walking the course, Young said.
“Some areas are in the tree-line, whereas some you’re out in a more open setting so it gives the shooters a variety of environments to shoot in, and shooters or spectators don’t have to walk in the mud if they don’t want to,” he said.