Well the guns are cleaned, the brass is in the tumbler and the 19th century duds are in the wash.
I wanted to post a note thanking the Wisconsin Old West Shootists for hosting the 2022 Guns In The Hills Midwest Regional this past weekend at Menominie, WI, and add some of my impressions from the event.
It is a beautiful range, very well laid out and obvious that a lot of hard work has been devoted to it by their membership. The ten stages are built with permanent stage front structures reminiscent of traditional Old West towns, all ranged around the perimeter of their site which is nestled in a gently sloping valley that makes use of natural berms provided by the surrounding bluffs. Central to this were grouped general purpose utility buildings housing kitchen, picnic areas, attached veranda with plenty of seating for relaxing, and ample sanitation facilities, - which on the lower end of the range featured the world famous caboose outhouse accommodations for Gents and Ladies, with very spacious interiors designed for handicap access.
Towards the mouth of the range entrance plenty of area for primitive camping or RV living.
Driving in on the morning for the first days shooting there was a dense fog that made for some jaw-clenching adventure on the unfamiliar winding roads, but as the day progressed it burned off. The fog did provide a rather cool morning to begin the day before the emerging sun and humidity became too vexing, allowing us to finish up the six stages scheduled for Saturday in relative comfort.
Sunday saw us wishing they’d turn up the air conditioning as we were a tad drippy right out of the chute. Fortunately only four stages so we were relaxing in the shade by mid-morning.
There were three Vendors that had come to set up their wares for inspection. Not a bad ratio for 22 shooters.
Lunches were provided by Annie Sewansew with the assistance of other ladies from the club’s membership. Very tasty, plus there was a dessert bar of peanut butter crispies and chocolate frosting that I know many had to sample twice just to make sure . . .
Speaking of food, the catered banquet buffet that night was top notch, - multi-layer salad, mashed potatoes with braised beef tips in gravy, fried chicken and steamed fresh garden vegetables.
Some of the little touches I appreciated, - each participant received a special ribboned badge with their alias engraved upon it, and I was gifted side shields for my shooting glasses which I lacked. Very considerate.
And Yuma Kid and I had another opportunity to donate to the Charlie and Peavine Memorial Traveling Poker Game hosted by Longarm.
If I had one regret, it was wishing the venue at the banquet allowed for a better showcasing of the live music performed by Dawn Spanton, an extremely talented virtuoso who demonstrated mastery of guitar, harmonica, Native flute and tribal drum to accompany her beautiful singing voice.
This NCOWS Regional was a resounding success in my book!
Again Thank You to WOWS.
RCJ