As this year comes to an end, I want to thank the membership for all of the hard work that was accomplished this year. We rebuilt and repaired backstops, removed the over growth at the pond, had a very successful fishing derby, got work started on the outside of the club house, had a lot of junk removed from the property, almost 90% of the members sold tickets for a very successful raffle, our tractor had a lot of repairs made to it and the list goes on.
We do need to take a moment and remember the loved ones that were lost this year. This includes Steve Bertsel’s dad, Jeremy Smith’s dad, Bob Huston’s wife and member Steve McClure. Our thoughts and prayers are still with them and their families.
This coming year presents several opportunities to contribute to the good of the club. Brush and trees need to be removed along the driveway as well as the 100, 200 and 400 yard backstops. The club house needs the outside finished, repairs are needed in the ceilings in the shooting and bench rooms as well as a good cleaning in the spring and a redo of the restroom to make it more “female friendly”. The old .22 range, bench area needs all the vegetation removed from inside the enclosure and target holders need rebuilt. We will need to go around the pond to make it ready for the 2nd Annual Fishing Derby.
In addition to the above suggestions, I want to encourage members to take the initiative to do work around and in the club. If you see something that needs done, go ahead and do it. If it is something that requires money or help, bring your idea to the meeting so it can be approved. Also, if you have a story or pictures that you would like to put on our website, send them to our web master so the rest of us can enjoy them.
It is important to note that the number of young people who are starting to hunt and fish, in Pennsylvania, has fallen drastically over the past few years. We need to get youngsters involved in outdoor sports, experiencing the fresh air and see that there is a world beyond the television and video games. One way to encourage this, would be to take a kid out and let him or her snap pictures of what they see in the outdoors. With the camera technology we have today, it is a very inexpensive way to introduce kids to the outdoors and have a way to share what they observed with others.
With all of the events and horrific tragedies that have happened in our country this past year, we will need to be more diligent than ever about keeping our Second Amendment rights.
God bless you all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone,
Tom Hamilton
President, A.C.S.C.
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