Thick pork loin chops, baked potato, cole slaw and desserts were served to about 190 California Shooters Club members and guests on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the club's building on the grounds on Shooters Club Road. The meat was grilled outside with plenty of experienced cooks seeing to the proper tenderness and juiciness of the pork loin chops.
The event is held each year on National Hunting and Fishing Day. In addition to visiting with friends and neighbors, attendees were able to look over a selection of items in a silent auction. Dining indoors or on the outdoor covered patio was the choice of those in attendance. Some of those gathered at the event took the opportunity to talk walks around the property, checking out some of the work which has been done, such as improvements to the trail and construction of a shelter near the lake on the property.
Funds raised at the annual event are used to maintain the roads, ranges and grounds at California Shooters Club. Tickets, which were $5 each, were entered in a drawing for 12 hunting-related prizes, including several Ruger firearms, bricks (500 rounds) of .22 cal ammo and an LED flashlight. Steve Gerlt, before finding out he was a winner of a brick of .22 ammo, said, "I'm surprised your found .22's." After his name was called as a winner of one of the bricks, he said, "Now I can go shoot again."
There were also a large number of donated items, not all of them hunting related, up for a silent auction.
According to Missouri state government statistics, one out of every four Missourians hunt, fish or both every year. National Hunting and Fishing Day is set for the fourth Saturday in September of each year.