Emery High rodeo club hosts their high school rodeo
| Former club president, Brandy Fillingim, is about to give Doc Atwood, club president, a smack on the cheek along with the club peace pipe. This is an annual tradition in the BookCliff Muzzleloader Club as the authority is passed from one president to another. |
The BookCliff Muzzleloader Club comprised of members from Emery and Carbon counties hosted their annual rendezvous over the coldest spring weekend of the year, May 4-6. Even though the wind was strong, the shooting scores were low and rain threatened the shoot went off without a hitch.
Fifty-one shooters braved the cold and shot paper targets and a silhouette course throughout the morning and afternoon. During the lunch break another 10 shot target was available for anyone wanting to get in some extra shooting and the prize was $80 worth of quarters.
Sam Espinoza, of Wellington, won the overall aggregate shoot. The top lady shooter was Cathy Gunter from Huntington. Other events included the flintlock shoot, pistol shoot and blackpowder shot gun event.
The kids even had their own events with kids games including a treasure hunt, winning soda pop and beef jerky and making their own necklace. Greg Frandsen, artillery specialist also shot the candy cannon as the children chased after the candy flying in the air.
| Eugene Fowles gets ready to shoot in the flintlock shoot. |
The annual event which is held each year in the Buckhorn Draw attracts shooters from all around Utah. The BookCliff Muzzleloader Club is one of the oldest blackpowder clubs in the state. They have shot continuously since 1972 and this was the 35th annual spring shoot.
They hold club shoots twice each month during the winter and last year they held a shoot at the Emery Town 24th of July celebration. The club doesn’t hold club shoots during the summer, but club members attend other shoots around the area including, Dog Valley, Cache Valley, Mt. Pleasant and Fort Bridger over Labor Day to name a few.
The club holds an annual meat shoot in December each year for food prizes. Doc Atwood is the current club president and Mike Tryon is the current range master.