Nona Castle of Cross Lanes participates in the archery demonstration with the assistance of Greg Derth of the West Virginia Bow Hunters.

Area children and teens had a blast at the 28th Annual Youth Shooting Day held on Saturday, September 16, at the Putnam County Gun Range in Eleanor. The event featured a variety of events for ages 6-18, including ring toss, fish casting, sling shots, archery, BB guns, pellet rifles, muzzle loaders, .22 rifles, skeet shooting, and more. People from all over the area came out for the Youth Shooting Day, with some coming from as far as Ohio and Virginia. At least 200 children participated in the various activities which the event offered.

The Youth Shooting Day was first organized by the Boy Scouts and later developed into an independent community event hosted by the Putnam County Gun Club and the Midland Trails Friends of NRA. Lorene and Dave Thompson, two of the original organizers, are still with the event after all these years. While the Youth Shooting Day is no longer a Boy Scouts event, the Scouts still have a presence there, with several troops participating in last Saturday’s activities.

Sponsors of the Youth Shooting Day include Putnam County Bank, E. J. Thompson Heating and Cooling, WV Bow Hunters, Randoph Engineering, Quality Woods, Spring Hill Rod and Gun, and the West Virginia DNR.