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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
March 29, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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March 29, 2012
 
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Shelton-Mason County. Journal SOCK, Old Time Fiddlers work together for youth downward trend in attendance. Last year, about 600 people attended the two-day event at the Shelton Perform- By NATALIE JOHNSON the Washington Old Time Fiddlers As- ing Arts Center, formerly the Shelton natalie@masoncoun~y,com sociation. High School auditorium. "It's like any organization, if you In order to preserve the festival, don't keep young blood involved it dies and the music showcased in it, the rid- Spring is here and that means the out," she said. dlers' association is working hard to Shelton Old Time Fiddlers Fest is just The Old Time Fiddlers' mission is bring the music to a new generation. around the corner, to "promote, preserve and perpetuate "We do that by bringing kids along Each year on the first weekend in old time music and related arts," she and teaching (the music) to them," April, Save Our County's Kids (SOCK) said, but the event also raises money Farr said. "It's Old Time Fiddlers but and the Washington Old Time Fid-for SOCK. that doesn't mean it's about old people. dlers Association get together to raise "SOCK's mission is to save our coun- The goal is to keep our kids interested money for area youth, ty's kids. What they do and what we do So the music doesn't die." This year the event is scheduled for is really around youth," Farr said. The Washington Old Time Fiddlers April 6 to April 7. This year is the 27th anniversary of also raise money through the event. Laura Farr represents the Wash- the fiddle fest, and the 16th year that "It supports their youth.programs ington Old Time Fiddlers' District SOCK has sponsored it. as far as music goes," Bottman said. Five, which includes Kitsap and Ma- "It's the biggest fundraiser we have The Old Time Fiddlers run a week- son counties, each year - it's important to us," said long fiddle camp for kids in Kititas "It has double significance," Farr Bob Bottman, SOCK fund develop- County, Farr said. said. "First and foremost as far as the ment and facilities manager. "It's just huge," she said. "We have music itself, it's preserving a culture of Last year SOCK earned about got entire families coming and taking old time music." $5,000 from the event to promoteclasses and learning the instruments." Farr is a classically trained musi- programs that serve youth in Mason Music students as young as six or cian who discovered old time fiddle County. seven years old participate in the music in the 1980s. Since then, she However, in the past several years, has had a passion for the music and fiddle fest organizers have noticed a See Fiddle Fest on page B-5 Journal photo by Natalie Johnson Laura Farr, a representative from the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association, said the Shelton Old Time Fiddlers Fest is all about helping kids. HARST NEISLANDNEWS Journal photos bY Natalie Johnson Gavin Shier, a member of Shelton High School's Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and the SHS Small-Bore Rifle Team, practices at the Mason County Sportsmen's Association Range on Thursday, March 16. New coach brings support to SHS Small Bore Rifle Team By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@m, asoncounty.com Shelton High School marksmen have kept their eye on the target this year, and hope to do well as they con: tinue to compete. Allen Bragg took over as coach for the Shelton High School Small Bore Rifle Team in October, and since then, he said his young team has made a marked improvement and are now ranked fifth in the state. "We made the league nervous -- the kids are doing so well," he said. When he took over coaching the team, it was made up of 20 students. Now there are 10 students on the team. "These kids have done extremely well," he said. "I'd like to see it grow -- I'm revitalizing the program." Bragg also coaches the SHS Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) air rifle team. Members of the NJROTC and regular students can be on the small- bore rifle team, which shoots 22 cali- ber rifles. Students can earn letters in this program, like other students do in other sports. "Five of the kids I have are going to be getting letters out of the pro- gram," Bragg said. Only NJROTC students can par- ticipate in the air rifle team. Members of the small-bore rifle team are working hard on the Na- tional Rifle Association's Winchester/ NRA Marksman Qualification Pro- @ Allen Bragg, the coach of Shelton High School's Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps air rifle team and the SHS Small-Bore Rifle Team, shows off the target his students have to hit with their 22 caliber rifles. gram. Specifically, the students are striv- ing for good scores on the American Rifleman Three Position Stage Skill Course. Students working on this program must earn a total score of 300 points based on the results of shooting from three different positions: standing, kneeling and prone. Based on their score, the program ranks students as an expert or distinguished exlJert. In order to achieve the expert clas- sification, students' have to score a 230 or higher, out of 300. For the distinguished expert clas- sification, students need to do three trials and score a 230 on one, a 240 on the next, and a 250 on the third. Bragg said junior Jeff Bell, an NJROTC student, has gone through the program particularly quickly, and is now on his way to achieving the dis- tinguished expert classification. "It's really fun - we come out here and get to spend a couple of hours shooting and hanging out with friends," Bell said. Freshman and NJROTC student Candace Roy joined the team last fall. "It's an experience," she said. "I'd never shot before -- the first shot I was afraid, but it got fun." Bragg said he is working hard to fund the program with the help of grants. The Mason County Sportsman's Association has also stepped up, and donated 3,000 rounds of ammunition in January. "I think we're lucky we've got a range and people willing to support us," Bell said. Bragg said if these students do well in the Winchester qualification program, they could be eligible for college scholarships. Indoor-outdoor garage sa is weekend i "~'~ -row, the sky opened and the big ~ yellow orb just hung around • • for a couple of days -- it was nice. And I got to get out to the golf course on Sunday and actually hit a golf ball. I don't think the ball went in the right direction all the time, but it was enjoyable trying. Then there were the twodeer walk- ing down my driveway. They had their eyes on my raspberry patch. I was out- side working and the dogs were in the house, but I assumed I could chase the deer off myself -- so I yelled. Noth- ing, they just kept walking toward me. Then I gave them my best whistle -- it's loud and sharp -- but those two deer just kept coming. Think- ing I should go let the dogs out, I By MIKE turned but then I CALLAGHAN started barking like a dog myself and it worked -- those two deer scampered back up the driveway. Ruff, ruff. Okay, what are you going to do this weekend? A great idea would be to head down to the community hall for the indoor-outdoor garage sale. Mary Nichols and Barbara LaJune are head- ing up our annual event on Saturday. If you want a table give Mary or Barbara a call to see if there are still openings, but it might be too late. Judy and I have attended in the past and this year we will have a table of our own. The sale gives islanders a chance to get rid of treasures they no longer need and shoppers can find treasures they just can't live with- out. Usually the hall is packed and filled with the excitement. The doors will open at 9 a.m. but it is a good idea to be a little early because there might be a line to get in. Remember, there is going to be a lot of good, great stuff. Throw some salt over your shoulder for luck as it looks like we will have a Friday the 13th this month. In fact that will be the date of the next Com- munity Club meeting. And this will be a great meeting to attend, as it will be the annual chili cook-off. You too can bring a chili to the contest if you like, so get your favorite chilies ready for the ultimate taste test. All members are encouraged to participate, the only restriction being that you must have your chili at the clubhouse between 5-5:30 p.m. on April 13. All entrants must be in by 5:30 p.m. so that we can have all the samples set out by 6 p.m. See Harstine on page B-5 Thursday, March 29, 20i,2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page B-1