In this weeks edition:

I’m impressed…
As we all know this pandemic is far reaching. Here at the newspapers, we struggle with things to write about. All the cancellations and the delay of sports has presented some real challenges. Last week I was working on a list of ideas when I remembered a conversation, I had last year with Suzie Steele at a Rotary meeting.
She asked if I had ever been to the skeet shooting range at Stonewall. I told her I had not. During the discussion, she mentioned that she was pretty sure it was owned by someone from Braxton County. With that tidbit of information I renewed my contact with Suzie and she came up with the name of the owner. It didn’t take long before I verified that he did in fact have Braxton County ties. In fact, his father was a classmate of mine at Gassaway High School.
I found a number for Kevin Teets and gave him a call. It took a day or two, but I managed to go visit him last Friday. His facility as outlined in the article on the front page of this issue is just off the Roanoke Exit 91 of I-79. It’s easy to find. As I was driving up, I readily realized that this was a first class facility. Kevin met me at the door and suggested that we take one of his ATV’s for a trip around the course, so I could familiarize myself with the facility.
By the time we returned to the lodge, I was truly impressed. We chatted with a couple of shooters on the range who obviously were enjoying themselves. The equipment and shooting stations were well maintained. Obviously, a lot of thought had went into preparing and building the 16 stations.
I spend the next two hours with Kevin and I must say it was a treat for this ole writer. He is easy to talk to and very down to earth. As you could imagine, we strayed off course a few times and talked about a number of unrelated topics. It turned out to be one of the better days I’ve had in a while.
The thing that surprises me the most is that I didn’t know about the facility. It’s a very unique and well thought out business, that is right here under our nose and I’m surprised that I didn’t know about it. It presents a major opportunity for recreations and sporting activities that many of us should be taking advantage of. The nice thing is Kevin and his staff cater to serious shooters as well as that person that has never held a shotgun in their hands before. It’s right here in our back yard and we need to take advantage of it.
Over the weekend, I told several members of my family about the experience of meeting Kevin and finding out about Stonewall Sporting Clays. Judging from their enthusiasm, Kevin will be seeing more of me… You should check them out too!