NRA Day at Cherry Ridge 2004

It was a day with something for everybody. For families, NRA Day at Cherry Ridge on June 26th was a chance to enjoy the shooting sports together. For new shooters, it was an opportunity to learn safe firearms handling and try rifle, pistol and shotgun. For experienced shooters, it was a day to pass on their knowledge. And for anyone who enjoyed seeing the weather change in the New Jersey highlands, it was a day that provided everything from fog rolling over the ridge down onto the shotgun range to bright sun shining on the pistol range.

Just over 135 people came to Cherry Ridge, many of them in family groups. They enjoyed the hospitality that has become a tradition at Association events. Our corps of seasoned and friendly volunteers welcomed guests, made them feel at home and answered questions throughout the day. After a briefing on firearms safety and range rules, guests separated into groups and went to the ranges to get hands-on experience with rifles, pistols and shotguns under the supervision of NRA-certified instructors.

NRA Day, sponsored in part by a grant from the NRA Foundation, is one of the Association’s programs to educate the public and introduce them to the safe enjoyment of the shooting sports. Among the new shooters were men and women of all ages as well as youngsters whose parents wanted them to find out what firearms were all about. Everyone was reminded about safety throughout the day and everyone had a great time. After all, the shooting sports are fun! During the day, visitors could also sign up for ANJRPC and NRA memberships at our information table staffed by Larry Braico.

Two rounds of shooting in the morning were followed by an outdoor lunch at the 300-yard range. There was plenty of food for both kids and grown ups. Our guests could talk about how they had done during the morning’s shooting, while our hardworking volunteers made everything look easy.

After lunch, there was another round of shooting, followed by a short gathering to close the day and give out prizes, including three range memberships. Event organizers Frank and Sharon Sevean thanked everyone for coming and encouraged them to come back to the range.

Our sincerest thanks to Frank and Sharon Sevean who organized the event, Vince Trosello, who will be organizing next year’s NRA Day and all of our volunteer instructors and support crew whose effort and enthusiasm make our events a success. Thanks, too to our range officers: John Healy, Jim Bresset, Fran Antico, Vito Antico, John Koppinger, Jim Smith and Frank Zarney.

Thanks to the following organizations for their support:

Thunder Mountain Trap & Skeet, Ringwood donated prizes and provided a discount on ammunition.

Ramsey Outdoor, Ramsey, provided a discount on clay targets.

Back to Activities and Outreach