I've gotta say, you guys really turned out for this year! The 2013 meeting was at least 5-6 times the size of our previous years. Now the goal will be to at least double attendance at next year's meeting!
I just wanted to give a big thank you to Bill Starkey and Heartland Public Shooting Park. Gang, they went above and beyond in their helpfulness and hospitality. Next time any of you guys and gals head out there to plink or shoot in a competition at Heartland, please take a moment to let them know in the clubhouse how much you appreciated them hosting our meeting. Next, I'd like to thank the top-notch instructors we had running the workshops. These folks are some of the best in their fields and for them to offer a free clinic to NFOA members was extremely generous. If you liked what you heard/saw/did in their classes, I definitely recommend checking out their business webpages and finding a full-length class to take from them. Also, I want to thank the volunteers who helped setup, took pics/video, the member (who chose to remain anonymous) who donated the Mosin rifle package, those who ran supplies wherever they were needed throughout the day, and the ones who helped tear down the tables/chairs, cleanup, and empty the trash cans (Sean took one for the team dumping garbage juice from one of the barrels into the dumpster). Finally, I want to thank the Board of Directors for organizing this whole rodeo. They were the ones securing the location, contacting instructors about the workshops, getting our keynote speaker lined up, taking care of the catering, recruiting volunteers to help with the youth firearm safety workshop, and making sure that there was plenty of soap, water, sunscreen, and other supplies - and a whole list of other things that have slipped my mind at the present moment. Everyone did a fantastic job to make it a safe, fun weekend!
We've already started the pre-planning for next year and with a lot of work and a little help, I think it's going to be an even bigger and better annual meeting!
