|
|
Activities
(last update December 17, 2023)
The 2024 Wild Game Dinner was Held on March 16 at the
Chapter House Posted
March 17, 2024
On the evening of Saturday, March 16, the chapter hosted
the annual Wild Game Dinner at the chapterhouse. Here
are a few snapshots of the event:
Good food and good times.
Second Stocking of
the Pond Posted December 17,
2023
On Tuesday, December 12, members gathered to receive the
second stocking of the pond with rainbow trout. It was a
bright, sunny, chilly day before the trout were delivered
but became pleasantly warmer around noon when the fishing
began in earnest. The warmth of the sun was
supplemented by a nice fire in the adjacent fire pit. The
above photo was taken after the delivery was made and the
truck had left the property. About 350 pounds of
rainbow trout were delivered fresh by Sugar Grove Trophy
Trout Farm at around 11 am. These trout were thought
to be in the 2 pound and up weight range. It did not
take long for one of our members to have landed the first
trout and, indeed, the same member caught the first limit of
3 trout. One of the trout caught weighed 2.24 pounds
and was 18 inches in length. Unfortunately, a larger trout
had been filleted before it could be weighed.
 
Trapshoot Event Honors a Departed Member Posted
September 8, 2023
This
year's IWLA Outdoor Shooting Event on September 2, 2023, was
dedicated to the memory of Clayton “Fred” Marshall. Fred
was one of the four Chapter members most responsible for the
activation of the shotgun sport range, and one of the four
who were honored on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, when the range 4
(Shotgun range) pavilion was dedicated. Known
as the “Four Musketeers, the four were honored with a plaque
on the pavilion shelter. Fred
was eulogized by John Undari, one of the Musketeers, for his
service in World War II. Fred
was a Tech-Sergeant in the Army Air Corps, and served as a
dome turret gunner on a variety of bombers—most notably the
B-24 and B-25 bombers. During
his service, he flew 30 missions over France and Germany. On
what was to be his next mission to fly, his crew was
scrubbed from the mission and replaced by a newer crew as a
training mission. That
crew never returned from its mission. Fred
will be remembered by the active shotgun shooters for his
role in acquiring the Chapter's first automated clay
thrower.
Following are some photos from the several flights that
shot at the event last week:
John Undari Gives Eulogy to Fred Marshall
Flight 1
Flight 2
It's the Safety Cadre's Turn
Brunch Served in the Chapterhouse
Dog Mart 324 Drone Photos
Posted October 13, 2022
A member's nephew volunteered to use his skills and
commercial license to take some drone video and photographs
at our recent Dog Mart. These photos give a
never-befors seen perspective of the Dog Mart in its long
history and tradition over 324 years. These will not
only be of interest to participants and members (can you
find yourself in the photos?) but can serve also as a
historical record of how we set up the grounds this year
(how about that new elongated activity center and note the
symmetry of the dog show arena... kudos to those that
assembled that ring this year).
Cub Scouts Spend a Week at Day Camp Posted
June 17, 2022
During the week of June 6-10 we hosted the Cub Scouts of
Mattaponi District at the Chapter for Day Camp as we do each
year. The weather was perfect and the scouts had a
blast. Read the note Herbert Pritchett, president, received
from Miriam Niemi along with some photos several of which
attest to the excellence of our fishery. We appreciate
the understanding of our members who gave up access during
this week so that our future generation learn the fun and
excitement of our great outdoors.
Herbert,
Thank
you so much for once again hosting our Cub Scout day camp. I
wanted to share some photos with you, please feel free to
share with your group. This year we hosted 80 scouts and 20
full time staff volunteers. This does not include the adult
den walkers (roughly 25 each day).
Thanks,
Miriam
Niemi
A
sampling of photographs follows:
Troop 21 Boy Scout Earns Eagle Scout Rank
Posted May 15, 2022
Boy Scout Jason Stone, son of scoutmaster
Stone, Troop 21 of the Boy Scouts of America was awarded the
rank of Eagle Scout at a ceremony hosted at the chapter on
May 15. You may view a selection of photos of the
ceremony at the following video.
2022 Chapter Participation in Earth Day at
Old Mill Park Fredericksburg
On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the chapter participated in
Earth Day at Old Mill Park. We had 4 tables and
shelters erected on the southern end of the park.
Troop 21, Boy Scouts of America, assisted us in erecting the
shelters and placing our tables. We were ready to go
by 9 am. We had our membership table, the apiary table,
Healing Waters Fly Fishing and Troop 21. One of the
most popular attractions was our new barrel train. We
were joined by a second barrel train and they ran
continuously during the hours of 11 am until 4 pm. A
selection of photos were taken and can be viewed in the
following video.
2022 Pancake Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt (Posted: May 15, 2022)
The chapter hosted a member/invited guest Pancake Breakfast on
Saturday, April 16th at the Activities Center.
Breakfast was served from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at no charge
to members. A delicious breakfast of pancakes,
sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit cocktail, syrup, rolls,
butter, coffee, OJ and water was served.
Starting at 10:15 AM, we held an Easter
Egg Hunt behind the Activities Center.
A dedicated group of volunteers made sure
the tables were set, the breakfast cooked and served and the
eggs hidden so the children would have a good time.
that have already signed up to help so we are good to
go. We had one of our members volunteer to pose as the
Easter Bunny to the delight of children of all ages.
we can't wait to repeat next year.
A selection of photos taken during the
event can be viewed in the following video
.
Replacing Shingles on the Tool and
Equipment Shed (Posted: November
7, 2021)
For the past year there has been a nagging leak in the
workshop side of the shed on the property. An attempt
to fix the leak was made with a spray on sealant which was
not totally effective. This past week, the facility
maintenance committee went to the local big box hardware
store and secured the necessary roofing replacement elements
to replace the shingles completely. Thanks to the work
of a half dozen volunteers, the larger side of the shed roof
was removed and replaced Saturday morning. This effort was
aided by the generous loaning of roofing tools (shingle
removing shovels and a pneumatic air gun nailer) to make the
job easier. The larger side of the roof has been fixed and
awaiting the test of a good steady rain. Thanks to
some volunteers the shed is likely dry and weather-tight
again. In addition, Also the door framing on the Scag
mower parking side of the shed was prepared for the
installation of a garage door type door to be installed
later in the week.
Photos courtesy of Nona Hemphill-Rector
Ted McPherson Memorial Trapshoot - August 28,
2021 (Posted: August 29, 2021)
Ernie Meier Memorial Trapshoot - September
12, 2020 (Posted: September
13, 2020)
On September 12, the chapter hosted a trapshoot on range
4. The planning for the event started in July but
several rainy Saturdays postponed the actual event until
September 12. Originally conceived as a celebration of
the National Shooting Sports Month Event it was dedicated to
the memory of 4 members of the chapter who were instrumental
in conceiving a shotgun devoted range for trap
shooting. One of those members, Ernie Meier, just
short of his 89th birthday, died in mid July so the event
was dedicated to his memory. Following are a few
photos of the event.
Sandy Stanford and Jim Lloyd
collaborated on an article which has been forwarded to the
National staff for publishing in the IWLA magazine
"Outdoor America." We do not know when the article
will be published but have decided to share our submission
with you as a "scoop." Here is a link to the article.
Father's Day Pancake Breakfast June 9,
2019
(Posted: June 9,
2019)
We served many of the chapter fathers at the chapter on
Sunday, June 9
Wild Game Dinner March 16, 2019 (Posted:
March 23, 2019)
Work Day May 2018 (Posted:
May 5, 2018)
Many volunteers came to the Chapter on May 5, 2018 to help
with spring chores. We had a number split out to perform
our Adopt-a-Highway commitment on Orange Plan Road near the
Wilderness battlefield. See separate report in the
Conservation tab. Many bags of trash were collected by
the crew.
Back at the grounds a number of volunteers completed the stone
(rip rap) laying on the casueway and then spread some
Livingston blend soil conditioner to prepare the top roadway
for seeding which should be done the following week.
Here are some photos of the causeway and the crew
October Pumpkin Painting at the Chapterhouse posted: October 30, 2017
At the Chapterhouse this past Sunday Nona Rector assisted by
Shannon Christopher, hosted a Pumpkin Painting activity.
The children had a great time. First they painted
their pumpkins and then they decorated, and ate, pumpkin
cookies.
Find a batch of photos at our Facebook page.
August 2017 Work Day posted:
August 5, 2017
The August Workday was a beautiful day at the chapter and
for the second month in a row the workday was well
attended and lots of work was accomplished. The range
berms and the brush along Herndon Road which was blocking the
view of the oncoming traffic was trimmed. The grass
was cut and a number of volunteers answered the call to pick
up rock and debris in the area of the ponds so more soil and
grass seed might be planted later in the month. For the
third weekend a small group of builders were made busy with
assembling the new playset. It is nearing completion as
illustrated in these photos and the construction only lacked
an addition of a straight slide and the raising of two roofs.
The swing set is well designed but is definitely made
for the smaller sized children. Adults are asked to
evaluate the playset and the size and skill of their children
before allowing them to use the playset. Please await
notice that the set is ready as there is intended to be an
area filled with clean mulch before the unit is considered
complete and ready for use. 
Virginia Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights
Children across the United States today have far more
“screen time” than “green time.” This not only affects
children’s physical and mental health, it also prevents
children from developing a love of nature.
League members adopted a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights
as a gesture of support for youth and the outdoor
opportunities they need. Outdoor recreation – particularly
unstructured play – will help children grow up to love the
out-of-doors and want to protect it for their own children.
Our Virginia Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights will guide
our efforts to ensure that every child has the opportunity
to explore the outdoors, camp under the stars, swim in
lakes, learn to safely use firearms, use a bow and arrow,
catch a fish, and get their hands dirty in a garden.
Accordingly, many of the activities sponsored by the
Fred-Rapp IWLA Chapter and conducted at the Chapter
grounds are focused towards providing the youth of our
region an opportunity to experience the great outdoors and
the wonders it offers. See here for a VA Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights
poster illustrating these rights for our children of
Virginia.
Manahoac Bowman
The Manahoac Bowman archery club promotes both
target archery and the legal use of the bow for
bow-hunting. We are affiliated with the
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the Izaak
Walton League in Virginia. We strive to preserve our
bowhunting heritage through securing better hunting
privileges and conditions for bowhunters cooperating
with all conservation organizations, and working to
support local and state legislative proposals that
benefit all sportsmen.
View the 2017 Schedule for the Manahoac
Bowman Outdoor Archery Shoots. If anyone is
interested in participating in the archery club
please contact contact Jarrett Frame at
540-373-2278, email cjmframe@aol.com or Gene
Slagle at 540-661-8693, email
eugeneslagle@gmail.com.
For more information visit the Manahoac Bowman website.
|
 |
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing
Project
Healing
Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is dedicated to the
physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled
active military
service
personnel and disabled veterans through fly
fishing and associated activities including
education and outings. The
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the IWLA is
sponsoring the PHWFF Fredericksburg Program,
providing meeting facilities and founding team
members. If you're interested in knowing
more, getting involved, or attending an event,
check out our Facebook page or contact
Dick Barnett at k4guj@aol.com.
|
|
|
Hiking
The grounds of Walton Park include several hiking
trails and wooded picnic areas. These trails
can be enjoyed in any season and with anyone
including the pets. Come and experience the
new bridge built by the Boy Scouts over the back end
of our pond. You might even catch sight of an
enterprising beaver modifying the pond and forest
ecosystem.
|
|
Target Shooting
Our chapter focuses on providing a safe environment
for members to enjoy recreational target shooting
with various firearms. We offer 4 ranges that
include 25 and 50 yard pistol, 50 and 100 yard
rifle, and shotgun/skeet. All ranges except the
shotgun range provide covered shooting stations.
View the Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun Range Rules
in the Facilities
web page
View pictures of the firearm ranges here
|
 |
|
