Popcorn Kelly

Now that the 2022 state match is over, I'm starting to think a bit about 2023. We're probably going to have to shift gears on name badges next year and come up with something new. To that end, I would like to start by looking at badges' others felt were well designed yet had a characteristic that made them memorable. Please post or send me examples of your favorite name badge and why you liked it.

Illowa Irregulars is one of several shooting disciplines at the Milan Rifle Club. We are able to offer on-site camping only during our large 3-day events, which in 2023 will be the Illinois State Championship planned for August, 2023 However, there are several campgrounds very close to the range that could be used for any of our regular monthly matches (3rd Sunday's except in Sept). Here is some camping information from our website. Rock Island/Quad Cities KOA is located on the north side of Andalusia Road, between our club and Milan, approximately 3.5 miles from the club. Reservations are generally required. Be aware that in the past, anyone visiting registered campers has been charged a small admission fee. West Lake Park is located across the Mississippi River in Iowa, approximately 10 miles from the club. Access is via I-280, US 61 West, and County Road Y48 North. Sites are only available first come first served. Summit campground sites have electric and water hookups, while sites at Terrance Park campground also have sewer.

And now for something a little different. A 5+ minute video with no introduction, no voiceovers, and no music. Enjoy the Zen and come see Camden Mills for yourself. We just concluded the 2022 Illinois State Championship and are making plans for 2023. PK

This is a quick post-match update of the SASS 2022 Illinois State Championship July 15-17. After a few late cancels due to various reasons, we ended up with 149 paid shooters, crowned two new Overall Winners, two new Mens and Ladies Champions, and 34 new Illinois Category Champions. If anyone would like an electronic version of the Event program, click here to download it. We enjoyed hosting the 2022 Championship and are already making plans for next year. In terms of next year, we will most likely hold the event from August 18-20, 2023. Please mark these dates on your calendar and make plans to attend and, if so inclined, please consider recommending us to others. The more the merrier! Match Videos I also want to let you know I created two videos of the 2022 Illinois Championship. Between the video footage and all the pictures, it was quite long (in the order of 40 minutes) so I broke it up into two parts. Heck, you may even want to pop some popcorn. ;-) Part 1 mostly contains an introduction, several videos of cowboys and cowgirls shooting stages, and scrolling lists of the Overall Winners, Category Champions, Side Match Winners and Clean Shooters at the end. This video is about 21 minutes long. Click here to view Part 1. Part 2 contains a shorter introduction and then photos of the match, the Celebration Belle Riverboat Dinner Cruise, and all Award Winners. There are a lot of pictures. Part 2 is about 20 minutes long. Click here to view Part 2. [My videos tend to be a bit longer than most cowboy shooting videos. Feel free to fast forward. I also encourage people to watch them on their television if possible. To me they are much more enjoyable when viewed on a larger screen with better sound.] Again, thanks for your support and we hope to see you next year. Happy Trails, Popcorn Kelly, Communications and Website Director Illowa Irregulars Cowboy Action Shooting Club Milan, Illinois

I see. The link is correct, I just typed in 14 names, not 16 in my original post. Corrected now. Thanks.

I just took a look and counted 16. https://illowairregularsdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/2022-illinois-state-championship-clean-match-results.pdf

Side Match Winners are posted. Click here to go to the Scores page. PK

The SASS 2022 Illinois State Championship Results are available on the Illowa Irregulars Scores page. We had 150 shooters start the match. While it was a little wet Friday morning for the first warm-up match, it cleared up in the afternoon for the second warm-up and remained dry the afternoon Side Matches and both days of the main match. Congratulations to: Matt Black and Turkey Legs for winning Overall Men’s and Ladies Shooters, Billie the Avenger and Turkey Legs for taking top Illinois State honors by winning the 2022 SASS Men’s and Women’s Championships, respectively; and Our 16 Clean Shooters: Matt Black, Billy the Avenger, Capt. Jim Midnight, Wicker Nash, City Slicker, Sgt Hampton, Dangerous Dan McGrew, Comstock Charlie, Bailey Creek, Fatboy Harley, Badlands Charlie, Rance, Sew Cantina, Kid Koo, Mar Sioux, and Lady Pearl. Also, if I say so myself, the Saturday evening Celebration Belle Riverboat Dinner cruise was spectacular. Great weather, great food, but most importantly, it was being with the 93 cowboys, cowgirls, and some family members, many of whom were dressed hilt in their cowboy/cowgirl finery. Even the non-cowboys on the cruise were entertained having our fun group on the boat with them. Thanks to everyone who attended, and hope you enjoyed the match. I know I speak for every Illowa Irregular when I say we truly appreciate your having attending the match, and hope you will consider returning for future matches. If you would like to see our event program, including our stages, click here. With that, I’ll call it a day. Popcorn Kelly

Ethan, thanks again for sharing your video and pics with me.

I just posted an updated Who's Coming List for the 2022 Illinois State Championship scheduled from July 15-17, 2022, this time with Alias, Category, AND State per request. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. Oh, and we're up to mid-80's attending the Celebration Riverboat Dinner Cruise. I've been asked by several people if the boat actually leaves the dock. Absolutely, it leaves the dock and cruises up and down the Mississippi between lock and dams #14 and #15. For more information on the dinner cruise see our registration form at www.illowairregulars.com. Popcorn Kelly, Illowa Irregulars

I also want to point out, for those that have never been to Illowa Irregulars' range, this is NOT a lost brass match. Each stage is separated from adjacent stages by berms so we can retrieve brass that's thrown forward after every shooter. You'll get about 90% of your brass back. PK

It'll feel good to have an Illinois State Championship match after these past couple of years. Illowa Irregulars are glad to be part of bringing it back to Illinois. Speaking of back - Back in the Saddle, Again is the match theme and figures in the stage descriptions Count Sandor is putting together. (About the only other clue I'll give you is that you'll recognize many of the stage lines.) I attached an image of our Championship, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place award buckles to this post. Daisy Ann did a nice job of designing them for us. Click on the image below to see them a little better. Planning continues. The Event Program has been ordered. We've 45 Door Prizes and 6 Raffle items we will give away. Click here to see the entire list. We've over 75 people signed up for the Saturday evening Celebration Belle Riverboat Dinner Cruise on the Mississippi. I've been asked a couple of times if the boat actually leaves the dock. Absolutely it leaves the dock and cruises up and down the Mississippi for about 2.5 hours. If you're interested, check our Registration Form for details. Speaking of registration forms, we've still a few spots left. If you're looking for a July match we'd enjoy having you. Just click on the link in the previous paragraph to download the form.

Here is a quick status update concerning the 2022 Illinois State Championship scheduled for July 15-17. As of today, we’ve 155 registered shooters, with a couple more known to be on the way. This means we have less than 25 spots remaining for those thinking about coming. If you’d like to attend, click here to download a registration form. Click here to see the Who’s Coming list. Here are some fun facts: · We’ve shooters from 16 states; · As of today, 40 of the 56 categories have entries; · As of today, 34 categories have an Illinois entry which means those categories will have an Illinois Champion named; · We’ve 21 registered campers; and, · 77 shooters/family members have signed up for the Celebration Belle Mississippi Riverboat Dinner Cruise. Also, in an effort to help shooters attending the Championship Match, particularly those that have never been here before (and those considering attending), we created an information packet which contains, among other things, information describing: · Directions to the Milan Rifle Club; · Where to Register and pick up your packet; · The Daily Schedule; · Side Match Schedule; · Parking information; · Round count w/ important information about Stage 8 – our Shotgun Only stage; · Camping information and instructions; and, · Directions to the Awards Ceremony which will be held at the Milan Community Center. Click here to download the Information Packet. Additionally, to help those that have never been here, we created a 6-minute, pre-arrival video (nothing too fancy) providing a visual reference for how to get to and enter the range, as well as where to register, camp, and park for the match. Click here to view the video. Have a great day and we’ll see you soon. Illowa Irregulars Cowboy Action Shooting Club Popcorn Kelly

Check out the updated info in the original post above, which also includes a link to our Who's Coming list. PK

Next year will be out 30th anniversary. PK