Marksmen flock to Stonyford for the Turkey Shoot competition

A decades-old fall tradition drew several hundred armed participants to Stonyford this weekend.

More than 200 marksmen flocked to the Stonyford Rodeo grounds Saturday for the traditional Indian Valley-Bear Valley Firefighters Association Turkey Shoot. For nearly 12 hours, shooters gunned down airborne targets over an abandoned baseball field.

No one knows exactly how many years the firefighters have hosted the fundraising competition, but several estimates put the event somewhere between 40 and 60 years.

"It's a nice, family event with something for everyone," said Babs Cook, an event coordinator.

Cook is married to Indian-Bear Valley Fire Chief Barney Cook and said she's enjoyed the competition each year since the mid-60s.

Alen Burt, president of the Indian-Bear Valley Firefighters Association, said the event is the group's primary fundraiser each year and the money raised is used to purchase vital equipment.

"This year is especially important because of all the budget cuts from the county and state and there's a lot of things that we still need," Burt said.

Burt said firefighters need to purchase new fire clothing, hoses and a "Rescue Jaws of Life."

Ryan Martindale, 16, of Willows, participated in the clay pigeon shotgun competition.

"I'll be here all day. Hopefully I'll win, too," Martindale said.

Martindale showed off his Remington 870 Express 12-gauge and said he's enjoyed shooting all his life.

Brock Brown of Stonyford took his younger brother, Shane, to the competitive shootout.

"I almost won earlier," Shane said. "There was a shoot-off between me and this other kid and I got second place."

The results of the competition were not available, but coordinators said the best part of the day is meeting up with old friends to swap new jokes and old stories and eat a few chili dogs.

"The shooters always stay all day and all night," said Harliss Henrickson. "They'll stay until it gets dark and longer if someone has a spotlight."

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.