Soopershoot event hits the target

Last October, I wrote a column about a murder mystery dinner event titled “Murder at the Deadwood Saloon,” which was sponsored by the Brianna Gregory Memorial Foundation started by Neil and Lindy Moss, the parents of Brianna Gregory. The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with life-threatening illnesses. Brianna passed away almost six years ago from cystic fibrosis, just one day before her 13th birthday.

By all accounts, the fall dinner event was a great success. Everybody had fun and I hear some of the costumed participants/dinner guests really got into their Wild West characters during the presentation of the murder mystery. I also mentioned in that same column that a second big event was being planned for this spring.

Here’s what’s happening. A major sporting clays shooting event called “The Brianna Gregory Memorial Supershoot” is scheduled for May 16, 2009, at the Grouse Ridge Shooting Grounds, north of Wasilla. This will be a 100-bird walkthrough sporting clays event for all ages and levels of experience. Individuals as well as teams of five can register to participate. If you register before May 1, you will save a little on the registration fee.

A pre-shoot breakfast buffet at Grouse Ridge, consisting of eggs benedict, sausage, and all the fixings, runs from 8:30 that morning until 10. The first “flight” of shooters goes out beginning at 10, so arriving early and having breakfast first sounds like a good idea to me. If enough shooters register, a second “flight” will go out at 1:00 PM if needed.

Trophies will be awarded in six classes. A silent auction will be ongoing in the clubhouse and lunch is included when you register to shoot. The trophy awards ceremony will be held after lunch and is expected to be a very special program. A raffle for a Beretta shotgun will also be conducted. All proceeds go to benefit Children’s Hospital at Providence and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

There will be a couple of celebrities present at this event. Jay Novacek, a former Dallas Cowboys tight end and well-known personality on several hunting and shooting programs on the satellite and cable networks, is scheduled to participate in the shoot. Hobo Jim is also scheduled to shoot. He may sing a song or two during the event as well.

Several challenges have been issued for this shoot. I understand the Wasilla police department has committed to field a team and has challenged all the other local and state law enforcement agencies to field teams too. Anchorage, Palmer, Houston, the “blueshirt” Troopers, and the “brownshirt” Troopers need to “put up or shut up” with this challenge.

Neil Moss tells me a very special, nearly four-foot tall “perpetual trophy” will be awarded for a one-year duration to the winning public safety team. They then come back each year to defend the trophy. If a team wins three years in a row, they can keep the trophy permanently! Other public safety groups, like the EMT’s, fire fighters, or the various communities’ ambulance crews, are also encouraged to form teams and register to participate. As I understand things, they are eligible to win this perpetual trophy too.

Wouldn’t it be “interesting” if an ambulance crew or a team of fire fighters outshot the guys who carry guns for a living?

Business and corporate sponsors are challenged to support both individual shooting stations and sponsor youth shooting teams from the youth leagues at Birchwood, Rabbit Creek and Grouse Ridge shooting facilities. Shooting clubs from all over the state are being encouraged to send teams. Business and corporate shooting teams are encouraged as well. Call 373-0961 or visit www.briannashope.org for more information.

Now for the best part of the day’s planned events – another murder mystery dinner! Beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Grouse Ridge, an interactive benefit entitled “Murder Among the Mateys” will be held. This fun-filled evening of pirates and mayhem is strictly limited to 125 participants and tickets are rapidly disappearing. Call 373-0961 to purchase yours. Everyone is a suspect in the deaths of more than one guest at the Salty Sea Dog Inn.

Such characters as crewman Thumbless Jack, gunner One-eyed Wanda, and powder monkey Cutthroat McPhearson will be part of the evening’s festivities. If you buy your tickets soon, you might be seated next to crewmember Jane Sparrow (any relation to Jack?) or perhaps galley wench Cruel Kate or crewman Pete the Malformed.

In addition to the various pirate crews, I understand a band of pillaging Vikings plan to have their ship at dock for the evening. Sweyn the Swede (I thought Vikings were all Norwegian??), chieftain of Howth and Cap’n of the North Atlantic Seas and his wife, Lady Freya, plan to attend, as do Ragnar the Berserker and Steinor the Strong.

There are also “witness” roles where a dinner guest arrives in character and costume, but is not obligated to participate. Witnesses may play their character to the fullest or not at all.

Last fall’s murder mystery evening sold out three weeks before the scheduled date, so don’t delay too long or you may find yourself without a seat at the Salty Sea Dog Inn!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.