Several community members missed Take a Kid Fishing in June when the weather canceled the event. Make up for the cancellation by attending Take A Kid Outdoors on September 7, 2024, at Mattingly Target Shooting Range.
The former Daviess County Gun Club location will serve as the Daviess County Conservation District’s training grounds for several outdoor activities. These activities include archery, learning about animal traps and furs, and identifying animal tracks versus human tracks.
They also will showcase an introduction to firearms for participants and ATV safety tips.
“Handing a firearm safely is our absolute number one priority during this event. Many youth may have never held a shotgun, much less a BB gun, and this provides them with that opportunity for free in a very safe environment,” Daviess County Parks and Recreation director of outreach Ross Leigh said.
The Conservation District hosts events like these three times yearly to expose the kids to something new. Other days include Take a Kid Fishing and Take a Kid Camping, typically in June and October.
After hosting the annual Take a Kid Fishing event in June, secretary Georgia McCrady said attendance has continued to grow each year. McCrady and Leigh noted that children’s perspectives on the world widen as more kids benefit from learning about all the outdoor activities.
“The mission of our committee is to provide kids a free, unique outlet to be exposed to the outdoors,” Leigh said. “That could include catching or handing their first fish, safely handing a firearm, or roasting their first s’more while sleeping under the stars. These programs just do not exist in Daviess County on an organized basis and have proven to be quite successful since our first event in 2015.”
Registration begins at 8 a.m., and events will commence at 9 a.m. To pre-register, visit here. They will be giving away different door prizes and lunch at 11 a.m.
Mattingly Target Shooting Range is located at 7740 Hwy 2830 in Maceo.
