National Side by Side Festival Moves to the Heart of Texas

In late March the Vintagers will host the Third Annual National Side by Side Festival, with this year's event planned for sunny Southern weather and the avid shotgunning populace of the Houston area. The National Side by Side Sporting Clays Championship will test the waters of the attractive course at Rio Brazos Hunting Preserve & Sporting Clays from March 24 to 26.

Vintagers spokesman Ray Poudrier hopes he has found a good home for the event, which is on its third venue in three years. The National was held outside of Cincinnati in 2004 and moved to the Chicago/Milwaukee area last year. Poudrier said exhibitor interest in the new location is strong.

Competitions will be pared to the essentials this year, with primary focus on the main event: a 111-target sporting clays competition for side-by-side shotguns. There also will be gauge-specific competitions, a Helice championship, paired- and two-gun events, and a separate 5-Stand setup. There will be no trap, skeet or rifle competitions this year.

The third National will take place almost two months earlier than in previous years, just as spring is coming and the fresh green of Texas is most appealing. A late-March event also splits the Vintagers' social calendar evenly, placing the shoot a half-year away from September's Vintage Cup. "This is more to the time frame that we like," Poudrier said.

Rio Brazos stood out as the best-organized host among shooting facilities in the area, according to Poudrier, because although it is primarily a shooting preserve offering half- and full-day guided hunts, it has held National Sporting Clays Association-certified events and also commissions a purpose-specific marketing and event staff rather than relying on volunteer efforts, as some clubs do. The grounds are lovely and private, Poudrier said, and surrounded by the kind of oil-money estates and ranches that outsiders might remember flickering past in episodes of "Dallas." There is also a new rustically luxurious clubhouse.

For 10 years Connie McElroy has been promoting and organizing sporting clays events around Texas-the past six months for Rio Brazos. Through her CM Promotions, she has helped Rio Brazos develop league competitions and corporate events and host the 150-shooter Houston Pipeliners' Shoot.

Rio Brazos is located 15 miles from a number of good hotels and a commerical area with plenty of restaurants and shopping-including a BASS Pro Shop. The center of Houston is 45 miles away, and McElroy said visitors can expect about an hour's drive from the airport to the grounds.

For more information, contact the Vintagers, 413-339-5347; www.vintagers.org. Learn more about Rio Brazos at www.riobrazos.com or from Connie McElroy at www.shootpromotions.com.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Shooting Sportsman»