Shooting enthusiasts from Southeast Nebraska and surrounding areas gathered Saturday night, Aug. 25, at the Johnson Legion Hall to support youth shooting programs.

They were also urged to encourage youth to participate in outdoor activities.

“It’s great to see everyone supporting youth activities,” said Glen Hogue of Auburn, committee chairman.

The seventh annual Southeast Nebraska Lewis & Clark Sportsman Club banquet featured a live auction, a silent auction and drawings.

A special youth auction featured a M64 S.A. rifle; a champion 499 target BB gun and a target set.

Live auction items included prints signed by Terry Redlin, “Master of the Valley,” “Prairie Skyline” and “Good Morning America;” and statues by Redlin, “Prairie Skyline” and “The Birch Line.” There was also a traveling gun by the Lewis & Clark Sportsman’s Club.

Over the past 16 years, the club’s members have contributed more than $70,000 to Southeast Nebraska youth shooting sports programs. That included training, education and safety programs.

Randy Fox, superintendent of Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, Nebraska City, reminded everyone of upcoming activities at the park.

Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 15-16, is the AppleJack Art Show. Artists from Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota will have work featured. Paul and Sandi Nichols of The Prairie Potter will be hosts. Sept. 15 hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 16 hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The show is during Nebraska City’s 44th annual AppleJack Festival, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 14-16.

The last two Sundays in September and the first two Sundays in October will feature living history demonstrations at the park. Fox said the demonstrations have occurred for more than 30 years. He said they started when a group of school teachers came down and wanted to know about cider pressing.

Fox also said the garden areas at the Arbor Lodge mansion are being revamped. He also urged everyone to support Jim Douglas, new director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Mike Raymond said he was a proponent of youth activities and said we need to keep youth spending time outdoors.

Raymond is with Osage Wildlife Management Area northwest of Tecumseh. He said the whitetail deer disease outbreak has spread to Southeast Nebraska the past couple of weeks. The virus affecting the whitetail deer is caused by mosquitoes.

Les Hlavac said we need to recruit, develop and retain youth to participate in outdoor activities.

Hlavac recommended visiting the Outdoor Heritage Education Complex at Platte River State Park west of Louisville. It is an activity center featuring shooting experiences for persons of all ages. Its focus is on safety and family fun. The complex features archery, rifle, shotgun and pellet gun components. It is open daily during the summer; and Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays during April and May, and September and October.

Hlavac also recommended attending the state trapshooting competition, which drew 2,033 shooters last spring. The competition is the first weekend of May at Doniphan, south of Grand Island. Hlavac has coached trapshooters. He was also a longtime teacher at Nemaha Valley Schools.