Old Fort Parker Patriots have shooting competition

A group that calls itself the Old Fort Parker Patriots met at Old Fort Parker this past weekend for a competitive shooting match.

They actually meet there on the third weekend of each month to shoot rifles, shotguns and pistols, working on improving their accuracy in aim and in following the scenario of the contest and their style. They have about 35 members in the Old Fort Parker Patriots; but 14 were present at Saturday’s event.

Candy Hilliard is the secretary-treasurer of the group and describes it as total fun.

“Cowboy Action Shooting is a community of folks who enjoy competition shooting,” she said. “We meet new people everywhere we go. It’s as fun as you want to make it. It’s as challenging as you choose to allow it to be. It’s a way to feel like you are living in the past. Personally, I love the 1800’s attire.”

Single Action Shooting Society is the governing organization for the sport Cowboy Action Shooting, with clubs set up according to interest. The Old Fort Parker Patriots follows the SASS shooting handbook, with regulations for dress, safety and other matters.

The shooting area at Old Fort Parker is behind the fort and has a wooden frontage that appears to be several Old West stores connected to each other. As soon as the participants step behind the frontage, they enter a long hall-like area with large openings facing a grassy area filled with metal targets. All participants wear the required protective glasses and ear protection.

The firearms were laid out on a wide bar-like tabletop

The firearms were laid out on a wide bar-like tabletop at one of the rear openings. Member Rob Hilliard acted as a timer, keeping track of how long each shooter took to complete the scenario listed for the round.

Someone else wrote down the scores each shooter made and noted any errors. After everyone had shot, the group reconvened in the Visitors Center to share a lunch of sandwiches. The totals were added, and the winners announced. Participants won by category; or be named top shooter, male or female. Winners are awarded ribbons.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, with competition taking place in the morning, followed by lunch in the Visitors Center.

Besides the monthly competitions, like Saturday’s event, there are annual shooting events. In which the competition happens not only in the morning but in the afternoon, with side matches; long range shooting from the Fort Blockhouse; something called Wild Bunch, which is a shooting with 1911 hand guns; and a plainsman side match, using very old weapons.

Also at the annual matches, the group often plans a potluck dinner and one night of dancing or a movie; and for Sundays, they usually provide a cowboy church-type service.

Fort Director Sarah McReynolds is helping the group by filling in as executive vice president since the group currently don’t have a president.

Ken “Diablo Slim” Pruitt is their interim Range Boss; and Bob “Texas Gunslinger” Sanders is their Defend Match director and Territorial Governor.

McReynolds sees the Old Fort Parker Patriots group as quite valuable for the support they provide the Fort.

“They help because they come at least once a month; and they come in between to help on the range,” McReynolds said. “They help with the Weed-eating around the targets and the painting of the targets. They keep our restrooms clean, which helps. Their yearly match creates quite a bit of revenue for the Fort.”

The group is gearing up for that annual shooting competition to support Old Fort Parker, which is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 20- 22. The event began in 2003, when the Fort was in desperate need of funds just to stay open. A group of SASS members held a shoot just to benefit the Fort and have repeated the fundraiser annually since then.

Saturday’s participants came to the sport from different but similar backgrounds.

“I grew up on a farm and started hunting at a very young age, eight or 10,” said Gary Freemyer, of Mesquite, who had brought his grandson, Reggie “Jangles” Rockhill, 15, of Dallas. “I’ve just been interested all my life,” Freemyer added. “It’s the fun and competition. Protecting the home is another aspect.”

Seated next to Freemyer, Reggie nodded toward his grandfather and said, “He brought me to watch everybody when I was about eight. I started to shoot light guns. I like the people, and it’s active. There is a rhythm to it, kind of like football. You like playing it over and over. Me and my friend like to go fishing, and my uncle sometimes takes me deer hunting.”

Bob Sanders, of Ovilla, also started hunting very young

“I grew up on the farm in Mississippi, and (hunting) was a necessity to eat,” he said. “I hunted anything from squirrels to deer.”

As for why he goes to the shooting competitions, Sanders explained, “For 38 years I carried a gun as a profession, so I figured I might as well compete.”

Sanders was a policeman, a sergeant and watch commander, for 29 years in Dallas and also served nine years as a deputy constable in Ellis County.

What makes the shooting event most fun for Candy Hilliard is spending time with her husband, Rob Hilliard.

“It’s something we do together,” she said. “My first husband and I didn’t have anything we did together. We’d go off for the weekends, but we didn’t have sports. We’d go to Florida Gator games, but that was about it. He passed away in 2011.

“Both my husband and I lost our spouses; and we’d known each other for 14 years.”

“We went to church together; we’d sit in Sunday school class together,” she said.

Later, when they started dating, the first place Rob took her was a shooting event in Leonard.

“That was with the Texas Tin Horns,” she said. “It is absolutely for fun. You compete against yourself.”

She and Rob married in 2014 and now live in Whitehouse.

“A lot of the members of the shooting club will shoot with their spouses,” she continued; “and then there are some spouses who don’t want to shoot, which is perfectly fine.”

Another married couple participating Saturday was David “Travis” Keller and wife Kelley Keller (see sidebar). He had heard of the shooting competitions years ago when he was living in Fort Worth but had not had a chance to take part at that time. Later he moved to Kansas and got involved in the sport.

“I knew I liked it after the first time,” he said. “I always knew I’d like it. It just progressed from there. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, and I’m around the best people in the world. They’re friendly and safe; it’s one of the best sports I’ve ever been in.”

More information about the Old Fort Parker Patriots may be found at https:// oldfortparkerpatriots.weebly. com. More information about Cowboy Action Shooting, the Single Action Shooting Society, which governs it, and upcoming shooting competitions may be found at www.sassnet.com.

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