You and your family are invited to watch some exciting cowboy action shooting at the 2019 Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) Canadian National Championship from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, at Courtenay Fish and Game. The Valley Regulators will be hosting this annual event after a three-year hiatus.
More than 100 cowgirl and cowboy competitors of all ages will don colorful old-west apparel and try to shoot their way to a championship title. Black-powder and smokeless powder shooters alike will strap on their six-guns, grab their rifles and shotguns, and head into Boomtown for some noise, smoke, fun and friendly competition.
SASS members share an interest in preserving the history of the “old west” and competitive target shooting. Every SASS member selects a shooting alias based on a character or profession from the old west or western films. Another requirement is to adopt a shooting costume, and most shooters develop a western wardrobe for day and evening wear. Buckskins, Victorian ball gowns, period military uniforms, saloon girls and gamblers in their finery are all part of the fun. This year, the Valley Regulators are also hosting the 2019 Canadian Wild Bunch Championship, which uses costumes and guns made popular in the movie, The Wild Bunch.
“Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into the ongoing construction of ‘Boomtown’ and we want to show it off,” Debbie Guthrie of Courtenay Fish and Game said in a press release. “We now have 19 permanent structures, making Boomtown the most impressive cowboy action range anywhere in North America. Our newest buildings include a train station and trestle, in addition to the bank and barbershop, livery, mine shaft, several saloons, general store, jail, fort, house and firehouse.”
When the smoke and dust settles, count on watching some great shooting from competitors from across Canada and the U.S., and from as far away as Germany. Not surprisingly, some of the best — and youngest — shooters in Canada come from the Comox Valley.
Admission is free and spectators are invited. This is an outdoor gravel facility with no visitor services.
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 28-29) from 8:30 a.m. to noon: Canadian Wild Bunch Championship.
Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to noon: the full SASS competition with 12 action-packed, old-west stages.
Monday, Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon: One-on-One Competition.
Contact Phil Peterson at 250-897-6255 or keanauto@shaw.ca for more information.