~ August 2021 ~
Message from our president . . . . .
Member and welcome to August,

Welcome to August as time seems to be flying by. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying some level of “normalcy”.

CVOA is beginning to prepare for Homecoming weekend just a little more than two months away. You’ll be hearing about volunteer opportunities, and I hope all attending will stop by the CVOA table to say hi and renew their memberships.

There are still a few spots available on 2022 ski trips. If you would like more information please contact the trip leaders.

Enjoy the rest of summer.
STEVE
Your membership is valid through Dec. 31, 2021
Thank you for being a member of CVOA.
Special Opportunity for CVOA Members
from Bigelow Aviation
Bigelow Aviation replied to our request for Activities and is offering their discount through August!

BIGELOW Aviation is offering a 20% discount to CVOA members for a discovery flight for August. Usually it is $99 per person but we are offering it for $80 for one person, $120 for two people.

It is a great opportunity to learn about flying, take a refresher for Rusty pilots, or get an aerial lay of the land for hikers, bikers and local homeowners. Bring a camera, the aerial views are amazing!

They offer lessons and plane rental year round and their own Certified Flight Instructor is CVOA member Tom Wallace.

To find out more and to schedule your flight, contact Tom directly at 207-350-1415 or bigelowaviation@gmail.com.
Certified Flight Instructor and CVOA member Tom Wallace
Bigelow Aviation plane
Masks Off!! Let the Adventures Continue . . .
The summer is half over. Let's get some activities on the calendar for August and September.

Contact Cindy Foster, 829-6110, to get your event info out to the members.
? Show 'N Go Events ?
Easy Peasy! still true . . .

With short notice, Cindy will send your details to the entire membership via an email message. Fun, easy, and even if it the turnout is small, worthwhile.
Ski Trips in 2022
Big Sky – January 22 to 29 – $2,290 pp/do 
Trip Leader: Mike Parker – phone: 207-649-7308

The Big Sky trip has been filled with the maximum 36 people. If you are interested in being placed on the waiting list, contact Mike.
Snowbird/Alta – February 26 to March 5 – $2,300 pp/do
Trip Leader: Bonnie Farrar – phone: 207.735.3984

Until I retired from teaching, I was never "free" to go on a CVOA Ski Trip because they didn't fall on school vacation week. Therefore, I was ecstatic when my husband and I joined our first big CVOA group going to Big Sky, Montana in 2015 after I had retired. It was everything I had hoped for including the awesome skiing, gorgeous vistas, great accommodations and fun activities - all at a great price. But more than that was the opportunity to meet like-minded, active, winter-loving people who quickly became some of our closest friends. If you have been "thinking about" or "hoping to" go(ing) on a CVOA ski trip - here is your last chance for 2022. There are a few openings remaining on the Snowbird/Alta ski trip - but only if you act fast!

Reservations need to be made before August 20, our deadline for turning in our unused rooms at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird (check it out on their website!!).

Would love to have you join us!
I would be happy to answer any questions you may have,

Bonnie
bfarrar7@aol.com
207.735.3984

Here is the list of our fun travelers to date:
Patti & Thom Johnston
Steve & Shirrin Blaisdell
Rick Chenard & Mike Porter
Dario Puerto & Fred Brennan
Jamie & Catherine Martin w/Ben, Joshua & Samuel
Kathy MacVane & Maureen Foley-Hester
Peg & Steve Whitcomb
Bob & Bonnie Farrar
Josh and Liz Cutler
Aspen/Snowmass – March 5 to 12, 2022 – $2,250 pp – 4 per 2BR/2bath condo
Trip Leaders: Lee & Jon Goss – phone: 207-542-9361

The Aspen/Snowmass trip has almost filled all 9 condos. One member is looking for a female roommate. If you are interested, or would like to be placed on the waiting list, contact Lee and Jon.
A Big Thank You from AOEC
Note: At our June meeting, CVOA approved the request from the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center for a donation of $500 to support their fly fishing program. A note of thanks follows:

The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center kicked off session one of the Horizons Fly Fishing program with four anglers of varying abilities. Working with our program partner, Confluence Collective, participants learned about environmental topics such as entomology, Leave No Trace Principles, conservation, how to read water, and natural spaces and who lives there. We also practiced casting and how to properly handle fish with Keep Fish Wet resources. We learned how to tie our own woolly bugger flies thanks to our friends at HMH Vises and we tried our hand at a few important knots used in fly fishing such as the surgeon loop and handshake loop knot. 

This six-week program concluded with a 3 day, 2 night retreat at the AOEC in Carrabassett Valley. During the early mornings and days the Anglers put their newly learned skills to the test out on the water and at night we gathered around the table and shared fishing stories of big catches and bites from the day. The friendships and bonds that developed from this program far outweigh any fish that were caught! 

We would like to say THANK YOU to the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association for helping make this program possible. We would also like to thank Cindy Foster for taking the time to join us for dinner! The participants loved the opportunity to share their experience with the program with her. There are many perceived barriers to the sport of fly fishing and we are incredibly thankful to be able to offer this opportunity to the population we serve. 

Thank you, Kayla Lee, Bruce and Annemarie Albiston
Adaptive Outdoor Education Center 
A boy and his dad did the program together.
Sunday morning at the Outdoor Center Pond.
A happy and grateful group of participants!
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Range News
Hello All,

The 50 yard Range is very nearly complete. Harvey Packard has a few more finishing touches he wants done, but for all intents and purposes, the Range is operational. A group of volunteers spent a beautiful Saturday building the rain shelter for the shooting stand. A special thanks to: Pete Weston, Claude Peppin, Paul Feeney, Sheldon Allen, Bryan Bennett, Ray Stone, and, of course, Harvey Packard! Paul, Sheldon, and Bryan all work for the Customs and Border Patrol. Thanks guys for your service to our country as well as our range!

July was a rainy month. Over 7 inches! We had several rainouts for the Sunday Trap. The 5 Stand is covered and had no issues. Fingers are crossed that August Sundays are drier and sunnier! If you’ve never tried Trap or 5 Stand, our weekend shoots are the perfect way to try it out. All you need is a shotgun (12 gauge or 20 gauge) and a box of ammunition (not easy to find right now). Our Range Safety Officers will be happy to guide you through a shoot.

If you haven’t been to the range recently, then you will be surprised by all the additional earth in piles around the range. Stratton Lumber donated and delivered hundreds of yards of fill, which we are using to build berms between the trap field and the pistol and rifle ranges, as well as at the far end of the trap field in order to diminish the amount of ammo being sent into the woods and water. Also, parking has changed so that pistol and rifle range users can more easily park near their range. We are awaiting some additional culverts to finish off the archery range, making it longer.

We are looking to train another group of Range Safety Officers. We have several folks who have expressed interest in the program. If you would like to become an RSO, the club will pay for the course, your gas, and lunch. The course is held at Howell’s in Windham, ME. Your responsibilities to the range are to review the club’s safety procedures so that if you witness any unsafe use of our facility, you are able to address those issues. As an RSO myself, I can say those times are few and far between. Our members and guests have always been respectful and quick to make corrections as needed. As a passive range, we expect our members to follow all posted safety guidelines. But if you use the range on a regular basis and might be interested in becoming an RSO, your acquired knowledge will help make our range more safe. Send me an email if interested. dpstone32@gmail.com.

Thank you all for your support over the years. I hope to see you at the Range!

Diane Stone
Range Secretary
207-240-4752
How can You Help at the Range?
Here are some Ways:

Be “On Call” for mowing the lawn and Odd Jobs. (Riding mower, tools, supplies are on premise.) As you may know, a couple of years ago the Range hired Sherie Packard to keep the place looking great, which she does. Not only does she mow the lawn regularly, she cleans the bathroom, cleans flies from the buildings, keeps the flowers in the road-side planter watered, and more than you can imagine. Sherie would like to have a few people on call for the occasional times she might not be able to get the mowing done, in particular. And there are often Odd Jobs that do not fit in her repertoire. Call Sherie and Harvey if you might be able to help. 207-246-2339

Do some minor exterior painting and staining, a few items didn’t quite get done on the clean-up day. Call Harvey at 207-246-2339

Run the Saturday 5-stand shoots or the Sunday Trap shoots. Ray and Diane have been running these events for a few years now, and it is time to give them a few weekends off. Diane has written complete directions for each event, and they are more than willing to teach you what’s involved. (A benefit of learning to run a trap shoot is that you can use the range at any time with your friends or family – a private session!) Call Diane at 207-240-4752, or show up at one of the shoots to learn more.

Update: to date, Jeff Sanford, Mark Balles, Ami Cinq-Mars, Mark Daigle and Darrold Tukey have learned how to run these shoots, for which we are thankful. It's not too late to add your name to the list!

Pitch in before and after the shoots – open up the 5-stand building, set up for trap; close up the 5-stand building, put away trap stations; fill the clay throwers at the end of the each shoot.

Become an NRA Range Safety Officer by taking a one-day course at Howell’s in Grey; CVOA pays the course fee. We would like to have 6 new officers, and Howell’s will set up a course just for us. Call Ray at 207-240-3591.

We look forward to hearing from you!
Call directly, or reply to this email and your reply will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
Trap Fees Due for Increase

For many years, our trap shooting fee has been $5 per round of 25. Clay prices have, of course, risen every year. The trap fee is now $6 per round. The cost of a punch card of 10 rounds is now $50. Any cards on file or purchased prior to July 1st will still be valid.
Just a Reminder:
Range Safety
Our Range has continued to grow and to provide a safe shooting environment for all:
  1. There are signs posted at the entrance and shooting venues; they provide sign in and safety instructions for Range use. Please take a moment to review these instructions.
  2. All guests and the general public are required to sign in at the gatehouse before proceeding to the shooting venue or clubhouse. Inside you will find Day Use Waiver Forms for guest shooters, and Guest Badges for Day Use visitors. Day Use fee is $5, and if no Range Officer is present, the fee is paid into the lock box on the honor system.
  3. First Aid/Trauma kits are located around the Range: one at the rifle range, one at the five stand range, and one at the club house. These include basic first aid items such as band aids and alcohol wipes, as well as advanced trauma equipment like tourniquets and quick clotting bandages. If you need to access the First Aid/Trauma Kit for any reason, please fill out an Incident Report. 
  4. The Range has created and adopted a Safety Operating Procedure, or SOP, which gives detailed rules and guidelines for Range Operations. The SOP is posted on the range web site, and is available for review in the club house. 
  5. Range Safety Officers are not on the Range during some of the operating hours. As such, during these Passive Range Operating times, it is the duty of all members to know and follow posted rules. The Range would like to invite members to become NRA certified Range Safety Officers. CVOA will pay for your training which will be invaluable to the Range. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Diane Stone at (207) 240-4752.
How to Contact Us
  • President Steve Smith: 207.799.8254: cvoa.president@gmail.com
  • Vice President Thom Johnston: 207.852.3595: cvoa.vicepresident@gmail.com
  • Treasurer Sam Hudspath: 207.458.9138: cvoa.treasurership@gmail.com
  • Secretary Cindy Foster: 207.829.6110: cvoa.secretary@gmail.com
  • Adventure Coordinator Patti Johnston: 207.745.5815: cvoa.adventures@gmail.com
  • Range Secretary Diane Stone: 207.240.4752: cvoa.range@gmail.com
  • Range Chairman Neal Trask: 207.235.2732
Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
Valley Crossing #6
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
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