47th annual Rhine Turkey Shoot and festival set for Sept. 30

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RHINE – The longtime tradition of target shooting to garner a free Thanksgiving turkey will continue Sunday, Sept. 30, at the 47th Annual Rhine Turkey Shoot and Family Festival. The event gets underway at 11:30 a.m. lasting until 5 p.m. at St. Lawrence Catholic Church here.

The church grounds are located at 16053 Botkins Road, three miles east of Exit 104 at Interstate 75. Admission is free, open to the public, and all proceeds go to St. Lawrence Church.

Gun enthusiasts have traveled to Rhine once a year for more than three generations for a shot at scoring enough target hits to land the dinner table’s main dish. Shooters will be using 12-guage shotguns aiming for standing targets to obtain the 14-pound frozen turkey.

Registration for the competition begins at 10:30 a.m.

Five guns will be part of a raffle, according to co-chairman Elaine Staton. The auction winners will be directed to local gun distributors to submit qualified paperwork for gun ownership.

Staton also reported the raffle will feature a $1,000 cash top prize along with a 32-inch television and season passes to Jackson Center sports events, as top prizes. In all, $4,700 worth of cash and prizes will be raffled off. Attendance prizes will also be given out during the day.

Children’s festivities include a BB gun contest, and Father Sean Wilson of St. Lawrence Church featuring his juggling skills for youngsters.

Adult games will include cake and craft wheels, and showdown poker.

On the lunchtime menu will be mock turtle soup, chicken noodle soup, brats, homemade sandwiches, pies, pizza and ice cream.

Gavin Schmerge, 10, of Botkins, son of Fred and Becky Schmerge, takes aim with a pellet gun at the 2017 Rhine Turkey Shoot at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2018/09/web1_SDN092717Rhine1.jpgGavin Schmerge, 10, of Botkins, son of Fred and Becky Schmerge, takes aim with a pellet gun at the 2017 Rhine Turkey Shoot at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.

By Jim Painter

For the Sidney Daily News

The writer is a regular contributor to the Sidney Daily News.

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