Knox County GOP enjoys 1st Annual Sporting Clays Fundraiser

By Jamie Schnell

schnellj@knoxfocus.com

The first annual Knox County GOP Sporting Clays Fundraiser was held Friday at Iron Mountain Sporting Clays in Kodak. Owned and operated by U.S. military veterans, Iron Mountain Sporting Clays offers shotgun enthusiasts and beginners a safe and fun shooting experience.

Participating teams and individuals included: the Knox County Sheriff’s Office team with Sheriff Tom Spangler; the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office; the “Ralley for Raley” group supporting Jackie Raley for Assessor of Property; John Whitehead, Knox County Property Assessor; Buddy Heins, VP of Merit Construction, Blue Ridge Development; Becky Duncan Massey, Tennessee State Senator 6th Senatorial District; Dave Wright, State Representative 19th Legislative District; Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally; and Buddy Burkhardt, chairman of the Knox County Republican Party.

Attendees geared up for the tournament with a breakfast provided by Chic-Fil-A and then rode in their golf carts to their designated stations to begin the tournament. After the tournament ended, the scorecards of the shooters were tallied up while all enjoyed a Buddy’s BBQ-sponsored lunch. A raffle was held to give away door prizes and then awards were given to the top and lowest-scoring shooters.

Along with a team of volunteers, Chair Burkhardt and his wife, Amy, organized the event which all considered a huge success.

There are already high hopes for an even bigger one next year. Buddy joked with the crowd, “You have a whole year to get really good at this. Thank you, I appreciate you. You have helped raise money for the Republican Party.”