A grand schuetzenfest with couple hundred competitors is a worthy objective. BUT such an event will not just blossom into being. Over several years, I have spent no small amount of time looking into the possibilities of creating a big schuetzenfest. Where to hold such an event is a big issue but pales in comparison to such matters as legal and insurance hurtles.
10 Years of schuetzenfest sponsorship by Coors was a once in a lifetime occurrence. To attract a big sponsor to schuetzen, the collective WE, would have to demonstrate that money spent on our game would show potential returns. The way we do that is to demonstrate we run well organized, well attended and growing competitive programs.
One of our problems is we tend to be old geezers who like to putz with single shot rifles. That’s not meat as a criticism as I resemble that remark.
The ISSA International Schuetzenfest at the NRA Whittington Center is a good starting point for building a major match. It is a well run match but attendance has been hovering at approximately 70 shooters for some years now. 
To make a big match takes more than 70 shooters, please come join us, you will be happy you did. This year’s schuetzenfest is August 1-5 at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, NM. Registration and practice will be July 31 at the Coors Range. For details: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Feel free to PM me for individual discussions.

Frank's idea for a grand Schuetzenfest isn't a bad idea his math is a little fuzzy. Frank estimates 80 participants @$200 each for an entrants fee for a total gross of $1600.00 and then budgets $4000.00 for expenses.
I have never been to the range in Kansas but I have talked to Brett about his experiences in putting on the Grand American Schuetzenfest. He would not do it again if you lit his hair on fire. 
I have put together large events in the past and seriously doubt that $4000.00 will cover the costs of an event of this size. How many bathrooms are there? Every municipality I have ever been to have enough of bathrooms for the number of people at your event. If you are going to draw corporate sponsors you have to do a sales / display area for them. Rental for a tent and running temporary electrical service to that tent or renting and running a generator for power all costs money. Overnight security for the vendor’s goods is also a must. There may also be licenses or fees from the county.
  Staff, there needs to be schuetzenmeisters and a scoring staff. Is there room to house them and the equipment and supplies for the week? Is there room for camping / trailers and parking. $ For signage and banners so people know where they are going.
Thai is all predicated on getting $200.00 entrants fee and asking some to drive as far as 1000 miles from people who can’t / won’t come up with $40.00 a year for membership. 
These are just a few of the problems that have to be solved to get an event like this off the ground.

40 Rod

I am amazed at how it is still hard to get folks interested in Schuetzen.  They turn their nose up because it sounds German and they envision goofy outfits, lots of dark beer, and some kind of silly ritual they have to perform before they shoot.  I have been thinking about calling my matches "historic target rifle" or something like that.  The fact of the matter is that many, if not most, of the free rifle shooting that occurred at the turn of the century had absolutely no German influence.  I was rather surprised in my research how much of the shooting in the Rocky Mountain region did not.  As near as I can tell, there were no German shooting clubs in Wyoming.  It was all shot on the Standard American target, there is no record of King matches, or any other clues to being schuetzen as we think.  I don't have anything against German heritage, but apparently a lot of folks do as it is a stumbling block in trying to get new people interested.
take care, Cody

Cody,  the demise of the germanic shooting programs was multi-cited and probably deserves a new thread all of its own. Needless to say target shooting was an American tradition in all regions and cultures. Different immigrant groups brought their own and eventually were mixed and mangled by time and changing technology.  Even the German/Swiss had different traditions depending on where and when and how they immigrated. 
What we observe as "Schuetzen" was just one part of it as traditions brought over by a mostly middle class urban wave of German immigrants who had organized musical and poetry groups, gymnastic and athletic clubs, newspapers and magazine, urban industrial breweries and related beer gardens, and yes shooting clubs.   settlement patterns dictated this,  where there were major enclaves these things developed and the old country traditions were preserved----for several generations.  over time they dwindled and were incorporated into the cultural melting pot.  many of the shooting clubs to stay afloat and keep their ranges open encouraged incorporation of non-german participants -----again a lot depended on location and demographics. you can factor in the shift form trolls to automobiles and urban transportation changes in land values and prohibition and the anti-saloon leagues---all had significant impacts.  The switch from muzzle loaders to single shots, to bolt action rifles, and in military style training and shooting was critical.  As was as the shift from urban or suburban short range offhand target shooting to longer ranges, 'free-rifle" and "position" shooting reflected the technological changes and the changes in shooting habits.   Its a long and complex and fascinating story that deserves much more research and discussion

Cody - you make good points about large prizes attracting more shooters. That is what happened by design with the Coors Schuetzenfest. They poured in wisely managed money and out came big, successful events. Those Grande-sized schuetzenfests, as well described by Ken Lewis, were a different experience than the local or regional matches with which so many of us are familiar. 
Painting with a broad brush - the Coors Schuetzenfests changed the game. The winners shot Millers with traditional type rifles gradually falling from favor among the contenders. For several seasons, it was an equipment race among the top shooters with a Miller rifle chambered in 32 Miller short being the rifle of choice (with some, it still is). Ken Lewis is dead-on in his assessment that the Coors Schuetzefest was Max Goodwin. After his retirement, company enthusiasm soon faded.
That was the landscape inherited by the ISSA when Coors withdrew from sponsoring the shooting sports.
IMO, the questions being discussed here revolve around:
-Do we, the collective body of schuetzen enthusiasts, want a big national/international schuetzenfest
-If we want a big schuetzenfest, how do we go about making it happen

John Merz did an outstanding job of pointing all of the unforseen requirments to put on such an event in these days and times all very costly and required. There is allot more to it than just having a passle of dedicated competitiors showing up to shoot as John has graciously pointed and I beleave he has expertise in this field of work.
Randy Wright also pointed out some good points the ISSA International Event used to draw well over 100 competitors and is now hovering around seventy and could use the support of those who have verbally commited to traveling to a grand event.
Fortunately it appears the ASSRA is attracting a large group of competitors to attend thier matches and a real good thing.
Our club has been hosting an ISSA Regional for as long as I can remember and the turn out was always up to our limits of accomodation. We used to have a group of regular competitors coming from NY, the Dakotas, Colo, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, NM, and various locations through out Ca just to shoot a three day regional event and they would all eventualy end up at Raton for the yearly International Event. Sadly most are now gone, to old to travel or simply can longer afford it but the good news is we have a new group of competitors joing us and we now have a packed line for our monthly matches and hopefully the day will come when they can fill those lost shoes.

The point being you first have to plant the tree on your own soil, nuture it, keep it in good health and it will produce more than enough fruit for everyone invited to enjoy so they can also share it with others and hopefully that single tree will someday turn into an orchard. 

Frank who is hosting the ISSA Regional in Oregon or has that tree not been planted yet to help keep the International Event in NM alive and well.

JLouis

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Well john, I'm glad you asked. The range that Jefferson State Schuetzen Society shoots at is a very busy range. They conduct matches for all popular shooting disciplines.

I checked into it last year and there are not any two day or more dates available at the only range that could hold such a event (The High Power range). Our club shoots on a range that was built for slug gunners, some time before 1975 and there are only 10 shooting benches.

At the time that I first started the club, I had a 3 day ASSRA match, reserved and schueled in July.

I ran it all by myself, Match anouncements, collecting prizes, scoring, match results and setting up the range. Plus all the other little things that come with doing a larger match. I was also VP and Treasurer and attended the range, monthly board meetings. During one of those matches (1993), Jim Feren set the still standing 100 shot OH record score. He came 2 years in a row and set the record the second year, I believe he did that right after he set one of his other 7 records at the Modesto range.

He didn't know me from anyone. Do you know how I got him to come? I called him and I offered a $100 first place prize for the 100 shot, OH Hudson Match. $50 was my own personal money and $50 was the clubs.

"Build it and they will come!"

Frank