LOESS HILLS PALADINS, INC

 "A dream with a date becomes a goal.
A goal broken into steps becomes a plan.
A plan with action becomes reality!"

When I started to shoot cowboy fast draw at age 65 what impressed me the most was a group of boys, ages 6 to 16, who were the most respectful courteous young men I had ever met.  They had social skills way beyond their years.  Being an old youth coach I can recognize a true sport when I see one. A sport is a character building activity.  That is it's only function.  Too many of our sports have been high jacked for their entertainment value.

Cowboy fast draw remains sport despite the efforts of some.  It teaches discipline, responsibility, respect, and courtesy despite your age.  It  is also a sport wherein the participants compete in an non-homogeneous environment.  There is great benefit to a 6 year old learning to converse and compete with a 60 year old,  both for the 6 year old and the 60 year old.

My ringers have all moved back to the loess hills of the plains where there is a dearth of CFDA clubs. (Part of explanation of the name.) Paladins were the knights of Charlemagne court, defenders of a noble cause. They would travel about righting wrongs and protecting the weak.  The corporate name comes from the brilliant wit of Possum.

Loess Hills Paladins, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation formed to provide facilities for "exempt purposes."  The exempt purposes are:
1. Educational.  To provide facilities for events (town alleys) that promote and teach gun handling and gun safety to members of the public;
2.  Charitable.  To provide facilities for events (club shoot) that combat community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.
3.  National and International Sports. To provide facilities for events that foster national and international sports competition by training competitors for those events (club shoots and titled events.)

The initial facility is material sufficient for a portable range that can be configured as a 2 lane, 4 lane, or 6 lane range.  It is can be erected in about 30 minutes for a 2 lane range, 1 hour for 4 lanes and, 1.5 hours for 6 lanes by 2 men.  It has double ballistic backstop of 10 feet and sides of 8 feet.  It is a championship range of 15 feet with 17 inch targets.  The material for the range, that is steel and ballistic, will be loaned to CFDA clubs with only two provisions.  It must be used for an "exempt purpose" (see above) and the club must have liability insurance for the event.  Electronics are to be provided by the club.  The use of the material and responsibility for it's use rest with the club.  The Paladins are simply providing the material.

2018 Schedule:  The range has been used by The Association of Arizona Gunslingers for two events, a national competitor practice and a club shoot.  In April the range is going to the home range of the River City Gunslingers for their use for town alleys during the summer of 2018.  In October the range will be back in the Valley of the Sun.  The range would fit nicely next to the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone in the event some club might want to put on a titled event at that location.  (Got a 7 x format all ready to go.) 

Needs:  Right now the Paladins do not own electronics for the range. We do have lights, sensors, cables, and junctions boxes that are compatible with River City Gunslingers timers.  Those timers are not CFDA approved as of yet.  

It is the intention of the Paladins to apply for 501 (c)(3) recognition. We have 27 month from April 1st to do this and be recognized back to the incorporation date. The significance of this is that if so recognized donations are tax deductible.  Yet to be determined is whether the Paladins is a public charity or a private foundation.  That will depend on the source of donations to the Paladins. 

Donations may be made to Loess Hills Paladins, Inc., P.O. Box 74726, Phoenix AZ 85087.

"Life has a way of making the foreseeable never happen, and the unforeseeable that which your life becomes."  Everett Hitch, Appaloosa.