Irene Mandrell Celebrity Shoot to be held next weekend

EVANGELINE – The Cajun Elite Gun Club in Evangeline will be the setting for the Irene Mandrell Celebrity Shoot next weekend. The event will give Acadia Parish residents the opportunity to support the Boy Scouts of America and the Wish Upon a Star foundation.

This is the twelfth year for the celebrity shoot that has visited such locations as Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas.

Mandrell emphasized on Tuesday the two organization that the event is raising money for are very close to her heart.

“I know a lot of great men who would not be where they are today if it weren’t for the Boy Scouts,” she said. I’m very much involved with Wish Upon a Star and I know how the money we raise will impact their lives.”

Mandrell said she, as a parent, identifies with a the parent’s in Wish Upon a Star. “It’s wonderful to see how happy your children are, especially if you don’t expect things to go wrong. But for the parents of some of the children in Wish Upon a Star, they did lose their children, and that child’s final wish is a special memory they have to look back on.”

The event is three days of fun, safe shooting for every family member, and all profits go to the two charities, according to Tyser.

Some of the celebrities at the event are Irlene Mandrell’s sisters, Barbara and Louise; Buck McNeely, “The Outdoorsman”; Jon McGrath of the U.S. Shotgun Team; and Missouri Congressman Sam Graves among others.

The event will be held Friday, April 4, through Sunday, April 6. Each celebrity will join a team of four for the shooting trap and sporting clays events. There will be a banquet for non-shooters on the evening of Saturday, April 5 which will include an auction where people can bid on $8,000 of Smith and Wesson firearms, a lady’s mink coat, artwork from several local artists, plus several more items.

Those wishing to participate must pay a $385 entry fee. Tyser said that while that price seems a little high, the event’s participants will receive much in return. The entry fee also provides shooter with 100 rounds of traps and 100 rounds of sporting clays; ammunition; targets; a polo shirt; a hat; a shooter’s gift bag; dinner on Friday night; a ticket to Saturday night’s banquet and auction; and a barbecue on Sunday afternoon.

Anyone wishing more information on the event should call (864) 585-7616 or call the Cajun Elite Gun Club at 824-2110. For those who need the event’s website you can visit www.irlenemandrellshoot.com.