DIGHTON — Curtis Smith, owner of Smithworks L.L.C. in Dighton, has been named by the Lane County Commissioners as the new operations manager of the Trapshooting Range located at the Lane County Fairgrounds. Smith, who was raised in Dighton, returned in 2019 to care for his mother, Dee Smith, after his father, Hurley T. Smith, unexpectedly passed away. Hurley was known for his passion for hunting and shooting sports, and when it came to Curtis’s attention that the clubhouse was falling into disrepair, he realized the best way to honor his father’s memory was to entreat the county commissioners to allow him to make repairs and facilitate the return of an important part of Lane County’s cultural heritage.

“I was a deeply gratified that they agreed to let me move forward with this,” Smith stated. “Some of my best memories are traveling the area with my dad to shoot trap most weekends. He taught me well, and I really look forward to bringing our range back to life, giving people an opportunity to compete, be educated about gun safety, and pass this tradition along to a new generation.”

Smith plans to provide educational opportunities, hold fundraisers for local organizations in need, and start a youth league to educate young people about safety and technique, while providing a safe place to excel. Long-term plans include adding another trap house and getting the range registered with the Kansas Trapshooting Association, but immediate priorities are to procure a new thrower and a proper club house, which will require significant financial resources.

“I can’t do it alone. I need all the help from our community as I can get,” Smith continued. “I’ll not be drawing an income for any of this. At least at first, and I don’t have access to public funds. I’ll be soliciting sponsorship and donations, along with any grants that might be available, and construction materials as well. I’ll need ammunition sponsors for the youth programs to keep their costs down. It will take some time before it becomes self-sustaining, but that’s the goal. When we’re done, our community will have a venue to make us all proud.”

Curtis will be working in the coming weeks with the commissioners to establish all the proper documentation required to accept sponsorship and donations, but in the meantime, he can be contacted at 816-507-9441.