some of the nation’s best trap shooters.
And to meet the needs of these shoot-ers
are 120 trap houses stretched out
along a 3.5-mile-long shooting line. Miles
of sidewalks and pull-in parking lots pro-vide
easy access to the ranges, although
during large events a trolley service will
shuttle shooters and observers between
the range, campground and facility head-quarters.
Golf cart rental also will be avail-able
on site. Canopy-covered benches
provide shady retreats for watching the
action. And as the competition narrows,
shooters will continue into the night on the
lighted fields at trap houses No. 9-24.
A variety of support services are nec-essary
to handle the Grand American
crowd and participants attending other
August 2006 OutdoorIllinois / 5
everything that Randolph County, and
all of southwest Illinois, has to offer.”
Custom yet affordable infrastructural
amenities—picnic tables, seating in the
Events Center, benches, signs and
trash receptacles—were constructed at
Department of Correction facilities.
Also involved early in the process
was the DNR heavy equipment crew,
responsible for construction of the initial
pistol berms, and creating a shallow
wetland habitat in the process. Con-structed
at a cost savings to the state of
nearly 50 to 60 percent, the berms pro-vided
the backdrop for the Randolph
County Ruckus, a single-action shooting
event sponsored by the Prairie State
Cowboy Action Shooting Association.
“The 2005 Illinois state cowboy
action shooting championship was held
at the WSRC, and with 311 shooters it
was the largest state championship in
the United States—a great feat consid-ering
this was the state’s first state
championship,” said Tab Baumgardner,
Randolph County Ruckus match direc-tor.
“The 2006 ruckus drew nearly 400
shooters, due in large part to the avail-ability
of on-site camping facilities.”
Baumgardner attributes much of the
event’s success to the citizens of Sparta.
“The local community hosts the
opening event, the Friday Night Fracas,”
Baumgardner explained of the Old
West-style block party with costumed
shooters providing action-draw demon-strations.
“The community welcomed the
Randolph Ruckus with open arms and
have embraced this as a part of their
summer festivities.”
Sparta, and all of southwest Illinois,
will welcome an estimated 150,000 peo-ple
to the 10-day Grand American
August 8-18, a crowd that will return
each August to compete, or to support
4 / OutdoorIllinois August 2006
large events throughout the year. Five
vendor buildings will provide permanent
storefront space for sales and service of
firearms and a range of other goods and
services related to the shooting sports
industry. A vendor mall and tent/portable
vendor spaces accommodate more tran-sient
businesses (see sidebar).
The hub of the facility is the Events
Center, a 34,000-square-foot building
housing a 7,000-square-foot registration
area, conference rooms, a pro shop and
a full-service restaurant where patrons
may dine indoors or on the outdoor ter-race
overlooking one of the five lakes on
the property.
Set against one of the largest lakes
are 341 premium camp sites (equipped
with water, sewer and electricity). Near-by
are an additional 350 standard sites
(in groups of 50 units with water, sewer
and electricity) and 310 overflow sites
(with electricity). See sidebar for addi-attend
the August Grand American,
clear informational signage is crucial,
and we were able to rely on the exper-tise
of IDOT in developing the multitude
of directional signs needed.”
Creation of the water, sanitary and
sewer systems necessary for operation
of the complex has in large part been
the responsibility of the City of Sparta.
According to Mayor Randy Bertetto,
Sparta and communities throughout
southwest Illinois are rolling out the red
carpet for visitors to the shooting complex.
“The WSRC will be a destination for
hundreds of thousands of people each
year,” Bertetto remarked. “And with the
Grand American drawing participants
from outside the United States, this is an
excellent opportunity to showcase
tional information on campground
amenities.
“Not only is the WSRC campground
three times larger than facilities avail-able
at any other DNR site,” Flood
explained of the unique design, “it was
specifically designed for large recre-ational
vehicles, with roomy, paved, pull-through
pads long enough to accommo-date
a towed vehicle.”
Facts at a glance
Address: World Shooting and Recre-ational
Complex, One Main Event Lane,
Sparta, IL 62286.
Telephone: (217) 782-5706 or toll free
at 1-866-850-2564.
Website: www.dnr.state.il.us/world
shooting/home.htm.
Directions: The WSRC is northeast of
Sparta in Randolph County and can be
accessed from Route 4 or Route 154.
Event information: Visit www.dnr.state.il.
us/worldshooting/index.htm, call the
numbers above or contact Bob Ruff at
bob.ruff@illinois.gov. The Tourism Bureau of Southwestern
Illinois has a diverse and exciting
schedule of day tours—historic, shop-ping,
gambling, national forest, Scott Air
Force Base, wine tasting and more—
available during the 2006 Grand Ameri-can.
Visit www.thetourismbureau.org or
call 1-800-442-1488 for information.
Whether attending a major shooting
event or conference, camping
with your family or touring sites within
the region, make plans to stop by the
World Shooting and Recreational Com-plex
for a meal at Heartland Range.
Located within the Events Center, the
restaurant features a family-friendly
atmosphere and reasonably priced
menu of homestyle meals, steaks, ribs,
seafood and more. Heartland Range is
owned by the Bloomington-based Ned
Kelly’s restaurant.
WSRC Partners
Amateur Trapshooting
Association:
www.shootata.com
Prairie State
Cowboy Action
Shooters Association:
www.randolphcounty
ruckus.com
City of Sparta:
www.egyptian.net/%7E
spartacc
Contact the Tourism
Bureau of Southwest-ern
Illinois for informa-tion
on area tours and
rooming accommoda-tions:
Camping
The WSRC campground will open for
public use in September 2006. Fea-tures
of the site include:
691 premium and standard sites with
water, sewer and electricity ($20/
night, including utility fee)
310 premium overflow or electricity-only
camp sites ($15/night, including
utility fee)
24 premium disabled-accessible sites
($20/night, including utility fee)
asphalt pads, fire ring and picnic table
a 22-unit shower facility near the
overflow camping area designed to
accommodate families and people
needing assistance
availability of portable shower houses
during large events
vault toilets
six dump stations
firewood, propane and ice available
on site
dogs allowed on leashes
in the future, playgrounds will be built
throughout the facility
Sixteen lighted fields will be
utilized during the Grand American
finals, and in other events.
Picturesque settings await diners
enjoying indoor and outdoor
seating at the Heartland Range and
Shooter’s Saloon.
With more than 1,000 camp sites,
the Sparta-based WSRC is Illinois’
largest campground.
The WSRC was designed to
accommodate a variety of shooting
events, including the Randolph
County Ruckus, a cowboy-action
shooting championship.
