More Than a Trap Shoot. A Fort St. John Tradition.

By Kim Rose

Photo credit: Kyle (James) Wolf

Forty-three years.

Think about that for a moment.

For more than four decades, the Fort St. John Petroleum Association Trap Shoot has brought together people from across our region for a weekend that has become about far more than breaking clay targets.

It's become a tradition.

This year's event was another reminder that while companies, careers, and even entire industries evolve over time, community has a remarkable way of staying rooted.

As I wandered between the tents over the weekend, I found myself listening to conversations that could only happen at an event like this.

Stories about "the first one."

One gentleman shared that during the early years, he wasn't even competing. He was one of the younger men helping load the trap houses between rounds. Today, nearly four decades later, he's still here, now standing on the shooting line alongside generations of new competitors.

That story says everything.

There were shooters who have attended nearly every event. Others who were experiencing it for the very first time. Fathers shooting alongside sons. Young people eagerly counting down the years until they're old enough to compete with their families. Friends reconnecting over shared stories that stretch back decades.

The targets may change every round, but the relationships don't.

In many ways, the Fort St. John Petroleum Association Trap Shoot has grown alongside the North Peace Rod & Gun Club itself. As the club has evolved over the decades, so too has this event. What may have started as a gathering among industry colleagues has become one of the club's signature annual traditions, connecting generations of shooters, volunteers, families, and friends.

The weekend itself was exceptional.

Friday evening welcomed everyone with incredible hospitality, including mouthwatering slow-cooked ribs, sweet and spicy baked beans, fresh cornbread, and the kind of meal that naturally turns into hours of conversation long after the plates are empty.

Saturday continued with another outstanding dinner, generously sponsored by local businesses, followed by prize presentations and recognition of the weekend's many competitors.

One of my favourite moments came during one of the weekend's biggest Annie Oakleys. Whether it was pure coincidence or something a little more poetic, there happened to be 43 shooters standing shoulder to shoulder. Forty-three competitors during the 43rd annual event. It was one of those small moments that seemed fitting for a weekend built on tradition.

But if you ask most people what they'll remember, it probably won't be what they ate or even what they shot.

It will be the conversations.

The laughter.

The stories.

The people.

Events like this don't happen by accident.

Behind every successful weekend are months of planning by committee members and volunteers, generous sponsors who continue to invest in this community, businesses that understand the value of bringing people together, and hundreds of participants who return year after year because they know this weekend means something.

Throughout the weekend, there were also quiet moments of reflection. Stories were shared about members who are no longer with us. Men and women who helped build not only this event, but the club and the community surrounding it. Their contributions have not been forgotten, and their legacy continues to live on through the people who return year after year.

The oil and gas industry has always been about more than drilling rigs, equipment, and job sites.

It's about people.

People who work hard together.

People who volunteer together.

People who build communities together.

The Fort St. John Petroleum Association Trap Shoot reflects that spirit perfectly.

Over forty-three years, companies have come and gone. People have retired. Friends have been lost. New families have moved to the region while others have built their entire lives here.

Yet every summer, this event brings generations together.

Some of the people once loading trap houses are now considered legends of the shoot.

Some of today's youngest spectators will one day stand on those same shooting stations beside their parents.

That is how traditions survive.

Not because they are old.

Because each generation chooses to carry them forward.

Events like this remind us that communities are not built in a weekend. They are built over generations, one volunteer, one sponsor, one family, and one tradition at a time.

The Fort St. John Petroleum Association Trap Shoot has become far more than a sporting event.

It is a celebration of community, history, friendship, and an industry that has helped shape northeast British Columbia for generations.

Here's to the first 43 years, and to many more still to come.