There will be two sessions from 2-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, and 3-8 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at the Caesar Creek Visitor Center, 4020 N. Clarksville Road, Waynesville.
“The Division of Watercraft has committed $4 million in funding through the Waterways Safety Fund for the initial phase of marina development,” a department statement said. “ODNR continues to identify funding opportunities in an effort to form a public-private partnership that will provide an essential recreational boating facility in southwest Ohio.
“The Waterways Safety Fund is comprised of watercraft registration and titling fees, a share of the state motor fuel tax and grant funding provided through the U.S. Coast Guard.”
It would be nice to see some real substance at the open houses. I remember talking and writing about the idea of a marina for Caesar Creek back in the 1990s. Today, it seems all they are still doing is talking about it.
Dr. Parsons dies
With sadness, I note the recent passing of Dr. Lynn Parsons of Bellefontaine. I remember interviewing him in 1999 for my book, “The Grand American.”
Dr. Parsons was an avid trapshooter, but he was also the son of one of the greatest shooters of all time, Herb Parsons. In fact, Herb Parsons was probably the greatest trick shooter ever.
If you can recall actor Jimmy Stewart shooting a coin out of the air in a western movie, that was really Herb Parsons, standing beside him, off camera. There was no trick photography in those days.
Herb Parsons was a Winchester representative who put on trick shooting exhibitions all over America. He performed at the Grand American in Vandalia every year during the 1940s and ’50s.
For the book, Dr. Parsons quoted his father: “He always told his audiences: ‘If you hunt with your boy today, you won’t have to hunt for him tomorrow.’ ”
For more information on Herb Parsons, visit showmanshooter.com.
Dr. Parsons, a surgeon, was 69. The family asks donations be made in his memory to the Trapshooting Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 281, Vandalia, Ohio, 45377.
Boating class on phone
Ohio boaters who would like a boating course to brush up on safety procedures or qualify to operate a motorboat can now take an online course on just about any device that receives the Internet — even a telephone.
“With half of all adults in the U.S. now owning a smartphone, and tablets and e-readers gaining in popularity, it makes sense for boat-ed.com to be mobile ready,” said Edward Cossette of boat-ed.com.
“The pages at boat-ed.com are automatically resized according to the device used, from a smartphone to Internet TV and everything in between, no app required.”
If you pass the course and pay a $29.50 fee, you’ll get a certificate. For more information, visit www.boat-ed.com/ohio.
Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached at sports@coxohio.com.
About the Author