Grand Island Becomes New Shooting Center for Cornhusker State Games

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska – The Cornhusker State Games will be held in Grand Island, a move that will help cement the community’s reputation as the epicenter of the shooting sport.

Shotgun, rifle and pistol ranges can all be found in one location, and now the Nebraska Sports Council and Grand Island Tourism have reached an agreement to move the Cornhusker State Sports Shooting Games to the Heartland Shooting Park in Grand Island, Nebraska beginning in 2025.

GRAND ISLAND HOSTS 4-HOUR NATIONAL SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The site hosted the National 4-H Shootout and now hosts the Cornhusker State Games with 750 shooters and thousands of spectators.

“Heartland Public Shooting Park is the best venue in Nebraska, plain and simple,” said Dave Mlnaric, president of the Nebraska Sports Council.

HORNADY takes the reins of Hartland community shooting park

The city owns the park and recently entered into a management contract with one of the leading names in the shooting sports industry, Hornady’s hometown.

Tourism Director Brad Mellema praised Mayor Roger Steele and the City Council for their decision to partner with Hornady.

“The professionalism and experience they brought to this matter made all the difference in a lot of things,” he said.

HOWARD COUNTY SHERIFF APPOINTED MANAGER OF HEARTLAND PUBLIC SHOOTING PARK

Hornady appointed former Howard County Sheriff Tom Bush as manager of the shooting park.

Jason Hornady said, “This is one of the best shooting complexes in the country, and we are making it better. We have only seen improvements since January.”

As Hornady celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Cornhusker State Games are in their 40th year, and the two have long been partners.

Mlnarik said he saw what Grand Island had built and decided to pull the trigger on moving the shooting sport after seeing National 4-H shooting up close.

He said: “It’s a fantastic atmosphere and that’s what we want for our shooters. It’s not that they had a bad experience, but there are five different venues so they’ll never see each other, so it just doesn’t have that festival atmosphere that they would get here.”

Mlnarik said that shooting sports is on par with track and field in terms of the number of participants. Lincoln is staying home, but the Cornhusker State Games have already expanded to cities like Fremont and Columbus.

Grand Island’s track record has shown that it is clearly suited to the development of the shooting sport.

“Everyone loves the atmosphere, where there’s a lot of energy and excitement for what you’re doing,” Mlnaric said.

Jason Hornady said the deal is for three years, but he’s willing to bet his job will last much longer.

The following shooting sports will be held at Heartland Shooting Park:

• .22 rifle prone
• .22 Silhouette
• Trap and plates for adults
• Powerful rifle
• Gun
• Plinking Pistol
• Fire Challenge
• Sports clays
• Youth trap

Archery events will also be held at Third City Archers in Grand Island.