April sporting events expected to have high economic impact on Clarksville
CLARKSVILLE, TN — Clarksville will host two major sporting events this month. The 2023 Night Stalker Michael C. Grimm Memorial Shoot will be held at Cross Creek Clays April 21-23 and the King Kat Tournament Trail returns to Clarksville at Liberty Park on April 29. Combined, these two events are expected to have an economic impact in excess of $500,000.
“Visit Clarksville continues to proactively partner with local venues to sponsor events that have a major economic impact on our community,” said Kyle Luther, Market President of Traditions First Bank and Visit Clarksville CEO. “We are very grateful for the hard work these attractions put in to ensure successful events for our visitors.”
The 2023 Night Stalker Shoot commemorates former Night Stalker, LTC Michael C. Grimm (Feb 1947 – Oct 1981). The close ties Cross Creek Clays forged with the 160th at Fort Campbell has resulted in this shooting becoming an annual event.
The mission of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is to organize, equip, train, resource and deploy Army Special Operations Aviation Forces worldwide in support of emergency missions and combatants. Night Stalkers are known for their skills in nocturnal operations.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Night Stalker Association. NSA’s mission is to help Night Stalkers, worthy members, their widows and orphans through loans and/or gifts, fellowship and personal support.
In 2022, the Night Stalker Shoot had nearly 200 participants with an economic impact of $275,000. The predicted economic impact of the event in 2023 is $450,000 with over 400 attendees. This is the first of two major events taking place at Cross Creek Clays over the next 30 days. The Duck’s Unlimited Eastern Continental Shooting takes place May 10-14.
The King Kat Tournament Trail returns to Clarksville on April 29th. The Tournament Trail includes 12 events held annually in 10 states. The tournament venues are located in different areas, giving local anglers in each county the opportunity to compete on a truly national trail. Teams consist of three members with an optional fourth person who is under 16 or over 65 years old. This optional fourth team member encourages family involvement, which is important on the King Kat Tournament Trail.
In 2022, the King Kat Tournament Trail’s Clarksville event featured 35 teams with a $56,000 economic impact. The 2023 event is expected to draw 50 to 60 teams, with an expected economic impact of nearly $100,000. The largest fish caught during the 2022 event weighed 59.3 pounds. The overall winners were Carl Morris and Sean Martin.
“Clarksville will always be special to this tournament because of the timing that it was held. Our Clarksville tournament in 2022 was the first tournament under new ownership. We didn’t know what to expect, but the involvement and support we have received from Clarksville has set and continues to set the precedent for the way we organize our events,” said Scott Peavy of King Kat Tournament Trail. “Clarksville still holds the record for the largest flathead catfish currently caught on the tournament trail. We are excited to be a part of the outdoor culture in this area and look forward to the upcoming event. There are many other reasons why we love this event; Because of this, Clarksville will always have a special place on the schedule.”
In addition to these events, Visit Clarksville sponsored three other sporting events this month including several softball tournaments and the Donnie Everett Classic. These events had an economic impact of over $2 million.