... promoting German culture in the Peoria, Illinois area through song, sport, food, drink and fellowship!

Sport Verein Peoria Schützen

Many years ago the German-American Society hosted German-styled rifle shooting contests at Hickory Grove Park, but residential development in the area made that practice unsafe. Our members, while no longer using firearms, rekindled this tradition in 2000 with traditional German Schützenfest-styled airgun gallery shooting at the fests at Hickory Grove. At these festivals, anyone can enjoy four traditional German shooting events: 1) the Vogelschiessen, where one attempts to shoot a piece off the wooden eagle for a prize, 2) the Konigsschiessen, to test one's pistol marksmanship and earn a prize, plus the title of Schutzenkonig — the king of the shooters, 3) Blumenschiessen, where marksmen attempt to shoot off a flower for a prize, and 4) the Klappscheiben, where steel discs are shot to earn prizes. These events are fun for children and adults alike and have proven to be as popular among the ladies as among the men. Everyone is welcome to participate, no shooting experience is necessary, and we provide the coaching!

In these past six years the Sport Verein has grown the shooting program by not only continuing with the shooting gallery at the fests, but also by adding archery and crossbow league shooting during the warmer months at Hickory Grove. More than three dozen Sport Verein members are also active participants in a popular competitive program testing and improving their airgun marksmanship skills in League shooting twice monthly each month at the Lindenhof. The SVP Shützen fire in an air rifle and air pistol league in accordance with Olympic airgun marksmanship rules and then compete three times each year against the Chicago and St. Louis German-American shooting teams. The season ends in December with the SVP Konigsschiessen and Vogelschiessen on the day of the Sport Verein Appreciation Dinner, where club members compete for medals and the honor of representing the club as Schutzenkonig and Vogelkonig for the next year.

For information about the shooting program or SVP membership, contact Paul Bishop at (309) 243-9323.