by Casey Sluys, President, National Horseshoe Pitchers Foundation

The NHPA and the National Horseshoe Pitching Foundation (NHPF) exist because of horseshoe pitching. The NHPA is the governing body of organized horseshoe pitching. As years went by, it became apparent that the NHPA was collecting quite a bit of memorabilia – pictures of pitchers, world records, old horseshoes, great-game score sheets, world tournament program books and so on. All of this was stored in someone’s basement.

Once a year, some memorabilia would be hauled out and displayed at the county fair, in the care of Earl Winston. Determining that these artifacts were of some value, regarding our history, it was requested in 1970, that a certain sum of money be set aside for an eventual Hall of Fame (HOF). In 15 years’ time, this amount had grown to $75,000. Put into an interest-bearing account, by 1997, it had grown to $160,000. Approval was granted by the NHPA delegates to establish a tax-exempt foundation with a long-term goal of building the NHPA Hall of Fame.

The NHPA became familiar with Dr. Jack Freeman in 1990 at the Stone Mountain (Georgia) World Tournament. Jack shared his plans to build an HOF on property that he owned in Joelton, Tennessee. It was around 2003 when Jack Freeman created a room in the outdoor courts facility that would the first NHPA HOF Museum.

The memorabilia that Earl Winston collected through the years was stored in the basement of the Winston home. Joe Faron and Gary Buehler traveled to the Winstons’ in LaMonte, Missouri and loaded all the memorabilia into a trailer, and headed to the Joelton property. Earl and Vicki Winston came along to help organize it all. When they arrived, they were met by Dr. Freeman and Mary Bastian. Mary was Jack’s secretary and handled all the horseshoe events that were held at the Joelton facility.

After much discussion and various negotiations Jack donated his land and indoor court facility to the newly established NHPF. (link to: https://youtu.be/4EEUwzJuKfw)

Due to Dr. Freeman’s untimely death and the lack of an active horseshoe club in Joelton, the present site was chosen from among others that included West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Springfield, Missouri. When the Quail Ridge site was approved, the New Melle Horseshoe Club was dissolved and became the Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club. At a St. Charles County Council meeting, approximately 40-45 New Melle Horseshoe Club members attended, all wearing their horseshoe club shirts. The Council members were very impressed at the uniformity of the club.

Your Hall of Fame opened on October 5, 2007, and the Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club was appointed guardians of the new facility.

We should indeed be proud of this fine establishment and owe a debt of gratitude to all the members of the Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association, particularly the Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club, for assisting in making this Hall of Fame and Museum a true world-class place to visit. Simply walking and reading the brick plaza (link to: http://www.nhpf.info/pdf/bricksnew.pdf) will give you pause for reflection and make you realize that you belong to a great association.

As of this date, the NHPF has awarded over $125,000 under our grant program to assist clubs, areas, counties and charters with the building, rebuilding, expansion of horseshoe courts and facilities, and more. Two brand new facilities -- one in Bronson, Kansas, and one in Belchertown, Massachusetts – have sprung up with the assistance of grant money from our program.

Presently, we are restricted to six $3,000 grants per year. With the advent of some significant building costs on the horizon, we may need to taper down the grant program. Your continued financial support of the NHPF will allow us to continue to provide grants at this pace.

The NHPA is the association you belong to, and the NHPF raises funds to keep your Hall of Fame and Museum in tiptop condition. This is merely a brief synopsis of the two entities; further details can be found in back issues of Newsline or contact me (link to: kcslus@sbcglobal.net) with specific questions.

Special Thanks to Our Donors

We express our sincere thanks to the following most recent donors:

Donating $25-95

Charles Bunner, WV

Southern Tier Horseshoe Club, NY

Karen Graham, NY

Ken Fraser, NY

Donating $100-200

River Raisin Horseshoe Club, MI

Northern California Horseshoe Pitchers Association

Paul & Nancy McGee, MD

Maryland Horseshoe Pitchers Association

Donating $200-$300

Balboa Park Horseshoe Club, CA

Bricks Purchased By

Jim and Phyllis Quist, WA

Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club, MO (3 Bricks)

Other Income

$700 Rent, NHPA GRS

$910 NHPA HOF Banquet

$2,500 Rent, Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club, MO