LOUP CITY—The second annual Servicemen of the Heartland Outdoors (SHO) event honored local men and women with golf and fishing this past weekend. Approximately 40 service men/women (veterans, fire fighter, EMTs, or police officers) gathered in Loup City at Sherman Reservoir to enjoy the outdoor activities.
The Servicemen of the Heartland Outdoors organization formed in 2019 as a nonprofit designed to honor those who serve their communities by providing opportunities for outdoor experiences. The SHO along with Loup City’s Son’s of American Legion, Squadron #48, aims to show appreciation for servicemen and women in the Heartland area.
The weekend festivities took place at the Trade Winds Marina east of Loup City and included meet and greets, social events, meals, fishing, golfing, and a Saturday night banquet and ceremony to honor local service men and women for their patriotism and their sacrifices.
Loup City Golf Club Manager Steve Staab told KCNI/KBBN it was a beautiful day on Saturday for the outdoor events. Regarding the weekend honorees, he said the work required to serve your local community takes time and cooperation.
“It takes time. It’s all kind of hand-in-hand. We all have to walk all down the same path so to speak so in the end we’re all looking for the best result that we can get out of it,” Staab continued.
Staab and his wife Marilyn moved to Loup City to enjoy the lake following Steve’s retirement from the railroad. Steve volunteered with the Ansley Fire Department for a few years and said serving in that capacity is important because everyone works together to help their communities.
“The volunteer part of it is good because you get to work with other people, get their thoughts, how they’ve been trained, what their outgoing personalities are like and how they can handle some pressure situations. Those are the tough things, the pressure situations that they get put under sometimes,” Staab said.
Marc Krueger of Trade Winds Marina said the event was made possible thanks to the sponsors and volunteer guides. He and his wife were involved with a similar event in Minnesota and were excited to start something at Sherman Reservoir to honor veterans.
“I think it’s going to keep going. It’s a good thing. It’s nice to see servicemen and veterans all actually conversing, talking, telling stories. It’s a good thing. Good comradery,” Krueger said.
Krueger added that the participants had a great time enjoying the nice weather and plans to host the event again next year. He said the SHO is always looking for nominations to honor veterans/servicemen/women with an outdoor experience.
“It was just a great time. The weather was great. We didn’t have a rough lake or thunderstorms or anything. We actually had some participants that came back and fished again on Sunday. And a few of them that fished on Saturday went golfing on Sunday. It was a good event and we’re going to have it again next year and we’re always looking for nominations,” Krueger told KCNI/KBBN.
