Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center Reopens

TUNICA, MS - Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center reopened today after being closed for more than a year due to the Mississippi River flood of 2011.

"Today marks a great day as we reopen Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center," said R. Scott Barber, Regional President, Caesars Entertainment Mid-South Region. "After the flood we were able to operate Willows in a temporary location, however, the original Willows tract we are reopening today truly offers an experience like no other. The Willows facility immerses participants in real and realistic hunting scenarios challenging and entertaining everyone from sporting clays professional to our guests that have no experience with firearms whatsoever."

Willows is the last Tunica attraction to reopen since the Mississippi River Flood of 2011. Many of the gaming facilities were able to open much quicker as they were on barges and floated on the rising river. Willows was under an estimated 17 feet of water in some locations requiring more time and resources for cleanup and refurbishment.

"The reopening of the Willows is testament to Caesars Entertainment's continued confidence in the Tunica tourism market. The Willows brings the outdoors of the Mississippi Delta to the thousands of visitors to our area each year in a safe and controlled environment that is truly a one-of-a-kind attraction, said Webster Franklin, president and CEO, Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau.


The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) will be the first group to enjoy Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center. POMA is expecting more than 200 outdoor media and traditional outdoor sports industry professionals to attend its annual business conference, Aug. 1 - 4, 2012, which includes several events at Willows.

"POMA and its members are thrilled to be the first folks welcomed back to Willows to shoot skeet, trap and sporting clays," said Laurie Lee Dovey, POMA executive director. "The facility is stellar. I know our writers, editors, photographers, broadcasters and Internet content providers will find the Willows' come-back story fascinating - and the shooting fantastic."

Willows, which hosted the 2010 U.S. Open Sporting Clays Championship, is located on 660 acres inside the Mississippi River levee behind Harrah's Casino. Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center offers trap and skeet shooting, 14 automated sporting clay shooting stations with three shooting levels, a newly added rifle and pistol shooting area, upland quail and dove hunting, deer hunting, and a variety of exciting side games in wetlands, forest, and other natural wildlife settings including: duck flush and 5-stand.

For more information or to make reservations contact Willows at 662-357-3154.

PHOTO: Officials cut the ribbon to signify the grand reopening of Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center.

PHOTO: Left to Right: Bill Miller, past president of POMA, R. Scott Barber, regional president, Caesars Entertainment Mid-South Region; Laurie Lee Dovey, executive director, POMA; Chuck Cariker, Tunica Mayor; Justin Rogers, manager, Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center

About Harrah's Tunica

Harrah's Tunica is located 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee and was originally opened in 1996 as Grand Casino. On May, 23, 2008 Paula Deen cut the official grand opening ribbon at Harrah's Tunica featuring the first of its kind Paula Deen Buffet and an interactive gaming floor that is the largest in the region. Spanning over 2,000 acres Harrah's Tunica features the Links at Cottonwoods championship golf course designed by Hale Irwin, Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center, the Mid-South Convention Center offering over 65,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and over 50,000 square feet of outdoor area, three elegant hotels totaling 1356 hotel rooms, the 200-space Mid-South RV Resort, Bellissimo Spa and Salon, The Funny Bone Nightclub, and a 2,400 seat event center that features headline entertainment and PUSH Nightclub.


About Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

The Professional Outdoor Media Association is an organization whose members include journalists focused on hunting, the shooting sports, sportfishing, trapping and other traditional outdoor pursuits, as well as industry professionals, equipment manufacturers and conservation and trade organization. POMA's mission is to foster excellence in communications at all levels, help members build their businesses, connect media and industry, promote fair and honest communication of the traditional outdoor sports and conservation stories, and mentor the next generation of traditional outdoor sports communicators.