By AP/KWMU
Sparta, Ill. – The new $50 million World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill. begins hosting its first-ever Grand American championship today (Tuesday). It's the nation's largest shooting competition.
The event is sponsored by the Amateur Trapshooting Association and goes for eleven days through August 18th.
Sparta Mayor Randy Bertetto says it's time for the site to prove once and for all if it was worth all the hype.
Officials ceremoniously christened the site on schedule last month, trumpeting the place - Illinois' newest state park - as something that would fan regional tourism.