By AP/KWMU
Sparta, Ill. – A $50 million recreational complex carved out of former mining land in southern Illinois is officially open.
A ceremony Thursday dedicated the World Shooting and Recreational Complex near Sparta. It coincides with the opening of the four-day U.S. Open Trapshooting Championship -- an Amateur Trapshooting Association event expected to draw nearly a thousand participants.
Officials have trumpeted the 1,500-acre site as a potential economic boon, possibly drawing 250 permanent jobs and hundreds of thousands of visitors.
This weekend's trapshooting championship is a precursor to the ATA's Grand American championship, which begins its 11-day run August 8.