Despite two-year closing, Winchendon Rod & Gun Club remains active

By GREG VINE

For the Athol Daily News

Published: 09-03-2023 5:00 PM

ROYALSTON – To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the Winchendon Rod & Gun Club’s demise are greatly exaggerated.

In fact, according to Club President Glenn Ruschioni, the organization is doing quite well, despite the fact that the clubhouse on Winchendon Road has been closed for more than two years and used solely for board meetings. Ruschioni said there currently are no plans to re-open the clubhouse bar or to use the building for social events.

In January, a now-former member of the board of directors went before the Royalston Selectboard seeking guidance on obtaining a new liquor license and other permits needed to re-open the clubhouse. Reports of the meeting left some to believe the club had folded.

“Bullets and beer are kind of a Mississippi or Kentucky thing,”Ruschioni said. “I don’t believe alcohol and guns are a good combination. A hundred years ago I was in the military; I was actually in law enforcement, so I carried a weapon and so safety is paramount. And I’ve always been a believer that if you have alcohol – or any type of substance nowadays – you shouldn’t have firearms.

“Matt Light of the Patriots puts on a benefit every year, and they do sporting clay. A friend of mine who goes every year said as soon as you hear that ‘pshhhht’ when they open a beer can, all the guns go away. That’s pretty much what you have to do to be on the safe side. The days of…guys going in (to the club) for breakfast with their orange suits on before hunting and maybe having a beer or two in between at lunch – those days are gone.”

Even though the clubhouse is closed, said Ruschioni, membership remains strong. The cost is $80 per year, and runs from the second Monday in November to the following second Monday in November. Currently, he said, there are upwards of 200 members.

“We’re incorporated – membership only,” he said.

The club sits on 17 acres straddling the Winchendon-Royalston line and Priest Brook.

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“This is a nice little spot,” said Ruschioni. “I come down here on many days and I don’t even bring a firearm with me; I’ll just walk the property. It’s a great way to decompress. I encourage people who are dog owners to come on down. Eighty-dollars a year is like $1.50 a week, so you might have to skip one of your coffees during the week, but then you have access.”

Members, he explained, are given a key which allows them to unlock the property’s gate. For shooters, Ruschioni has jury-rigged some frames to hold targets, which members used to have to bring on their own. The firing range is marked off at various distances from the kiosk where gun enthusiasts do their target practice.

“These targets will withstand almost a 20-mile-per-hour wind before they tip over,” he said with some satisfaction. “Because there’s nothing here like a windbreak; some days you’ll come down and there’s no wind, other days it’s just humming.”

While the clubhouse isn’t available to the public, Ruschioni said the grounds can be made available for a variety of events. He said a birthday party had been held just a few days before his interview with the Athol Daily News and noted the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association is holding its 40th Annual Fall Round-Up at the club Sept. 7-10.

Anyone with questions or interest in joining the club can call 978-297-3955 or visit www.facebook.com/winchendonrodandgun/.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com. 

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