2026 Family Scholarship
We at Southern Ohio Artisan Workshops are proud to offer the Family Scholarship for our September 2026 Kibler Kit Workshop. The Family Scholarship is designed to give young people an opportunity to try gunbuilding alongside a trusted family member or mentor under the watchful eyes of a knowledgeable instructor.
Our very first "Family Scholarship Teams” attended the September 2025 Kibler Kit Workshop. During that workshop, a grandfather/grandson team built a Colonial Kit and a father/son team built a Southern Mountain Rifle Kit. Both teams met their goals of finishing their rifles and shooting them at the end of the workshop. We will carry this team concept forward into the September 2026 Workshop and beyond. Our goal for the Family Scholarship is for it to serve as a catalyst for young people to get involved in preserving and furthering the artform that is the American Longrifle.
The Family Scholarship will be awarded to an adult family member or mentor to a young person between the ages of 10 and 18. Together they will attend the Kibler Kit Workshop to be held September 21-26, 2026, at the Log Cabin Shop in Lodi, Ohio. The winning Family Scholarship Team will be determined from the results of personal interviews conducted by the workshop instructor. Prior gun building experience is not required for a team to be considered for the Family Scholarship. Wood and/or metal- working skills are desirable, but also not required. What is required is evidence of a strong bond between team members as well as their strong desire to build and shoot longrifles together. Any adult with a young family member or acquaintance that is interested in building longrifles is eligible to receive the Family Scholarship, regardless of their sex, age, or race.
The Family Scholarship is made possible by support from Southern Ohio Artisan Workshops and the Contemporary Longrifle Association and their members. The Family Scholarship Team will receive a Kibler Kit free of charge. The adult team member will also receive a stipend that will cover most, but not all the tuition. The adult team member must cover the difference. The young team member is not charged tuition. The adult team member must cover any required deposits as well as the costs of transportation, meals, and lodging for the team. The Family Scholarship Team must attend the entire 6-day class, no exceptions. The adult team member must also attend the entire 6-day class, regardless of the age of the young team member.
If you would like to have your team considered for the Family Scholarship, click "request info" below. The deadline to contact us and express your interest is June 21, 2026.