SLAH running Weekly Archery Night
Reeti Meenakshi Rohilla - Staff Writer
The local archery range run by the Sioux Lookout Anglers and Hunters (SLAH) group held its first Weekly Archery Night event last Thursday.
SLAH Range Director Andrea Degagne shared, “It went off without a hitch. We are looking forward to seeing more of our members and their families out in the weeks to come.” She said, “It’s free, the barbecue is running and archery targets will be set up.”
Degagne said SLAH is taking the opportunity to get re-involved with its members in a safe and social setting. She added that prior to this, the group wasn’t running any regular archery nights and that they now hope to have a Weekly Archery Night going forward every Thursday.
Degagne said that the range has three-dimensional (3-D) targets and hanging target bags. “We’ve got three targets…those will all be out and you can stop by, you can bring your own equipment and just shoot your arrows. Or, borrow some of the club equipment if you want to try or you don’t have access to your own. Hang out and talk with other archers and people interested in archery, and there is a fire pit out there, as well as a barbecue.” She added, “So, that’s going to be a weekly event going forward, and hopefully we can get some more organized events out at the range that members can join in on.”
As the province gradually loosened COVID-19 public health restrictions, allowing selected outdoor activities, including archery ranges, to reopen in limited capacity, the local archery range commenced its season by opening for a maximum of five people at any given time. With the province moving into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen on June 11, “we’ve been allowed to organize events and have a maximum of 10 people out at the range, which allows us to start up our Thursday Weekly Archery Night,” said Degagne. These casual archery events are scheduled to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday.
The archery range was only partially operational last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Degagne said that there were no events running, with drop-ins being the only option for individual families to come out and use the range. She added that this year’s archery season is looking much better, with a nominal membership fee to join the group for access to a variety of events year round. “There’re so many great things about joining the club itself, the archery range is just one of the perks,” Degagne said.
“For insurance needs, we request that anybody interested do get a membership for the SLAH. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) has some very good insurance that helps us with our outdoors needs. If you are not a member, but you are a guest of a member, you can come out one time and that will be free for you. First time is free, just to come and try. But, you must be a guest of a member for the insurance to cover you,” said Degagne. She added that membership application forms for SLAH are available at Al’s Sports Excellence. For any further range related details, Degagne can be reached via Facebook Messenger.
She said, “If you can’t come out to Thursday nights but you are a member and you wanted to bring your family out, you can register for a space at the range as well, to just go out with your family. It would be a coordinated event and you would be responsible for your equipment. But, it’s available to all members.” She invites community members to get involved with the local archery community and enjoy the range.