COLD LAKE - Every Wednesday evening, the Cold Lake Fish and Game Club has been drawing in archers of all ages and skill levels to the Cold Lake Agricultural Society for their weekly open archery nights.
But as winter gives way to spring, the club is preparing to take its bows and arrows outdoors.
“We started in January. Tonight's actually the last night,” said Byron Lonsberry, current archery chair of the Cold Lake Fish and Game Club, at the final indoor session on March 26.
Now in its second year, the club’s archery program offers an alternative for youth who are not involved in mainstream sports - and provides a family-friendly activity.
The weekly event has grown in popularity, attracting participants from all over the Cold Lake area. “Basically, the surrounding community, whether it's rural kids or town kids, it's open to anybody,” Lonsberry said.
The welcoming atmosphere has encouraged many newcomers to try archery for the first time. “It's been a lot of newcomers. I think the word's got out a little bit more. We're willing to help anybody,” Lonsberry noted. “You can come in if you have never picked up a bow before or if you've shot for 30 years.”
The club provides equipment for beginners and helps experienced archers fine-tune their gear.
The Cold Lake Fish and Game Club is always looking to grow its membership and encourages community involvement.
“Come on out, we have meetings every month, the first Thursday of every month,” Lonsberry said, adding, “We're always looking for volunteers and anybody willing to help.”
With the indoor season coming to a close, the club is now shifting the focus to its outdoor range, located just outside of town.
“For right now, we're kind of waiting for the snow to disappear. And then we've got a range just outside of town here,” Lonsberry explained. “We've got bags, the big 4x4 bags from 20 to 120 yards out on the top of the hill. And then we've got two archery loops of 20 targets a piece.”
The outdoor range features 3D animal targets and will host a tournament on June 1.
The club aims to expand its rifle range activities and plans a summer youth archery night alongside its 3D tournament.
The program remains affordable, with six-week fees of $50 for kids and $100 for adults, while members participate for free.
Beyond just a sport, archery has brought people together.
“It's great for people to get together and you learn a lot from talking to different people,” he said. “You get to meet a whole pile of different people and skill levels. It's really neat. Some of these kids couldn't hit the bag when we first started.”
Seeing the progress of participants has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the program.
“Now you can see the kids hitting the bag and getting better and progressing. It's really good to see,” Lonsberry noted. The program has even introduced archery to adults who had never tried it before.
“We actually had three couples that never did it, and now they're right into it, over just the program we've offered this winter,” he said.
While the indoor season may have wrapped up, archers won’t have to wait long to pick up their bows again. The weekly open archery shoots will resume outdoors on May 31.
