GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A decades-old archery club in Grand Rapids is looking for a new home, and leaders are asking for help to find a place.
The Chippewa Archery Club is fundraising for a new facility, which would be its third home since the club began in the 1930s.
"We believe in archery for everyone," Connie Locker, a board member, says.
At the club, you can find all kinds of people practicing, from experienced professionals to young beginners.
"It's just really nice to be able to come into a place not knowing anything, and everyone's just willing to help and just get you involved in the sport," Locker says.
Archery was a bucket list item for her, picking up the sport for fun and joining the 50-plus member club a few years ago.
"The club is at its highest point of membership in years," Locker says.
"Since the age of 11, I've had a bow and I've shot bow and all that stuff," Cory Gibbs, another board member, says.
He's been with the club for more than 20 years, since their early days in this facility on Godfrey Avenue Southwest in Grand Rapids.
"I was in a bowling league and a friend of mine introduced me to the archery league. Bowling doesn't put meat in the freezer, archery does," Gibbs laughs.
Now, it's time to move.
"(I'm) not happy about it, but it is what it is," Gibbs says.
The building has been sold and it will be demolished soon. Now, to keep the 85-year-old tradition going, the club needs a new home.
"We're struggling to find a place that we can afford to go to with the present membership. We're hoping that with the nicer facility and a newer facility and a better neighborhood and a better building, we will get a lot better, or a lot more, interest," Gibbs says.
This range is open 24/7 so archers can shoot anytime, and the club is looking for a big enough space to continue. It's not just a place to practice, but a place for community for members like Jared Yax.
"The club has always been very welcoming," he says. "Being able to chat with people talk with people, shoot (and) just enjoy the time together, that's my favorite part of it."
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