3,000-4,000-plus to be in town for archery tournament

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Cullman Parks and Recreation board member Mark Aderholt drives through the area where a multi-day archery tournament will take place on the grounds of Saint Bernard. Parks employees Ralph Gutierrez, left, Laura Shedd and Jerry Renfroe surveyed the area Friday afternoon.Gutierrez and Renfroe have been clearing the shooting ranges for the upcoming tournament with help from Wesley Duren, Don Simmons, Ryan Hunt and countless others preparing for the first of its kind tournament in Cullman. Amanda Shavers-Davis
Cullman Parks and Recreation employees Ralph Gutierrez, right, and Jerry Renfroe have been clearing the shooting ranges for the upcoming tournament with help from Wesley Duren, Don Simmons, Ryan Hunt and countless others preparing for the first of its kind tournament in Cullman. Amanda Shavers-Davis
A flag marks the area where an archer will take aim at a target located at the end of the clearing shown above. Amanda Shavers-Davis

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July 29, 2012

3,000-4,000-plus to be in town for archery tournament

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Mon Jul 30, 2012, 02:32 PM CDT

CULLMAN — A multi-day archery tournament set for August 2-5 is expected to bring between 3,000-4,000 people into the Cullman area for several days. With such a large crowd in town, local officials hope to take advantage of the audience.

Virtually all local hotels have been booked for months in advance, and Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce interim president Leah Bolin said her staff has some reference material prepared so visitors should have no trouble finding places to eat, and shop.

“Everybody has to eat, so we’ve given them restaurant guides, and stuffed some packets to give them information about area retailers, coupons, and attraction information,” Bolin said. “We want them to see what we have here, and what we have to offer, so hopefully they’ll come back. Something like this is a great opportunity, and great benefit, to all work together for a healthy economy.”

Hosted at Saint Bernard Prep, the Mckenzie Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Pro-Am Classic tournament will mark the biggest archery event ever hosted in Cullman County.

“This is absolutely one of the largest archery tournaments in the country,” Cullman Parks representative Laura Shedd said. “We’re expecting about 2,000 shooters, so it’s much larger than our archery park could hold, not to mention all the people they bring in with them.”

Bolin said the fact that the competition lasts several days should make for a prolonged economic boost, filling restaurants and hotels.

“Anytime you have something of this magnitude, with that many people coming into town for a few days, it’s a great help for the economy,” she said.

Though the event will be hosted at Saint Bernard, and not the city’s archery park, Shedd said the competition is still putting Cullman on the map as a regional archery destination.

“It’s definitely helped, and we’ve had a lot of calls from people the past few months trying to learn how to get involved with the tournament, and wanting to learn more,” she said.

As for Saint Bernard, Father Joel Martin said he is glad the campus could host the event — and he hopes it will be a benefit for the school, as well as the community as a whole.

“It’s going to be a big event, and very good for Saint Bernard, and Cullman in general,” he said.

The Cullman Downtown Merchant’s Association has also scheduled the Celebrate Cullman downtown festival to coincide with the competition, and CDMA president Nathan Anderson said he believes the two events are a positive compliment to one another.

“Being in conjunction with the archery competition should be really good exposure for tourists and people outside of our community,” he said.

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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3,000-4,000-plus to be in town for archery tournament

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