by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
You’d think, at first sight, Robin Hood and his band of merry men had done some on-the-go archery practice at Mississippi River Park, which is as green as the fabled Sherwood Forest.
At the edge of the park is a huge field dotted with archery targets. There are 13 targets in all, 10 of them set up every 10 yards up to 80 yards away. And there is a bank of three targets, all at a 20-yard distance. Each target measures 44 inches by 36 inches.
The “Robin Hood” who set up the range is actually Brian Amundson, a 15-year-old Boy Scout in Sartell Troop 211. Amundson, a ninth-grader at Sartell High School, created the project to earn his Eagle Scout honor. The son of Ben and Charmin Amundson, Brian joined the Cub Scouts when he was in fifth grade.
The impetus for Amundson’s archery range came from his and his dad’s love of archery, in particular bow-hunting.
Last summer while pondering what project he could do to earn his Eagle Scout honor, he met with Brad Borders, who was then director of the Sartell Public Works Department before he retired recently. They tossed some ideas around, and then a bit later Amundson met Ben Anderson of the Stearns County Parks Department. Again, the two were tossing ideas back and forth, and Anderson gave Amundson a list of possible amenities that could be added to a county park or two. Keenly aware the nearest free public archery range is near St. Joseph, Amundson asked Anderson, “Well, what about an archery range?”
Anderson promised he’d look into the possibility. He did, and he found the perfect place, an old abandoned parking lot (a field really) at the north end of Mississippi River Park within sight of CR 1, which lies on the west side of the park entrance.
Amundson got to work, doing research, contacting people, raising funds. He was elated to know so many people were willing to help. The St. Stephen Sportsmen’s Club donated money and helped with the project. The St. Stephen Legion Club donated money, too, as did Scheels’ Hardware in St. Cloud and Mike’s Archery in St. Cloud. Cold Spring Granite donated the granite slabs on which the archers will stand when shooting. St. Rosa Lumber donated boards for target frames.
When all was ready, it was Anderson and Amundson who set up the targets in their secured positions.
And now it’s ready to open. At 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, there will be a grand opening of the archery range, and everyone is welcome to come to shoot a few arrows or just to watch others enjoy the sport. Most of the donors to the project are expected to be there. Amundson said the event will last as long as people want to stay at the range.
Mississippi River Park is located on CR 1 about four miles south of the west side of the Rice bridge and about eight miles north of Sartell. The park is located at the east side of CR 1.
Amundson is very happy with how the range turned out and happy he will get his Eagle Scout badge. Two of his brothers, Peter and Dean, also earned their Eagle Scout honors by doing volunteer work. Dean installed benches and trees at the golf course in Sartell, and Peter installed four benches and trash cans at various places in Sartell. He has another brother, Mark, who will be an eighth-grader this school year.
Amundson’s hobbies are fishing and hunting, especially bow-hunting. He also enjoys football, basketball and track-and-field.
Brian Amundson takes aim at a target 10 yards from him. For his Eagle Scout project, Amundson worked with the Stearns County Park Department and others to create the free archery range in part of Stearns County’s Mississippi River Park on the west side of the river between Rice and Sartell. The range will have a grand opening starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13.
