Archers from throughout the region gathered at the Page Shooting Range on Aug. 19 for a 3D archery shoot. The event was a fundraiser for Spencer Barnum, a 9-year-old member of the Page 4-H Archery Club who was diagnosed with leukemia in September.   

“Spencer was on my archery club this last year. She enrolled in 4-H and shot with us this whole last year,” said Kip Bennett, the Page 4-H Club leader and Arizona State 4-H Archery Club leader. 

“She loved archery, she enjoyed it, she got to learn how to shoot a bow. When we found out this last September that she got leukemia, one of my other coaches called me up and said, ‘We need to do something for this little girl.’”

They decided that an archery shoot was the best way to honor Spencer in a way that would also get the community involved.  

“It’s something fun, something that can get the community involved, something that we can get kids out here to learn about archery,” Bennett said. “Maybe the kids will want to sign up for archery later. Just something that families can come out and do that also can be of benefit to someone in our community and raise money for them.”

Organizers set up an instruction area with targets to help newcomers learn how to shoot and get them warmed up. The event itself consisted of two courses through the desert, each about 1 mile long with 15 3D targets in the shape of animals, including deer, elk, antelope, bear, javelina and even jackalope.

Some of the targets were decorated with stars. Shooters who hit the stars received extra raffle tickets for prizes. 

“They walk the course, they get a scorecard for fun, because it’s a fun shoot, it’s not competitive,” Bennett said. “They’ll go ahead and shoot, and then they will add up their score and they can have a competition among friends or family.”

The event drew dozens of young archers and their families from 4-H clubs in Page, Flagstaff and elsewhere in the region.