Red Deer’s Leslie Ralph and her mother Lisa Whyte tried archery the first time during Normandeau Days on Saturday.
Whyte got the first crack at it; she squared her shoulders, pulled the arrow back on the bow’s string and released the arrow, only to see it launch about six feet over the target.
The archery was a common favourite for attendees at Fort Normandeau Days in Red Deer last weekend.
“I was a little nervous when my mom told me we were going to try things like archery here, but it’s been a ton of fun so far,” said Ralph.
Whyte, who lives in Nanton, which is a couple hours south of the city, discovered the event online and suggested the two of them check it out while she was visiting on Saturday.
“When she brought it up, I thought it would definitely be more fun than going to the grocery store or something like that,” Ralph said.
Sylvan Lake’s Vicky Hickin stood a few feet behind her seven-year-old daughter Logan Jade Hickin as she attempted archery for the first time.
“The whole event has been good. She really likes the bow and arrows and the hachet tossing - the weaponry. But my son is a fan of the ice cream,” she said.
Amy and Ryan Begley were just arriving on Saturday afternoon with their nine-year-old daughter Sienna and six-year-old son Shay, so they hadn’t had a chance to try the archery, but they were looking forward to it.
Amy Begley and her daughter Sierra came to the event last year and loved that they were able to shoot a few arrows; however there’s more to enjoy than just that, she added.
“The whole event is really fun,” said Amy Begley. “It’s pretty neat to see the heritage stuff they have on display here.”
Normandeau Days has been held at the fort since it was opened in 1986, said fort lead Jeremy Robinson.
“It’s been a very nice turnout, we’ve had a lot of people and some nice weather. A lot of people like coming out for the reenactments, so we expect more when those happen,” said Robinson.
There are a few new things at Normandeau Days this year; this is the first time they had a barbecue, there are some new vendors and for the first time a bus service is available to shuttle people to and from the fort.
Normandeau Days runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
