The annual St. Jude Archery Shoot is just more than a week away, and organizers are hopeful it will be the biggest and best yet.
“We’re really excited, and our committee really pulled it all out this year,” said Miranda Fickert, team captain for the Poplar Bluff St. Jude Heroes Team, which co-hosts the event with the Indian Creek Bowhunters.
This year’s ninth-annual event, Fickert said, again will feature a VIP banquet, set for Aug. 9, and the 3-D archery shoot on Aug. 10.
Friday’s VIP banquet at the Black River Coliseum promises to be the biggest ever, Fickert said, with 850 tickets available.
The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for a social hour and plenty of games, raffles and a large silent auction.
“Get there early if you don’t have a reserved table,” suggested Fickert.
A 50/50 drawing will be held, as will various raffles, and the silent auction will feature close to 200 items, all donated by local businesses and outdoor industry companies.
“This stuff is all donated, so every bit of the money raised goes to St. Jude,” Fickert emphasized.
Examples of items up for bid, Fickert noted, include a kayak, Grizzly cooler, Mathews bow, Browning trail cameras, Avian-X mallard decoys, car detailing packages, Mission crossbow, lots of home decor and more.
In addition, 19 guns will be given away during the banquet, including a Bergara B-14 rifle, Beretta A300 shotgun, Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 pistol, Remington 700 SPS rifle, Mossberg shotgun and more.
After the social hour, a steak dinner, prepared by Karon Campbell’s Tasteful Creations, will be served, along with free unlimited drinks from Wil Fischer Distributing. Maya’s Mexican Restaurant also will supply chips, salsa and queso dip.
Following the dinner will be a live auction for items like an autographed Mike Trout baseball bat, autographed Austin Riley (Atlanta Braves) glove, a dove hunt in Argentina, a registered Labrador retriever puppy, a northern Missouri/southern Iowa deer hunt, an African safari for four people and more.
As in years past, several outdoor television celebrities will be on hand, including local Randy Birdsong of “Headhunters TV,” staff from “Drury Outdoors,” a crew from “Trained Assassins,” staff from “The Break” and possibly the host duo from “Inside Outdoors.”
Also returning to the banquet this year will be the popular celebrity race, and this year they will be racing automotive creepers instead of the tricycles they’ve used in the past.
Tickets to the banquet cost $40 each and have been going fast, and Fickert recommends contacting her at 573-718-2875 to purchase them.
Saturday’s archery shoot will kick off at 8 a.m. at the Missouri Department of Conservation range off County Road 546, north of Poplar Bluff.
To get there, take Highway NN north from Business Highway 60 East and follow the signs. Parking will be in the on-site gravel lot and along County Road 546, and a shuttle service will be provided.
“It will cost $15 and you can start shooting as late as 2 p.m.,” said Fickert.
Besides a 20-target course over the rolling, wooded terrain, several novelty shoots will be set up where participants can earn special prizes and cash.
A free youth archery clinic will be taught beginning at 11 a.m., and those in attendance also can try their skills at throwing an atlatl.
Concessions also will be available on site, Fickert noted.
Last year’s event, Fickert said, raised $125,000, and this year, she’s “shooting for $135,000.”
Since its inception nine years ago, she noted, the event has raised almost a half million dollars for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.