By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
After two years of cancellations, the Youth Outdoor Festival will be back from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hays City Sportsmen's Club north of Hays.
The event is free for youth 17 and younger. All youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration must be completed on-site to participate.
The events will be outdoors. Masks will be available but not required.
All equipment will be provided on-site. A free lunch will be offered and a drawing for prizes for the kids held.
The event will feature trap, skeet, muzzleloaders, archery, air rifle /BB gun, small-bore .22 rifle, casting contest, paintball target shooting, computerized target shooting.
Families attending the event will need to leave a little earlier than normal because they will need to take a detour around the construction north of Interstate 70.
Directions around construction
Hays City Sportsmen’s Club (1/4 mile north of I-70)
• From Hays, on 183 North
• Turn west on Feedlot Road
• Turn south on 230th Avenue
• You’ll see the Hays City Sportsman’s Club entrance on the east side of 230th Avenue
The event draws 200 to 300 youth annually.
The event was canceled last year because of COVID and the year before that because of a power outage caused by a storm.
"We're excited to bring it back, and hopefully, we have a good turnout," said Clinton Newell, event coordinator and member of the Hays City Sportsmen's Club.
Newell said youth participating in the event are exposed to activities they may not be exposed to at home.
"My daughter was shooting on the 4-H BB targets, and she was able to shoot balloons," Newell said. "She and I were never able to do that at home. It wasn't a safe environment to do that in our back yard.
"It is a perfect environment out in the open. Targets are downrange. It allowed her to experience something she hadn't before, and she was surprisingly really good at it. She discovered something in herself that she had, but she didn't know it."
He said the event allows youth to stretch themselves and find their hidden talents.
Not only do they learn to shoot, they learn safety procedures as well, Newell said.
The event is sponsored by several area outdoor clubs, including Hays City Sportsmen’s Club, Smoky Hill Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, Hays Bass Anglers Association, and Ellis County 4-H Shooting Sports.
Newell said these group's goals are to build life skills in youth and passions for outdoor sports they can carry into adulthood.