Improvements a-hatchin’ at Poultry Barn

The Poultry Barn at the McLeod County Fairgrounds is a busy place every County Fair, and will soon become more inviting year-round.

Come December, the Little Crow Archery Club hopes to host an open house in what should by then be a remodeled, multipurpose space.

Club president Don Nelson said his group approached fairgrounds manager Randy Starke last spring about finding a new indoor range for the winter months. Nelson said the Little Crow Archery Club currently practices in the basement level of the building that houses Sonora’s Mexican Restaurant in downtown Hutchinson.

“Our club has just outgrown our current location,” Nelson said. “We just asked (Starke) if there was something on the fairgrounds that we could use to rent or lease.”

“What we had was an empty building sitting there,” said County Commissioner Paul Wright, who works closely with the fairgrounds. “4-H wanted a place to expand its shooting sports program. I am a trainer with that program … I think the archery club came to the fairgrounds first and asked if a building space was available. We looked at it and saw 4-H could benefit, too.”

For more on this story, see the Leader’s Nov. 3 print edition.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)