Does anyone have any news in regards to ETAR this year given the pandemic. I hope it ETAR happens. :archer2: :archer2:
No decision has been made to this point, but you can keep up with things on their web site www.archeryfestivals.com.
I talked to the organizers today and they want to hold the event, if the state parks people and PA government will let them. I sure hope so!
I'm with J .Holchin
Hope the best decision is made.
Tough decision for sure. Unfortunately, we make decisions based on what we know today, but those decisions are judged by what we will know tomorrow. My heart says yes, but my mind is unsure. Potter county is already in the yellow phase. Maybe STAR will even happen.
If you mean the STAR shoot in VA, it has been cancelled 😔
That area of our state is in the "yellow" phase with reopening of some things, but gatherings of 25+ people are still prohibited. Unless it goes to green, where restrictions are totally lifted, I don't think it will happen.
If it does happen, using one of the porta-johns there would be like licking a door knob in New York City :o
ETAR is one superb archery event, and maybe the best in the country every year. I'm like most people...tired of isolating and not doing many of the things I enjoy. That's my right brain talking.
But my left brain is in charge. Until a LOT more is known about the virus, and until I personally see the risks of engaging with others drop significantly....I'm going be avoiding gatherings of more than a few people. I really don't mind giving things up (at least for now) to help improve my chances of staying healthy. I owe that to my family.
As for ETAR, I hope it enjoys much future success. I hope to go again some day...a future event.
don't let the cure be worse then the problem.
Not Sherwood. Sawmill , the other STAR
Like everyone else, no one knows. I'm scheduled to speak at ETAR again but I have some very serious things to consider. First is my health. Because of my age; previous history of pneumonia; past heart issues/ surgeries; upper respiratory/allergy problems, etc. I am at a high risk for serious problems.
Also to consider is I've given seminars there the last three years in a row; it's about a 17 hour drive each way for me; the costs of motels, etc. It's always been one of our best shows and a lot of fun. They do a great job. But being realistic, IF the state does open things up and allows the gathering, will the show be packed because people are finally allowed to get out? Or will it be very slow because people are cautious in who/what to believe? I haven't had a cold or been sick in three years now (just high mileage) but unfortunately it's a heavy bet to gamble on seeing we don't know what/who to believe anymore. Time will tell. Best to all. BW
I figure that a lot of the vendors may be hesitant to leave their shops and stores to go due to uncertainty about turn out. Will there be enough business to make the trip and its related cost worth it. And yeah, the porta potties would be a real thrill in this situation. :nono:
Barry - I certainly understand your concern and dilemma.
I haven't missed an ETAR since 2003, am in my mid 40s, in good health, only live 2 hours from Denton Hill, and I've already decided I'm not going this year. Not so much for my health, but that of my family and others should the rare chance of the crud infecting me actually occur. I figure by not going this year, we increase the chance more of our older archers can attend next year.
My guess is they will keep that battleground State locked down. Just cuz they can.
Dont let 2020 3D in yer state keep ya in the basement on Skype. Come out and shoot.
HH~
Barry said it all with we do not know what to believe anymore, my brother and his wife are nurses here in New York and they say this thing is unpredictable from what they have seen.
Thank you for all the responses. ETAR is the event I look forward to every year along with my brother
I attended ETAR for the first time last year and was worth ever penny I spent traveling there from Florida. It was such a good time and impressive from the layout of the courses to shear number of people. I haven't been able to stop thinking and talking about it since I got home. I even convinced my brother and father to start shooting again so I could bring them with me this year. Felt like this would be a great father and sons trip that dad would cherish. After all he's the reason we're into archery. He's 74 and in good health and can handle all the walking and terrain with ease. However, with everything going on I think I'm canceling our trip even if it is held. I just couldn't live with myself if he got sick from or travels. Finger crossed he still feels he can handle the adventure in a year.
JAH518, that is great to hear and what a wonderful way to make a memory with your father and brother. My brother and I love the event and the people there are great. Have safe travels this year.
I haven't missed ETAR in over 10 years but we decided as a family with all that's going on that we will not be traveling this summer to any events. I guess we'll have a "missing ETAR" event on our website.
Mike
Unless I am mistaken, Tioga county (Sawmill) and Potter County (ETAR) move to the green phase May 29th in Pennsylvania's reopening plan. The limit on gatheting size goes away.
From the Govenor's website for social restrictions under the "Green Phase"
- Large Recreational Gatherings Remain Restricted
Restaurants and Bars Open at 50% Occupancy
Personal Care Services (including hair salons and barbershops) Open at 50% Occupancy and by Appointment Only
Indoor Recreation, Health and Wellness Facilities, and Personal Care Services (such as gyms and spas) Open at 50% Occupancy with Appointments Strongly Encouraged
All Entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls) Open at 50% Occupancy
Construction Activity May Return to Full Capacity with Continued Implementation of Protocols
Now I really have no idea what "Large Recreational Gatherings Remain Restricted" actually means and couldn't find any more info on it. So who knows as far as Sawmill and ETAR.
ETAR is a great event. From 1997 to 2015 I attended as a participant and have had a vendor booth since 2016.
I sent my vendor application and payment to the folks at ETAR about a month ago. That said, even if the event is held it's uncertain whether I will attend.
As a vendor who sells bows, I have to think long and hard about my responsibility to the community with so many different people handling bows. During a busy hour at ETAR the same bow might be picked up by 30 or more people.
Potter Co. will be in the "Green Phase" starting tomorrow and I now have an answer to the "Large gatherings" question.
From the Govenor's website:
Any gathering for a planned or spontaneous event of greater than 250 individuals is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, a concert, festival, fair, conference, sporting event, movie showing, or theater performance.
You can check it out here: https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-issues-updated-green-phase-order-guidance-on-dining-and-professional-sports/
ETAR gets 5000+ people, so I can't see how it would meet the Govenor's guidelines, but I also haven't seen or heard any official decision to cancel. I'm just providing info.
I sure would be disappointed if Sawmill gets canceled. I dont think they get much more than 300 people per day, but thats just a guess.
Here is what they posted on Facebook a couple days ago
Update! We have been taken to the Green phase here in Potter County, but with the current restrictions in place, we are unclear if we could still make a go of it. Right now, we are committing to wait until the last possible moment, which could be as late as the end of June to make a final decision. Guidelines have been updated and changed so much that we want to give this event every chance to happen that we can. Not only do we depend on this shoot, but it supports the local economy tremendously, as well as the many dealers whom you all love to see. For some of these dealers losing ETAR could prove fatal and we don't want to see that happen. We have been in close contact w/ our representatives and other officials trying to see what options there are moving forward. We will continue to monitor the situation and make the final call when we have enough information to do so. So for now keep the hope alive!
No way in PA are they going to open up to a several thousand person event. They wanna keep that placed lockdown hoping they can keep lock up til November.
You got the biggest gun parts warehouse in the USA that's been closed for months! They dont do anything more than the USPS does and yet they are boarded up.
That shoot/event aint gonna happen unless folks take some real action and just put it on.
HH~
X2 SMAG
I have always missed ETAR because I teach gunsmithing seminars at the Gunmakers' Fair at Dixon's every summer and it occurs the same weekend as ETAR. This year we all received notice that the Gunmakers' Fair has been cancelled this year. So this could be the first year I could go. Dixon's is in Berks County in the southeastern part of the state so it might be on a different schedule than Potter County. I don't have a very good opinion of Governor Wolff so I am not hopeful at this time. I hope things turn out for the best and ETAR can continue.
Does anyone know if leashed dogs are allowed at ETAR?
Best Regards,
JMC
Dogs were allowed in the past.
Let's make it a mostly peaceful "protest", perhaps against something like target panic, mechanical broadheads, pink fletching, or such; then it will be 👍 with our betters in the government...🤓
Karen and I ( Eagle's Flight Archery ) have discussed it and decided that we shouldn't go. We are in our mid seventies, and since the last ATAR event I've undergone a bout with kidney cancer. We would be at risk. It is a great event and we will miss it. If it is held, I hope that it will be successful, and that everyone arrives home safely.
One of the reasons, besides seeing a lot of old friends and meeting new ones, I like to go is the Eagle Eye competition. It is fun, competitive, and for a great cause. Sometimes it's for Wounded Warriors, and sometimes it's for the kids of St. Jude. Both of these are favorites of mine. Win or lose, it's been fun for me. The year I''ll never forget is the year a woman won the event. After failing to qualify the year before, she stepped up and qualified on her first shot. Then, when the eliminator round started, she hit in the center of the bulls eye to win. I believe that her name was Hope Gillette. Wow! how that girl did shoot. :archer2: :clapper: :archer2:
ETAR has been cancelled as of today. Check out the Facebook page
Sucks, but right decision by the state. Small sacrifice for a better 2021.
Sucks! But WRONG decision by the state.
I'm hoping some of the business that rely on the shoot can get though this. I have reservations at Potter County Family campground and I don't plan on canceling , I'm either going up for the weekend or just pay for the site and not go.
I would like to attend several of these big events now that I'm "retired " and things settle down.
:coffee: :campfire: :thumbsup:
Was not a a hard thing to foresee in Potter-stan County in Penn-eecka-stan. Heck, I will bet they they place limits on bow deer season!
If the State goes after Rifle Season, I will buy tickets for that showdown!
HH~
Sometimes you gotta play along whether you agree or not. Along those lines, I wonder if someone has considered an alternative but scaled down shoot at Sawmill or some other site.
Just come to IBO at Twin Oaks, Tenn! Gas will never be or has been cheaper in history of USA. Everything's open can even belly up and get a beer. No CHOP-i-Stans here.
Be nice and warm and plenty southern hospitality!
Hedge~
Looks like they tried. From their facebook :
Update: We have waited as long as we feel we can in order to make a final decision. We have been in contact with state throughout this process. Our hope was that there might be exceptions made, or mitigation actions we could take, in order to still put on this great event. We recently got word from the state that we will not be allowed to operate ETAR or PCBF at Ski Denton this year. I appreciate the local help from DCNR and many others that have tried to make this event happen. Unfortunately, though these decisions go much higher up the ladder to Harrisburg, and we are not making much headway there. It has never been our intent to put our guests, employees, or even community at risk by hosting this event. We tried to weigh each of those things carefully as we proceeded. We truly felt that even though the event brings in thousands, we could mitigate many of the Covid related issues, given the size of the property, and some commonsense guidelines. Typically, at our events even though there are thousands in attendance, many opt to hang out at campsites, or shoot courses over the 500+ acre property, in much smaller groups. It's rare to see more than 250 people gathered in close quarters together in one spot at the shoot, and our goal was to limit those areas where there may be problems: like the dealer tents, swap meets, eagle eye shoot-outs, etc. We understand this represents a risk but to us it was a risk worth taking for the archery community, for the local economy, and even just for our own piece of mind!
Many of the rules or guidelines being written at the moment look great on paper but are hard pressed to encompass all situations they will likely encounter, like our event. Having to shut down this event, this summer, after 30+ years of running it, is well, inconceivable!
This not only will hurt us financially, but many of the dealers expressed to us how much they need this event to happen. Local county officials, motel owners, restaurant and bar owners have contacted us hoping and praying that this event would go on as planned because it's crucial to their bottom line.
Our goal in this post isn't really to place blame, or point fingers, but to be real and honest about where we are at, what we've tried to do, and give you a taste of our frustrations. We also know our frustrations are minor compared to what many others have experienced due to this virus. It's easy to point fingers at Governors, legislators, lawmakers, etc., and we could debate this stuff back and forth for a long time, but right now we will hope this closure will truly affect the greater good and leave it at that.
So that was the bad news.
The good news is... (And there is always good news!) we will have ETARand PCBF again next year same time which makes ETAR July 22-25, 2021 and PCBF Aug. 19-22, 2021..
We also will be tossing around the idea of doing another smaller shoot off premise sometime this summer w/ details to come later. Also, if interested we've had some express interest in shirts, buttons, etc... so we will explore selling those on here as well. (Special shirt ideas let us know!)
We love you all, and look forward to reuniting again! Stay safe, support your archery/ Trad dealers, of whom many are especially hurting right now, and remain hopeful because we will get thru this together!
Try or try not. Do or Do not.
HH~