Williamsburg, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake, Illinois is set to open the North Marcum Archery Complex on Monday, September 21st, 2020, with a grand opening ceremony being planned for the Spring of 2021. This new complex is located within the North Marcum Multiple Resource Area and offers a fully equipped archery range with shooting distances from 10 to 50 yards, an elevated shooting platform which simulates shooting from a tree stand, and the realistic shooting experience of a 3-D archery trail winding through the woods. The complex will open daily at 8:00 AM and close at dusk. This opening will allow archery enthusiasts time to hone their skills for hunting and competition season.

Multiple partners within the local community envisioned this new archery complex and helped bring it to fruition. During initial design meetings, the S3DA Illinois State Coordinator, Jim Sharp, was asked to provide his input on the complex so it would be in compliance with S3DA needs and tournament ready for scholastic organizations. After he’d seen the day use area adjacent to the proposed complex, he knew Rend Lake offered a prime location for a national event.

Since then, the Rend Lake Area Tourism Council and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake have worked seamlessly with Scholastic 3-D Archery to host the upcoming 3-D National Championship Tournament set for June 17th-20th, 2021 at the North Marcum Recreation Area. This area is a premier location for fishing, hiking, wildlife watching and a host of other activities. S3DA Board of Directors Vice President, Jack Fares said, “We are very excited to be able to introduce the S3DA families from across our great nation to the wealth of recreation, conservation and tournament opportunities available at Rend Lake. S3DA 3-D tournaments have historically been held at locations that were already established tournament sites. Never before have we been able to provide input and feedback from the ground up and we’re very thankful that everyone at Rend Lake has been so accommodating and receptive to our needs. The 2021 S3DA 3-D National Tournament will be an incredible event!”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Rend Lake Operations Manager, Jackie Taylor stated, “We are so excited to see this concept become a reality. The archery complex is a result of the Rend Lake community pulling together to create new outdoor recreation opportunities for visitors, which will also bring additional tourists to the area and increase economic benefits for local businesses. The North Marcum site will be the perfect location for the upcoming 3-D National Championship Tournament. The surrounding communities are looking forward to welcoming new visitors to the area.”

About Scholastic 3-D Archery
Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) is a unique, family-oriented youth archery program which has grown exponentially across the United States as a next-step initiative to follow introductory archery programs. The mission of the Scholastic
3-D Archery program is to foster, educate and guide youth in the areas of 3-D, indoor target, and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices. The goal of the S3DA program is to provide archery and bowhunting opportunities to youth in after-school settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in the community. S3DA students participate in 3-D and target archery using compound and traditional archery equipment. Students can participate at local, regional, state, and national archery events and earn college scholarships from colleges and universities across the United States. S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3-D shooting and bowhunting. The program currently operates across the United States with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of young archers, grades 3–12.

Contact the Scholastic 3-D Archery National Office at:
www.s3da.org or 225 North 3rd Street, Williamsburg, KY 40769, Ph: 606.524.3685
Media contact Kayla Bolton at kayla@s3da.org, Ph: 423.494.2204