If you’re looking for something fun, challenging, and different to do on your next free weekend or night out with friends, Montana Nights in Newington may be just the place for you to check out.
What’s Montana Nights, you ask? It’s among Connecticut’s first indoor ax throwing venue.
Ax throwing has been making quite a name for itself all over New England, with venues popping up literally everywhere—except CT. But once Montana Nights opens this summer, it’s sure to be THE place to be for anyone with a competitive streak who is looking for a unique way to pass the time
Just picture it, hanging out with friends and family, and throwing axes at a target with brute force! I have put together a little backstory to get anyone up to speed on this great new addition to Connecticut.
Ax Throwing History
Ax throwing has been catching a lot of speed in the mainstream sporting world. The sport started in Canada and has slowly made its way down to New England. Ax throwing is basically like throwing darting but with a much heavier dart. You have an ax and a very solid piece of wood with a target painted on it. You stand 12 feet away and hurl the ax toward the wood and try to land it somewhere on the target.
Ax throwing has become a big part of the lumberjack competitions. Now, most people wouldn’t be familiar with lumberjack competitions because, well, that’s not something you see on the sports channel very often. They can include events like the single buck, hot saw, 90-foot speed climb, and plenty more stuff we have never heard of. It is a battle of outdoorsy people who love good old fashioned woodworking challenges.
The Official Lumberjack World Championship is held in Hayward, Wisconsin and started back in 1960. It consists of 21 events, men and women challenge each other for $50,000. A lot of these competitions are now weaving in the sport of ax throwing. This adds another skill component that each contestant needs to master. Why wouldn’t they, it’s fun!
Montana Nights Ax Throwing
Merle McKenzie, the owner of Montana Nights Ax Throwing, promises an absolutely safe and fun environment for the whole family. I had the pleasure of talking with Merle, and got the chance to ask him about his vision for his ax throwing establishment.
At Montana Nights you will have the chance to throw a 2-pound ax in order to challenge your friends and family to see who is the best sharpshooter of the group. The owner is striving to be a family-friendly place and allows anyone 10 years old and up to come and participate.
The venue is to be organized into throwing lanes, much like you’d find in a bowling alley. Each lane will have what they call an “Ax-pert” to guide you and make sure you’re doing everything in a safe manner.
Even though this is a very new sport to most people, and even though it might sound a little strange, it’s something that you’ve got to experience for yourself. Take it from this Boy Scout, the thrill of using your brute force and skill to hit a target with an ax is a remarkable feeling. Even if you don’t consider yourself an outdoor person, that’s okay: It’s indoors, so you don’t have to be anywhere near nasty nature.
Montana Nights will be located on Fenn Road in Newington.
Safety
You might be saying to yourself: How can this be safe?
Montana Nights ensures total safety when you visit. Each throwing lane is surrounded by fencing, protecting participants from stray axes form their neighbors.
And don’t forget about the“axpert,” who is constantly helping and improving everyone’s skill to make sure everyone is having fun while being safe. They are there to make sure you are progressing with your skills. It wouldn’t be any fun to go and not be able to hit the target. They will help you adjust your throwing so that you can end the day throwing like a champ.
With a goal of being a family-friendly establishment, they’re is taking all necessary steps to making sure event the smaller ax throwers can enjoy the sport while parents have peace of mind.
Bonus Fun
Though right now they do not have a liquor license, Montana Nights has plans to offer wine and beer so that patrons can loosen up a bit while throwing their blades.
Beyond this, the decor itself is a lot of fun and speaks to the age-old tradition that ax throwing is. They have old-timey registers for the bar, along with unique wooden furniture, and a section of their bar is going to be a refurbished truck bed. If you look at their Facebook and Instagram you can see all of the awesome decorative pieces they are incorporating into their building.
Our Verdict
The environment that Montana Ax throwing plans on providing is truly exciting. I love the idea of bringing light to a sport that gets little appreciation. I will be among the first in line to participate in some good old fashion ax throwing.
