By Don Bradley
Three degrees, wind blowing, dark, hardly any vehicles on Belton’s Main Street.
But inside Battle Axes on Main, the new ax-throwing venue in one of the oldest buildings downtown, things are cooking.
Scott Christensen toes the 12-foot line.
Just as he prepares to raise his hatchet back over his head, a voice — his daughter’s actually — says something about “where the sun don’t shine.”
Scott ignores the encouragement and lets it fly and the cold steel edge slams into the sweet spot of a wooden bullseye.
He turns. Bethany, the daughter, smiles. As does her brother, Justin. Dad, it seems, is a tough out.
This is an ax-throwing family. They all live nearby and glad they now have a venue in the Belton area.
“We are trying to bring some new entertainment to the historic downtown area,” said Amanda Doyon, who opened the place along with her fiancé, CJ Shutt.
“CJ had a list of things he wanted to do and one of them was opening an ax-throwing place. We found this building and got it done.”
With a lot of help from Belton school kids.
Battle Axes, at 414 Main Street, the first business of its kind in Belton, opened Jan. 9 with a ribbon-cutting that drew a crowd of about 50. The 1,400-square-foot venue has six professional ax-throwing lanes for both beginners and seasoned throwers.
Never done it? Why would somebody want to throw an ax?
“Theraputic,” Scott Christensen said.
His daughter, who teaches ax throwing, nodded.
“When you let it go, you let go of everything you’re feeling,” Bethany said.
Battle Axes serves pizza, and, though it does not have a liquor license, it does have an agreement with Broken Hatchet brewery a couple of doors down.
Now, there’s some symmetry. Carrie Nation, leader of the country’s Temperance Movement that began in the 1880s, was known for attacking taverns with an ax to protest drinking in America.
Battle Axes rules allow you to go get a growler of beer from the brewery that touts the history of Carrie Nation, who is buried in Belton, come back and throw a hatchet.
Playing a big role in all this were 50 or so students in the Academies of Belton vocational training program.
“We loved it,” said Jax Brummett, a junior. “It was real-life experience.”
Over a couple of months, the students framed the throwing lanes, did drywall, painted and installed bathroom fixtures.
“We paid for material and they did construction for free,” Amanda Doyon said. “Saved us a lot on start-up costs.”
She said the project showed the collaboration between local education and small business.
Learn more at battleaxesbelton.com.
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