Published: June 22, 2009 09:56 am      

London-Laurel County archery event grows in third year

Special to The Times-Tribune

The London-Laurel County Tourist Commission has hosted the Archery Shooters Association (ASA) and one of their seven national Pro/Am 3-D archery tournaments at the Laurel County Fairgrounds for three years and has seen growth every year.

The most recent event, held May 29-31, was another success.

“The event has grown from 1,104 shooters in 2007; to 1,139 shooters in 2008; and to 1,316 in 2009. This is almost a 20 percent increase,” said Michael Tyrell, president of the ASA. The ASA has a five-year agreement with the London-Laurel County Tourist Commission.

The yearly increase of participants has led to an increase in the economic impact on London, as well.

“While our commitment is significant, I am confident it is a wise investment for our local economy,” said Ken Harvey, executive director of the London-Laurel County Tourist Commission. “The economic impact for Laurel County was very substantial as all of our 1,400 rooms were filled for three days and many of our restaurants and retail outlets did a booming business.”

A large part of this success is the facility where the ASA event is hosted, the Laurel County Fairgrounds.

“The London area provides excellent access to the event site and provides us with very well maintained and reasonably priced accommodations and services,” Tyrell said. “The Laurel County facility is well positioned to host our event by providing excellent amenities such as dedicated electrical power, paved parking, and event buildings for our sponsors’ use and food service.”

Tyrell also noted how the easy access to natural terrain and trees in Levi Jackson State Park for the competition ranges makes this a unique facility for conducting the event.

“We really appreciate and value Ken Harvey and the entire London-Laurel community for their support and gracious hospitality,” Tyrell said.

Harvey also knows the important role the facility plays in a successful event.

“We are pleased that the participants, vendors, and sponsors and staff have been extremely complimentary about the facilities, ranges and hospitality. The competition was great and spectators had a pleasant visit,” Harvey said.

The diversity of the demographics surrounding this event were impressive, Tyrell said. Of the 1,316 who shot this year: 176 were over 50 years of age, 151 were women, and 164 were under the age of 18 (including 26 that shot NASP).

London is a member of TEAM Kentucky — a collection of communities and organizations throughout Kentucky that work with the Kentucky Sports Authority to recruit and attract sporting events to the state.

Each partner is a contributor to one of the fastest growing industries in the world, sports events and travel. Created in 2005, the Kentucky Sports Authority actively pursues athletic events with the goal of bringing them to the Commonwealth — resulting in jobs, tourism and economic development.