The sport of Ax Throwing has seen huge growth over the past couple of years thanks to its uniqueness, its simplicity (all you need is an ax and a board), and its element of danger (you're literally throwing a sharp ax!). The sport has grown so much, there's even a worldwide competitive league, and competitions featured on sports networks like ESPN. And now, thanks to a few entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity, you can try it for yourself right here in Evansville.

Plaid & Timber recently opened their doors in a warehouse space in an industrial park on Evansville's east side off Cullen Avenue. While an official grand opening is still in the works, the business is open to those of us who are looking to test our skills, like I did on Saturday night.

The open space features 12 "lanes," along two of the walls, each separated by 2x4s, plywood, and chicken wire. Players have the choice of throwing two different styles of axes; a smaller, hatchet-style ax, and a slightly larger ax designed to be thrown with two hands.

After paying and signing a waiver, one of the brains behind the operation, Kyle, gave my wife and I a quick tutorial on proper technique, then it our turn to see what we could do. As you might expect, I got off to a bit of rough start.

I have no idea exactly how many times I threw each ax, but as I found a rhythm, I was able to get each throw to stick more consistently. I even hit the bullseye a few times.

(Ryan O'Bryan)
(Ryan O'Bryan)
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No official grand opening date has been set as of this writing. Kyle says they're working on adding some additional tables and chairs, along with a obtaining liquor license so you can have a couple beers while you sling those axes. I didn't ask Kyle if they're waiting on that to be approved before they host a grand opening.

This was a lot of fun, and something I plan on trying again. It's something different, and at a cost of $20 per person, per hour, it's no more expensive than any other activity you could do on a date night or with a group of friends or family.

One thing to note, for (hopefully) obvious reasons, you must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

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