Axes have always been an iconic part of cinematic culture, from Jack Nicholson’s “Here’s Johnny” scene in “The Shining” to Thor’s hammer Mjølnir. At Viking Warrior Axe Throwing Co., Albion students and citizens alike can embody their favorite characters as they take a stab – or rather, a throw – at ax-throwing.
On Feb. 13, Tom Fagan and Bruce Hamilton opened Viking Warrior Axe Throwing Co. at 100 E Erie St. in downtown Albion. Ax-throwing is an activity where individuals or teams throw axes in closed aisles at targets. The co-owners of Albion’s ax-throwing business said they opened with the college in mind.
“The town is trying to come back a little bit, and there’s nothing to do in town. You had the bowling alley and the theater, and that was it,” Fagan said. “This is something that your age group has a fun time doing, and it’s within walking distance of the college.”
In addition to being a new activity for Albion, Fagan added that this particular ax-throwing location differs from some others.
“The unique thing about ours is that we have projectors. So it’s not just coming in and throwing at a target,” Fagan said. “You have a bunch of different games from targets to zombies to hunting games, tic-tac-toe and Candy Crush.”
Fagan and Hamilton got the idea for their business when they were throwing axes in their own barns at home. Due to their combined experience, they feel confident that they can help people who may be struggling with ax-throwing.
“If you hit the floor ten times in a row, that’s not gonna be fun for somebody,” Fagan said. “We’re not in the business of throwing axes, we’re in the business of sticking axes.”
Fagan said that the business offers a $5 discount for college students on Thursday nights, but they might move it to Fridays due to sports teams’ practice schedules.
However, practices haven’t stopped several teams from trying the activity. Fagan said that the dive, equestrian and women’s soccer teams have all come in to try the activity.
Typically, Viking Warrior can accommodate up to six people per lane, but with people grouping into teams, Fagan said they can do even more. He added that when the dive team came in, they had 30 people ax-throwing, and “everybody had a ball.”
Viking Warrior also offers free popcorn and sometimes free chips and salsa. Fagan added that people are welcome to bring in pizzas, Subway or “whatever food they may want” – the business just requests that players buy their drinks from them if you do so.
Fagan added that Viking Warrior can host various types of events, and Hamilton said they often have televisions on for various sporting events.
“You can have birthday parties, team-building parties, whatever you have in mind we can accommodate,” Fagan said. “We’ve got the music jamming, and it’s fun.”
Hamilton’s main advice to anyone who has never tried ax-throwing before is to “just come in and try it.” Fagan said that “it’s easy, anybody can do it and it’s fun,” and Hamilton added that “it’s not dangerous.”
Viking Warrior Axe Throwing Co. plans on tabling at the Briton Bazaar on Nov. 15 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., where they’ll be giving out $5 discount cards to attendees.
“Hopefully that’ll help get the word out that we’re here,” Fagan said. “We’re just steps away.”
People interested in booking a session at Viking Warrior Axe Throwing Co. can do so on their website and can find more information on their Facebook page.
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