Over the years, we've had many discussions on what we can offer to attract younger men to our Men's Club. Despite our best efforts, it has been an ongoing challenge. Before this program was planned, the Men's Club co-Presidents at that time identified about 10 relatively young men (late 30s - 40s) who were well-connected with the Temple such as on its Board of Trustees or involved with Religious School activities. We treated them to drinks and appetizers for an after-work happy hour with the goal of hearing directly from them what might be of interest. Their message to us was clear: Sunday morning breakfast programs do not work for them. While their children are in Religious School, that's their precious time to catch-up on errands, work around their house, exercising, etc. What they wanted was the occasional social activity on an evening during the week, preferably after 8:00pm due to responsibilities with their children before then. For most, Thursdays were the best day for such an activity.

When we learned that there were two axe throwing venues a short drive from our Temple, we decided to have a Men's Club Axe Throwing Outing at one of the venues. One of the relatively younger men had recently joined our board, and he agreed to chair this event. After researching both venues, he recommended the one that worked better for our group, and we landed on a Thursday evening date. The younger men we were targeting were personally invited to the outing.

The vibe is a bar with dart throwing, but with enclosed areas for axe throwing instead. There is staff available to provide lessons, and to be with the group of participants the entire time. The Men's Club subsidized the cost for each person to attend and provided food. A cash bar was available.

We had 13 people attend, ranging in age from late 30s to early 70s. Five of the attendees were the younger men we were targeting. Everyone had a great time, and all agreed it was a very successful event.