Biz Buzz: Owner of local paintball venue says he’s in it for the fun

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

HIBBARD

Man opens outdoor paintball venue near Rexburg

HIBBARD – Making money is the motivation behind many things in life, but sometimes it’s the love of something that makes it worthwhile. Just ask Aaron Caldwell.

The 44-year-old Hibbard resident is a nurse at Madison Memorial Hospital by day, but in his spare time, he loves to play paintball. He recently converted part of a 4-acre field near his home into a paintball course that he calls Redneck Paintball.

“I have it netted off on one side so spectators can watch. The net is 12-feet tall. The course takes up about 2 acres, and it’s mostly made up of different shapes and stacks of tires,” Caldwell tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I’m up to 32 guns right now to rent.”

The course also includes two wooden forts that are each two stories tall.

It’s mostly been a word-of-mouth venture for friends and family as he’s built and refined it over the last four years, but he decided to make it official several months ago by advertising it on Google.

And judging by the uptick in phone calls lately, more people are taking notice.

Caldwell got his start playing paintball 23 years ago when he moved to Rexburg to attend what was then Ricks College. Before he and his wife were dating, they spent a lot of time at Crossfire Paintball in Rexburg.

As he got married and had kids, he played paintball with them and it’s now a frequent pastime for him and his boys.

Today, Caldwell says he has a great working relationship with Crossfire.

“We help each other. He buys his paintballs from me,” he says. “He runs all of his guns off of CO2, and I run all my guns off of compressed air. I have a specialized compressor so I can all my own air tanks on-site. If he has someone who needs an air tank filled, he sends them over to me.”

With rising rental costs, Caldwell says he’s glad to have an outdoor venue that allows him to keep prices affordable for families to have fun together.

“If I don’t run a paintball game, I’m not out anything. If you have an indoor building you’re paying rent on, you’ve got to run enough games … to make a living,” says Caldwell.

And for Caldwell, making a living with paintball would take all the fun out of it.

“I want to keep it fun. One to two games a week on my field would be just fine,” he says.

Redneck Paintball is at 2323 North 4000 West. For more information or to schedule a time to play, call (208) 313-1713.

BIZ BITS

Rigby Chamber gearing up for annual Stampede Days celebration

RIGBY – Let the magic begin.

That’s the theme for this year’s Rigby Stampede Days celebration. The two-day event will kick off on Friday night, June 17.

There will be a rodeo at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 7 p.m. The Stampede Days Parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will be followed by vendors and entertainment in the park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Wells Barney Memorial Horse pull will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. at the fairgrounds before it wraps with a second night of rodeo action.

Tickets are available at First American Title Co., Scotty’s True Value, The Bank of Commerce or Idaho Drug. The cost is $5 for kids 7 to 12, $10 for adults or a family pass is $40. Kids 6 and under are free.

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