There’s a new league in Bonfield that’s filling the community centre every Wednesday night, and it’s the Cornhole League.
Cornhole? For the uninitiated, cornhole is a game where players take turns throwing beanbags through a hole in an angled board. It’s also called sack toss or simply ‘bags’ depending on your region, and the game has been around in its current form since the 1880s.
“It’s pretty surreal,” explained Steve Featherstone, an organizer of the league. “People are showing up in homemade shirts with their team names on them. It’s really taken off.”
The idea for the league came about last fall.
Featherstone and Jason Corbett both serve as municipal councillors, and Corbett thought it would be a good idea to start an event in town for adults, after seeing some of the events Featherstone puts on for youth through his Reptile Adventure Camp. However, although both founders happen to be councillors, the league is not put on by the municipality.
Cornhole was destined to be the first event, Featherstone noted, and although he had his doubts, he helped put Corbett’s plan into action. They found a space at the Golden Age Club in the basement of the Community Centre, and Featherstone bought two sets of Cornhole boards. However, once registrations opened, they knew they had to expand fast.
“Now we rent the community centre,” Featherstone said. “We have 12 sets of Cornhole boards, and we have over 60 people that show up every Wednesday night.”
Each season is seven weeks long, and there are three seasons planned per year, in the Fall, Winter and Spring. Teams consist of two people, and it costs $60 to register a team. The league takes a break in the summer “for the nice weather” Featherstone added, but a special tournament is planned for July 15th. This will be outdoors and anyone can register to play and part of the proceeds will go to charity.
For those interested, Featherstone suggested stopping by the Community Centre at 100 Yonge Street on Wednesday evening between 7 and 9. The season runs for another four weeks, but you’ll be able to sign up for the Fall league or the summer tournament.
You can also email Featherstone at [email protected] for more information.
Learn how to make your own cornhole game below.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
