Anyone looking to support a good cause and have fun doing it is encouraged to attend the Clinton Rotary Club’s James Beardsley Memorial Cornhole Tournament on Sunday, Sept. 29 at the Westbrook Elks Lodge.

This is the first year the club is holding the event, though the hopes are high that it will become an annual tradition.

“We want it to be a fun event and for people to come back here year after years,” said Rotary Club Community Relations Coordinator Ted Eastwood.

A press release for the event notes that the tournament will award prizes, and that light refreshments will be served in addition to a cash bar.

The money raised from the event will be given to a variety of local charities that the Rotary Club sponsors.

“The majority of the money will stay local in Clinton. We have some projects we’re involved in that goes overseas, but the majority will still local,” Eastwood said.

The Rotary Club sponsors several scholarships as well as Amber Alert programs, food drives, and the Clinton Rotary Cancer Relief Fund, which provides financial aid to victims and their families.

The Cancer Relief Fund was established in 1997 by James Beardsley, a former member of the Rotary Club member held in high esteem by many. Eastwood said the idea for the event came from fellow Rotary member Dick Mason, who witnessed similar fundraisers held by other clubs and suggested the idea to the Clinton Rotary.

“I noticed cornhole popping up all over the country but not in the shoreline area,” Mason said.

Beardsley passed away in 2017 after being a member of the Rotary Club for 50 years. During that time Mason served as the club president and served in several volunteer roles throughout the town.

“We thought if we could honor Jim, we should,” Mason said.

The Clinton Rotary Club James Beardsley Memorial Cornhole Tournament will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at the Elks Club, Lodge 1784, 142 Seaside Avenue, Westbrook on Sunday, Sept. 29. Check in starts at 11 a.m. The cost is $100 per two-person team. Additionally, there are sponsorship packages that costs from $250 to $1,000. For more information on sponsorships or registration, email Richard Mason at dickmasonus@yahoo.com.