Anyone interested in supporting a good cause and having fun while doing so should consider sponsoring or participating in the Clinton Rotary Club’s James Beardsley Memorial Cornhole Tournament on Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Westbrook Elks Lodge.

The Rotary held the event for the first time in the fall of 2019 with the goal of making it an annual tradition, but the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To pull off the tournament, the Rotary is still looking for sponsors. A press release from the club notes that the different available sponsorship levels include: $1,000 gold, $750 silver, $500 bronze, and $250 topaz categories. Gold sponsors will receive one cornhole game kit after the event that includes two custom designed boards with sponsor logo and eight bags. Sponsorships must be set by the end of August.

Cornhole is a popular yard game that consists of two boards with holes in them placed a few yards apart facing each other. Players then stand by each board and take turns lobbing bean bags onto the board with points awarded for hitting the board or getting the bag through the hole.

There is a $100 entry fee per two-person team. The fee includes food and non -alcoholic beverages. Check in starts at 11 a.m., and the tournament runs from noon to 3 p.m. Prizes will be awarded during the day.

Andrew Marzano, one of the organizers of the event, said that he’s heard from many people who were eager to see the tournament return now that COVID-19 levels have gone back under control.

“This was a fun event that was pretty successful when we did it the first year. We had a pretty good turnout,” said Marzano. He said despite the year off in 2020 the goal is still to make the tournament an annual tradition.

Marzano said the cornhole tournament is a major fundraiser for the organization and that there were about 40 teams of two, plus more people who came to support the cause as bystanders, when it was held in 2019. Marzano said that the event raised close to $7,000.

The Rotary is a non-profit that seeks to support several different charities, many of which are along the shoreline. The proceeds from the tournament go to support several scholarships, 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 held in high esteem by many for his 50 years of service to the club. The cornhole tournament is dedicated to his memory.

After Beardsley passed away in 2017, the Rotary was looking for a way to honor him and also a new fundraiser.

“We knew we needed a decent one to bring in some money to the club and someone suggested cornhole, and it was the right place at the right time,” Marzano said.

Even though some members had not heard of the game when it was first suggested, Marzano said the club started noticing advertisements for similar charity cornhole events in the paper and elsewhere which reaffirmed how popular it is.

“The event really did turn out to be a winner and this year should be a great event again, “said Marzano.

For more information, contact Rotarian Cornhole Event Coordinator Richard Mason at 724-554-9439, email dickmasonus@yahoo.com, or visit www.clintonrotaryct.com. Mailing Address: Rotary Club of Clinton, Ct, PO Box 558, Clinton, CT 06413.