Signups for the Rotary Club of Berlin’s third annual cornhole tournament on June 4 are now open.
Hosting the event is Racks Pub and Grill on White Horse Pike in Atco, which will donate 20 percent of all food and alcohol sales raised in the tournament to local veterans. The Rotary Club has generated almost $15,000 for veterans in the past six years, and Rotary committee member Randy von de Tann expects a generous donation from the cornhole tournament.
“ … [Our donations] can be anything from a local veteran in Berlin Borough or township, anywhere in the surrounding area, who may need some type of assistance,” von de Tann said. “Whether it’s a handicap ramp in their home, or handicap accessible things in their home to make their lives easier.”
The club has also used donations to build projects in Berlin that honor veterans, including additions to the Berlin Borough War Memorial. Rotarians noticed no Vietnam memorial plaques there and remedied that.
“There was never a Vietnam memorial at that location,” von de Tann noted. “So with [assistance] of the VFW, we got all of the names of the veterans who were in Vietnam, so we were able to put a large memorial stone there. We also recently donated park benches to the Berlin Township War Memorial.”
The cornhole tournament requires a $50 buy-in from each team, with the winning group team and runners-up getting a $500 prize and two gift cards to Racks, respectively. One yellow ribbon corporate sponsor pays the $500, and others in that category are also allowed two team entries.
Among other sponsorship opportunities are the $250 Stars and Stripes that include business registration table signs. Those without sponsorship can donate anonymously or have a shooting station sponsor sign their names.
“We get people who want to be event sponsors, and they’re really the one solely responsible for paying out the winning teams … “ von de Tann explained. “The local businesses that get small signs, we call them shooting station sponsors. All of that money raised just goes to the fund …
“ … Even if you don’t want to be a part of the event,” he added, “you can still support by just going and having food or drinks. Twenty percent of your bill that day will go to our veterans fund.”
Von der Tonn wants the Rotary Club to host more cornhole events because of the game’s popularity, and to be as inclusive as possible in planning such events for the community.
“You go down the Shore … Eagles’ tailgates, everybody is playing,” he noted. “This is another reason we moved away from trap-shooting events that we used to hold in the past. Not everybody can do that …
“ … We thought, hey, we’re leaving people out that might want to support us.” Von der Tann recommends cornhole participants register soon; the tournament will cap teams at between 40 and 50. Sponsorship and team applications are available online. Same day registration begins at noon.
