Limber up your arm for some cornhole tossing fun

Action starts in late April in the curling club's arena

Cornhole action at the curling club last summer. Eunice Stapley tosses a bag.

First things first. These days there is no corn in cornhole.

But who would want to play a game called toss-the-plastic-bits into a hole? There used to be corn in the old days in the U.S. Midwest corn-growing belt, when it was just kids throwing bags full of dried corn kernels, but these days the cloth bags are filled with plastic, making them more consistent and, well, throwable.

But nowadays, cornhole is hot. Well, maybe not quite as hot as pickleball, but don’t tell the cornholers that.

Here in Trent Hills, you can play cornhole at some of the local brewers outdoors during the summer and for the second year, the Campbellford and District Curling and Racquet Club will soon turn its curling space into a cornhole arena, once the ice is out. Play will start April 22 and run until July 25.

Organizer Bob Hemming says anyone can come play cornhole, you don’t have to be a member of the club. Last year, more than half the players were not club members. It costs just $20 to sign up and then $5 per day when you play. There will be games Mondays at 10 a.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Play is restricted to those 19 and over since alcohol is available.

Cornhole and curling are both games know for their social side and the practice of discussing the results over a post-game beverage.

You can register on Monday, April 15 from 1-3 p.m. or Wednesday, April 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the club. For more information contact Hemming at campbellfordcornhole@gmail.com.

The club has enough boards that eight games are going at one time. Players stand beside one board and toss the bags about eight metres toward a tilted plywood box with a hole on its front. You get points for the number of bags that drop down the hole.

The club considered using the space for pickleball, but decided the ceiling is too low to make it comfortable and there already is indoor pickleball at the Hastings Field House. Last year, Hemming pitched the idea of using the space for cornhole games and his committee quickly lined up local companies willing to sponsor the fun.

Hemming said the CDCRC has decided its focus is on being a fun social league, not competing with other clubs, so it isn’t joining the national organization, Cornhole Canada. But in the U.S. there are professional leagues and some games are shown on ESPN. There’s even a movement to get cornhole into the Olympics. Check out Cornhole Canada for more on that effort.

If you’d like to learn more about the game, in January, the CBC did an interesting story on the rise of cornhole across the country.