There were some serious cornhole players at the Henry E. Blake Pavilion Sunday.
There were also some decidedly less-serious cornhole players.
And that may have been exactly what made Community School Collaborative’s Cornhole Tournament and Raffle work.
Sixteen teams gathered September 13th for an afternoon that mixed competition, food, raffle prizes and a lot of community spirit, while raising more than $10,000 for CSC’s work with local middle school students.
By the end of the tournament, brothers two of the Schad brothers, representing Basecamp, emerged victorious and claimed the $300 cash prize.
But look beyond the scoreboard and the event told another story.
Local companies sponsored lanes and sent employees to play. Businesses from throughout the area donated an extraordinary collection of raffle prizes. People bought tickets, ate, cheered for friends and stayed to see who would win. Thirty-two people competed, but many more helped make the afternoon happen.
And plenty of people came simply to be part of it. Among the crowd were familiar local faces including Rob Bankston, Park County Sheriff Tad Dykstra. They joined families, business owners, CSC supporters and curious spectators gathered around the boards.
That mix of people mattered. Because in many ways, that is how CSC works all year.
Community School Collaborative creates opportunities for middle school students to get beyond the classroom and begin discovering the world waiting for them outside of it. Students visit workplaces during Student Career Days. They try new things during Pop-Up Clubs. They spend ten weeks alongside local professionals through the Job Shadow Program. They meet adults who can answer questions that are difficult to answer from a textbook: What is this job really like? How did you get here? What are you good at? What do you wish you'd known when you were my age?
CSC can organize those experiences. But it takes a community to make them meaningful.
And Sunday offered a pretty good picture of that community.
MVP Sponsors Sage Lodge, Livingston Motor Company, Ace Hardware, APS and Basecamp each stepped forward with major support for the fundraiser. CSC’s All Star sponsors (Neptune’s Eatery and Taphouse, First Interstate Bank, Whistler Towing, Follow Yer Nose, The Spurline, and Livingston Healthcare) added to that support, while dozens of businesses and individuals contributed prizes ranging from outdoor adventures and entertainment to food, local experiences and gift certificates.
A particularly heartfelt thank-you goes to Whistler Towing for its extraordinary generosity in support of the event.
The raffle offered another snapshot of just how many local businesses got behind the event. Winners went home with packages built from donations by businesses including Pine Creek Lodge, Yellowstone Anglers, NM Works, Old Saloon, Sweetwater Fly Shop, Crosscut, Dan Bailey’s, Chico Hot Springs, glassybaby, Catherine Lane, Gourmet Cellar, RX Coffee, MT Body Therapy, A2, Wolf’s Mercantile, Murdoch’s, Katabatic Brewing, DeYoung Gallery, the Shane Lalani Center, Empire Theatre, Engine Room, Fireflies and Livingston Kite Company. And every raffle ticket purchased mattered.
The money raised will support CSC as it continues providing career exploration and work-based learning opportunities that help young people discover their strengths, develop confidence and begin imagining meaningful futures.
But perhaps equally important was what happened around the boards Sunday: people who care about Park County showed up, spent time together and supported its kids.
That's something CSC hopes to build on.
So, for anyone who missed this year's tournament, consider this advance warning: start practicing your toss now.
CSC hopes to bring the Cornhole Tournament back, and after the fun, and competition, of year one, next year's bragging rights may be considerably harder to earn.
Learn more about Community School Collaborative, its programs and ways to get involved at www.csc4kids.org.