Sport of cornhole comes to the Decatur Barbecue

DECATUR — A sport (of sorts) that has been sweeping the nation over the past five years owes its very existence to a simple kids’ game that has been around in this country since its birth. But its roots go far, far back to ancient times when two players tried to get rocks into a hole in the ground, thus the birth of cornhole. This ancient game is coming to the Decatur Barbecue, not as a kids’ game but as a fullfledged sport.

The Cornhole Tournament will make its first official appearance as a competitive sport in Decatur during the 66th Annual Decatur Barbecue Saturday at Veterans Park in Decatur.

The origins of the game are not quite known although many have speculated as to just how this game started in this country. Some believe that cornhole owes its present configuration to the Blackhawk tribe of Illinois who filled a pig’s bladder with dried beans and tossed it at a target hole for a competition, while others hold a different idea.

One theory is that a German cabinet maker named Matthias Kueperman, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, saw a group of boys throwing rocks into a hole (as the ancients originally did). Fearing for the boys’ safety, he built a wooden box. Kueperman then provided burlap bags filled with corn to the youngsters to use instead of rocks, thus the name cornhole (throwing the cornfilled bags into a hole).

Still others contend that an early pioneer named Jebediah McGillicuddy used a similar setup to play the game in the foothills of Kentucky.

Now the simple game has evolved into a competitive sport with a national championship played each year. It has even become a popular televised sport on the many sports networks.

The Decatur Cornhole Tournament takes place from 4 to 6 p.m., with registration running from noon until 3:30 p.m. Cost for each team is $25, with first- and second-place cash prizes awarded at the conclusion of the tournament. All profits go to support Decatur Chamber of Commerce activities.

For more information, contact Bobbi Barnes at 479-238-5618 or bbarnes@ceieng.com.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Logan Ehrhart watches intently as his bean bag falls toward the opening in a target board during the 2017 Decatur Barbecue kids’ games at Veterans Park in Decatur on Aug. 5, 2017. This bean bag toss is the exact same game as the cornhole contest, except the fill in the bag is corn instead of beans.