Both days took place in the historic Sunken Gardens

ATASCADERO — The weekend of Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17, the residents of Atascadero headed out to the Sunken Gardens for two days full of fun to participate in the 6th Annual Showdown Cornhole Tournament. Friday kicked off with the Central Coast Challenge, followed by the Main Tournament Showdown on Saturday.

“This is an Atascadero Knights of Columbus event this year; it’s a charity fundraiser. It’s just a fun event for the community, and we get to raise a few dollars for the community. Which is hand-in-hand,” said Knights of Columbus Officer Mike LoPicolo. “The last six years, we’ve averaged about 100-plus players every year, and we’ve given away just about $22,000 we’ve given away over the last six years to a number of different charities.”

Last year, the Knights of Columbus donated proceeds to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and this year the tournament’s proceeds will benefit The North County Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program (NCASRP) and Escuela Del Rio (EDR).

“And we always try to help out our local Boy Scout Troop #51,” added LoPicolo.

The Knights of Columbus get together and pick a different charity that will benefit from the cornhole tournament. But this year, it was a tie, so they decided to give proceeds to both. The money comes from donations and the registration fees from the cornhole teams. 

“We’ll pay out probably about 70 percent of the entry fees,” LoPicolo said. “This year, with this little tournament, payouts are going to be $120 for first place, $100, then $80, then $60 for fourth.”

The big winners of Saturday’s tournament in the A Bracket were: First — Team Bro, made of Tommy Holguin and Nick; second — Team E and J, made up of Eric Cruz and John Fent; third — Idler’s, made up of Cody Miller and Nicolle Renner; and fourth — Sling Kings, made up of Louie Reyes and Julian Reyes. The B Bracket winners were: First — Bag Bombers, made up of Fred Hoadley and Michael Peden; second — Bags All Day, made up of Michael Rey and Eddie A.; third — A-Town, made up of Mike Higgins and Bryan Fisher; and fourth — B-Ballers, made up of John Barrios and Branden Barrios.

There were 120 players in total who tossed bags on Friday and Saturday. In addition, over 100 spectators stopped by the Sunken Gardens to watch as the games progressed. On top of that, over $2,700 was raised for the local charities picked this year.

“North County Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program and Escuela Del Rio will each receive $1,250 from the event, and our local Boy Scout Troop #51 will receive $250,” LoPicolo said. “Kiwanis will be giving NCASRP and EDR each approximately $200 from their Kiwanis Burger sales at the event. Century 21 Home Town Realty will also be giving those groups approximately $150 each from their Chili Cook-Off.”

Throughout Saturday, Kiwanis served breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers. And the Century 21 Chili Cook-Off was not only a tasting event but also sold the chili. Boy Scout Troop #51 had water and sodas during the day, with coffee and pastries in the morning. Hawaiian Shaved Ice was also there as things heated up.

For fun, there was also a Most Points contest during lunchtime for kids who showed up, as well as a few other lawn games for everyone to enjoy, including a giant Jenga.

“For people that like to play cornhole, this was the event,” stated LoPicolo.

This year’s Gold Sponsors were Idler’s Home Store, 5 Star Rain Gutters, and Lava Print Media. Additional sponsors were: Central Coast Distillery-FORAGER, Primary Eye Care, Miner’s Ace Hardware, Santa Maria Brewing, Castoro Cellars, The Carlton Hotel, City of Atascadero, Power Source Chiropractic, Filipponi and Thompson Drilling, North County Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program.

“We couldn’t have pulled this event off without the help of our local Boy Scout Troop #51 and the additional 30 volunteers that helped make this happen. This was truly a community event,” added LoPicolo.

The Showdown Cornhole Tournament will be back for its seventh year on Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.