Since January, the Lone Tree Throwers have been bringing a new form of fun to Central City as they have hosted weekly cornhole competitions at the Central City Volunteer Fire Department.

The competitions have been a hit for the group and also the community as players have made their way from towns such as Kearney, St. Paul and Norfolk just to name a few.

The Lone Tree Throwers are an American Cornhole League (ACL) affiliated organization with their competitions being held for ACL points each week. This draws in throwers of all skill levels with some of them even being towards the top of the Nebraska ACL standings for the season.

The group will look to hold their largest event yet April 7, and 8, at the Hordville Event Center.

“We really can’t thank those who have supported us enough,” says Josh Fousek of Lone Tree Throwers. “We encourage people to come check it out. If not to play at least stop over for the good food, cold drinks and fun that will come along with the regional event.”

Each Sunday the Lone Tree Throwers welcome players of all ages and skill levels as they often look to break the large group of players into separate divisions based upon skill level. It is not uncommon to see one of the best players in the state teamed up or battling against an elementary student as all are welcomed to join the fun.

Cornhole is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Scoring can be swift and the lead may change hands several times in a match before the winner is decided. The game is generally played tournament style with an individual or team being named the champion at the end of the tournament.

In 2016, the ACL was formed helping to take the sport of cornhole from backyards and tailgates to ESPN in 2017. Cornhole is considered to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world and some cornhole fans have even made a push for the sport to be added to the Olympics. While there won’t be any Olympic medals being passed out, there will be opportunities to bring home money in Hordville just as there is each week during the Lone Tree Throwers season.

Friday April 7, will be the Blind Draw portion of the regional tournament at 6:00 pm., meaning that individuals will sign up and later be paired with a partner at random to form a team. The newly formed teams will then battle for the top spot and prize money. Saturday will begin with doubles competition and competitors will compete with a partner of their choosing beginning at 10 am. Once the doubles champions are crowned in each division the weekend event will conclude with a singles competition.

Each day the Lone Tree Throwers will be joined by 308 Baggers out of St. Paul as one of their members, Jared Rice, serves as the Regional ACL Director for Central Nebraska. Each day Banana Rams will be serving up cold drinks and on Saturday, Kennabell’s BBQ will be serving up delicious eats. For more information or to sign up for the event visit the ACL website or reach out to Lone Tree Throwers on Facebook.

Lone Tree Throwers also welcomes all who are interested to join them each Sunday before the Regional for their local competition. Each day will be a tournament format with payouts to the top players in the predetermined divisions. Signups begin each Sunday at 1:30 pm with the event getting kicked off at 2:30 pm. All events are also streamed on the Lone Tree Throwers Facebook page.