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Date: 9/28/2022
SOMERS, CT – Somers 860 Cornhole, a premier league in Northern Connecticut hosts competitive cornhole on Tuesday evenings at Sonny’s Place at 349 Main St.
All skill levels are welcomed ranging from intermediate to league pros. Cost is $20 for four games of round robin play and entry into the airmail contest. You will be randomly paired via the Scoreholio app. Top point earners make the playoff tiers and the tier champions win the tournament. There is no weekly commitment, just come any Tuesday that you can make it and simply have fun.
Somers residents Mike and Ned run Somers 860 Cornhole. The two have been friends for 12 years and play cornhole at family picnics and camping trips. Mike’s teenage sons Braden and Chris helped start and currently help run the league and have since inception. “Cornhole started off as a backyard game and has become more mainstream in recent years,” Mike said. “Some people call it bean bag toss, while others call it cornhole. It’s two wooden boards with a hole cut in it. You get four bean bags and take turns throwing them in the hole.”
He continued, “Every bag you get through the hole you get three points and every bag on top of the board; you get one point. If you miss the board, you get zero points. The goal is to outscore the other opponent, so you could either have team play or have individual play. You could play one-on-one or play two people against two people.”
Mike and Ned began to play in other leagues in Western Massachusetts and Somers, CT. The problem for them was those leagues were 45 minutes or half an hour away. They decided to look for a place to play close to home. Mike told Reminder Publishing they wanted a place where people can come once a week to play cornhole and have a good time while building friendships in town. It can be difficult as an adult when you have responsibilities for work and family to set aside time to go out and see friends on a regular basis. This gives cornhole lovers a chance to get out, see your friends and play cornhole. As they go out to the neighboring towns, they found a lot of people that wanted to play once a week and get together.
Mike and Ned started Somers 860 Cornhole in January at the Knights of Columbus in Somers. Then transitioned three months ago to Sonny’s Place.
“It was an opportunity for us to expand the club,” Mike stated. “Sonny’s Place has more options for our players. They have an arcade, music, amusement park rides and miniature golf so people could bring their families. They also have BBQ, burgers, hot dogs and ice cream; different food choices for people to eat.”
He added, “It fit well for the club to have it there because it has more amenities. When we started the club, it was just players we knew. Now, we know them and their families. We’ve become friends with everyone, and it’s been awesome.”
For those interested in joining Somers 860 Cornhole weekly club, go to Sonny’s Place on a Tuesday. Doors open at 5 p.m. Registration and warm-up from 5 to 6 p.m. and at 6 p.m. they start throwing bags. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @somers860cornhole.
Editor’s Note: Mike and Ned requested that their last names not be included in this article.