ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The Lower Alabama Young Professionals is hosting its seventh annual Barks, Bags & Bushwackers, a cornhole tournament and social, at the Flora-Bama Yacht Club in Orange Beach on Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Cause
The event will raise money for Zeke’s Rescued Paws, a Baldwin County nonprofit that saves displaced dogs and provides them with medical and foster care while finding them forever homes.
Foster-based rescue organizations like Zeke’s operate without a shelter facility, placing animals in volunteer homes while they recover and wait for adoption. The model has advantages — dogs live in households rather than kennels, and overhead stays low — but it concentrates costs in veterinary care, which is incurred immediately and in full for every animal taken in.
Two Ways to Participate
Attendees may register for tournament play or casual play:
- Tournament play — $40 for a team of two. Enters the organized tournament for a chance at cash, prizes and a custom championship belt.
- Casual play — $25 for an individual. Takes part in casual play and networking.
All attendees will receive a ticket for a free bushwacker.
The two-tier structure is a sensible design for an event that is simultaneously a competition and a networking function. Competitive players get a bracket and a trophy to argue over; everyone else gets to throw bags and talk to people without committing to a tournament schedule.
Why a Cornhole Tournament Works as a Fundraiser
Cornhole has become a fixture of charity fundraising in the South for practical reasons. Equipment costs almost nothing, no athletic ability is required, the game accommodates any age, and a bracket can run alongside conversation rather than interrupting it.
For a young professionals organization, that combination serves two purposes at once: raising money for a local cause and giving members a reason to spend two hours together.
A Seventh Year
Reaching a seventh annual edition places Barks, Bags & Bushwackers among the more established events on the Lower Alabama Young Professionals calendar. Annual charity events that survive past their first few years generally do so because they have found a format participants return to.
If You Go
- What: 7th Annual Barks, Bags & Bushwackers cornhole tournament and social
- When: Saturday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Where: Flora-Bama Yacht Club, Orange Beach
- Benefiting: Zeke’s Rescued Paws
Registration information is available through the Lower Alabama Young Professionals.