“Fire in the Hole” cornhole tournament raises more than $20k

Bags were flying at the McGregor Columbian Club last Saturday as the Amherstburg Firefighters Association held its third annual “Fire in the Hole” cornhole tournament. Proceeds from the cornhole tournament will be donated back to charities, causes and sports teams within the community.

Bags were flying last Saturday afternoon and charities will be the ones benefitting.

The Amherstburg Firefighters Association (AFA) presented its third annual “Fire in the Hole” cornhole tournament last Saturday in partnership with the Columbus Community Hall in McGregor.

Cameron Arksey, vice president of the AFA, said over 30 teams participated in this year’s “Fire in the Hole” tournament. 

“Everyone is enjoying it,” he said. “We’ve got some very serious players here.”

Players came in from as far as Chatham-Kent and Michigan for the tournament. 

Arksey noted the level of sponsorships allowed for the association to double the prizes with the first prize now being $1,000.

“This year, we had so many sponsors that we had to get additional signage,” said Arksey. “The support from sponsors has been more than the last two years.”

This year’s tournament raised more than $20,000, he stated.

A raffle was also brought back this year, with the community rallying behind that, Arksey added.

The McGregor Columbian Club Hall was also thanked, as they ran the tournament and made the association’s work easy. 

“It all ran very smoothly,” said Arkey. “In terms of where the money goes, the Association donates to those in need locally and affords opportunities to others we know will achieve greater success within the Amherstburg community. As a non-profit organization, we organize a yearly bursary to high school graduates, have donated supplies to local youth group programming, participate in food drives for the local Mission and Amherstburg Community Services, help hundreds of kids in need during the holidays, sponsor sports teams of all ages including Special Olympics athletes, and give to families, with compassion, rebuilding after disaster strikes.”

The Amherstburg Firefighters Association also assist people who have been impacted by fire or tragedy in the community. 

Where the proceeds will go this year will be decided in the near future. The AFA’s next meeting is in October where they will go over applications from the community. 

The public can obtain more information or they can apply through www.aburgfireassoc.ca or via e-mail at aburgfireassoc@gmail.com.

The Amherstburg Firefighters Association will also be fundraising as the holiday season approaches. They undertake the annual Stuff-a-Fire Truck toy drive and will be asking for donations in the coming weeks to assist those less fortunate in Amherstburg at Christmas.

“Fire in the Hole” cornhole tournament raises more than $20k

By Ron Giofu