Money Bags

The deadline to register for this year’s Bags Tournament is Sept. 1. The tournament will be held on Friday, Sept. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Kirkwood Park. | photo courtesy of Kirkwood Optimist Club

The Kirkwood Optimist Club is getting ready to host its third annual Bags Tournament at Kirkwood Park.

“Bags” is also known as the popular lawn game “Cornhole,” in which players or teams take turns throwing bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole at the far end. The tournament will be held on Friday, Sept. 8, 6 to 10 p.m., at Kirkwood Park. Those age 12 to 91 can join the fun and play to win.

The tournament typically draws 100 to 150 people on several teams each year. There’s also music, food and beverages, and cash prizes for the winning teams.

The idea for the tournament, which is one of the main fundraisers for the club, came from former Kirkwood Optimist Club President Ben Finan.

“A few years ago when I was president, one of my goals was to create a new revenue stream. At the time, we really relied on the Christmas tree lot and Route 66 events as our main fundraising events,” said Finan, who now serves as chairman of the Bags Tournament. “I wanted to create another event that would raise funds for the club so we could donate that money, and I came up with the idea of this bags tournament.”

He also wanted it to be an event that allowed participants of most any age, and one that didn’t require skills specific to a particular sport.

“Instead of doing something like a volleyball tournament or a golf tournament or something where an individual has to be specifically good at something, our thought process was that anybody can throw a bag 25 feet, or most people can,” he said. “So you don’t necessarily have to be athletic to come to our event and have a good time.”

The Bags Tournament is one of the ways the Kirkwood Optimist Club raises money to support youth in the area, according to Club President Kyle Keinker.

“We do the Route 66 Cars & Guitars Festival (in June) every year. We do a hot dog stand where we sell brats and hot dogs, so that’s a good time,” Keinker said. “The other big one is the Christmas tree lot that we do at North Kirkwood Middle School.”

From left, Kirkwood Optimist Club members Tim Medlock, Frank Jones, Bob Collis and Daniel Davenport volunteer at the club’s annual Christmas tree lot fundraiser. | photo courtesy of Kirkwood Optimist Club

The Kirkwood Optimist Club mainly supports Kirkwood public schools. The club provides $2,000 scholarships each year to students through its essay contest. Students are also given a laptop.

The club donates to between 15 and 20 organizations in total, which includes The Lab School, Kirkwood Racquetball, American Legion Youth Baseball and others.

“We’re always open to new ideas or new people or groups that might need funds,” Finan said. “It’s not just a rotating group of people that get money. If we think money should go to a specific organization, we’ll get together as a group and decide.”

The Kirkwood Optimist Club is part of a larger network of Optimists, which is an accredited organization with branches all over the world. The Optimists all share the same purpose — to give back to youth programs. Its members enjoy giving of themselves, too.

“Having grown up in Kirkwood, having a way and an outlet to give back to the community that I was raised in is just really cool,” Club President Keinker said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s one of the things I used to volunteer for when I was in high school. It makes you feel happy to help others out.”

Keinker encourages others to come check out the Kirkwood Optimist Club, which currently has about 30 members. The club meets every other Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Maggie O’Briens in Sunset Hills.

“We’re always looking for new members. If anybody’s interested in joining, please get in touch with us,” he said.

For more information about the Kirkwood Optimist Club, email Kyle Keinker at [email protected].

To register for the Bags Tournament, email Ben Finan [email protected]. Registration deadline is Sept. 1.

Entry is $80 per two-member team. Corporate sponsors and local businesses can play for a $200 entry fee. Cash prizes for the winning teams include $500 for first place, $250 for second place, $150 for third place and $75 for fourth place.

Lydia Sheehan, a student at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, is a summer intern with the Webster-Kirkwood Times.