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On the Cover: Bring on the Community with Peach State Cornhole

Bring on the Community with Peach State Cornhole

By Kristen Eleveld

There are lots of ways to spend your weeknights, but only one that will help you polish your hand-eye coordination skills, allow you to meet new friends, and even become a champion. Yes, of course, we are talking about the game of cornhole. And no one does it better than Peach State Cornhole, founded by Gwinnett’s own Nick Boyers.

Back in 2013, Nick had just moved to Gwinnett County from Ohio, where cornhole is a popular pastime. Nick is all about community, so he decided to see if anyone was interested in forming some teams to play for fun. He wound up with eight teams in the Suwanee area, formed by a love of creating new relationships and trying something new.

Now, this small, local cornhole league has grown into hundreds of teams covering the entire state – and people can’t get enough of it.

“We never knew it would get this big!” said Nick. “This was founded out of a desire to form new relationships, and now we are in thirty locations across the state.”

Nick and his team encourage anyone to play, whether you are an expert at tossing a bean bag or whether you just heard of cornhole this week. Divided into three divisions – the expert Ringers, the intermediate Slingers, and the beginner Dingers – the league is intentionally designed to help you have fun whether you win the game or not. Players can sign up on a team or as a free agent.

“We’re here more for the personal connection rather than just cornhole,” said Nick. “We want people to come out and play because they have formed great relationships with other players.”

Of course, just because the league is all about fun doesn’t mean it doesn’t take its cornhole playing seriously. Each season, four times per year, Peach State Cornhole hosts a state tournament that consists of the top three teams from each skill division – and gives out over $3,000 worth of prizes. Last year’s championship was held at Slow Pour Brewery in Lawrenceville. This summer they will be heading down to Macon to play at Fall Line Brewing.

If you’re interested in signing up, it’s not too late. The registration for the fall league is open now and teams will begin playing the week of August 21st. Be warned, though. Once you start playing, you may never want to stop.

Peach State Cornhole also enjoys participating in community events throughout the year. They partner with many non-profit organizations and charities around Georgia to help them bring awareness to their cause and needs. Whether an organization is hoping to raise

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Gwinnett/Walton Community & Family Magazine

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Our Town Gwinnett is published and direct mailed to select homes in the Gwinnett/Walton area. Opinions expressed by the writers and staff are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Our Town Gwinnett reserves the right to edit and/or reject any editorial or advertising content. Our Town Gwinnett is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space or for the validity of claims made by advertisers. Entire contents copyright 2022 by Our Town Gwinnett. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden in any media without written permission from the publisher.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Feature Writers K. Coats Victoria R. Crosby Tana Poncsak Traci Sanders Beth Volpert Johansen Contributing Writers Barbara A. Bailey, PhD Jane Bishop Bill Crane Terie Hansen Dr. Kerith Powell Tanisha Turner

5 On the Cover: Bring on the Community with Peach State Cornhole 7 From the Publisher: Ryan’s Remarks 8 Learning Lessons: Six Tips for Balancing Work and Family Life 8 Mission Life Georgia Story 9 Pet Perch: Your Dog, Your Choice 10 Bringing the Community Together through Literacy: THE little BOOK

SPOT! 10 Conflict Corner: Did You Hear Me? 11 One Man’s Opinion: A Bridge Too Far 13 Our Related, Belated Celebration 14 Still Learning How to Say Goodbye 15 President Hassan and the US Premiere of Tanzania: The Royal Tour 17 Health Matters: Seven Tips for Choosing a Primary Care Doctor 18 Shakespeare Returns to Grayson to Make Some History! 18 Catching Up with Dr. Cat at American Heritage Animal Hospital 19 Military Matters: Four Skills Veterans Bring as Team Members in

Civilian Careers 20 Chortle…A Word for Your Day

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