Cornstock 2021 Cornhole Tournament Set For June To Raise Funds For Cops N Kids In August

by David Dinsmore

After tossing around a few ideas about raising funds for its annual Cops N Kids event in August, the Shawnee Police Department bagged a unique fundraising concept for this area with Cornstock 2021 sponsored by Ford Insurance Agency.

The department will host a cornhole tournament with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the first game starting at 1 p.m. on June 19 near the intersection of Main Street and Broadway featuring up to 100 two-person teams with prizes for the top four finishers and commemorative cornhole boards on the line with all the proceeds going to Cops N Kids event happening in August.

“We had to think outside the box to come up with something that will help equal what our sponsors could donate,” said Cpl. Vivian Lozano, public information officer with Shawnee Police Department and the driving force behind planning Cops N Kids and Cornstock. “We have several fundraisers in town and have several golf tournaments. I noticed a lot of people playing cornhole in their backyards and thought that would be something different for a fundraising event in Shawnee.”

Following the economic impact of the response to the coronavirus pandemic on businesses and organizations in the area, Lozano realized that supporters of previous Cops N Kids events may not be able to contribute as much to the sponsorship-driven event as they have in years past. However, with the event not occurring last year, and given the political climate nationally surrounding community policing, she felt it was even more important to host this event and emphasize how important it is to law enforcement officers to connect with the people they serve.

She reached out to previous organizations and agencies that had participated in Cops N Kids in the past to gauge their level of interest and ability to participate in an event this year. Overwhelmingly, she received positive responses from public safety agencies at different local, state and federal levels, so she knew there would be plenty of participation to host the event.

“Most people were like ‘We’re there. Put us down for it,’” Lozano said.

Lozano began asking people within her department and other organizations with whom she works about what kind of fundraiser they could plan to make up for possible gaps in sponsorship to ensure Cops N Kids are able to deliver the same experience families have come to enjoy during the last few years. The timing seemed right for a corn hole tournament given its rise in popularity during tailgating, camping trips, backyard barbecues and other casual events. Moreover, when major sports shut down last year, many people found themselves watching nationally televised cornhole tournaments on networks like ESPN.

To ensure the competition offered an equal and level playing field, Lozano wanted to make sure that all boards used for Cornstock have the same dimensions and characteristics. While many people have their own sets, they tend to vary by size, weight, material and other characteristics. She also wanted to make sure that they had enough to host the desired number of teams in the tournament, which could open the door for future tournaments hosted in partnership with an official governing body like the American Cornhole Association.

The standardized boards also open up opportunities for individuals and organizations to sponsor customized and personalized boards that they could then keep for themselves after the

The Shawnee Police Department will host Cornstock 2021, a cornhole tournament sponsored by Ford Insurance Agency, with registration at 11:30 a.m. and the first game at 1 p.m. on June 19 near the intersection of Main Street and Broadway that will take place alongside Blues on Broadway hosted that day downtown by Safe Events for Families. Proceeds from Cornstock will help fund Cops N Kids happening in August. Photos by David Dinsmore

tournament ended and reuse in future events. The police department also commissioned its own pair of Cops N Kidsthemed boards featuring the shields and logos of participating agencies that would feature in the final rounds of the tournament and be available as a giveaway to those who buy raffle tickets.

Teams can register prior to the event for $50 and will compete in the double elimination format for prizes for the top four finishers along with recognition for best team shirts and best team spirit. There will be food and beverages available that specifically will benefit the Cornstock event.

Lozano also wanted to ensure that not only participants come out to enjoy the first ever corn stock event but also spectators and other community members. They looked at a few options that came with crowd concerns due to the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She reached out to Safe Events for Families about hosting Cornstock at the Blues on Broadway event happening on June 19 in downtown Shawnee.

“I love teaming up with (SEFF),” Lozano said. “I really look forward to continuing the partnership.”

The Cops N Kids event happening in August brings together law enforcement and public safety agencies on local, state and federal levels to interact with children and their families to demonstrate a variety of tools, technology, techniques and stories that help them keep communities safe, Lozano said. It gives some children their first interaction with law enforcement and helps try to reinforce a positive experience that will help them understand that public safety personnel are there to help them when they need it.

During the uncertainty of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, Lozano and the Cops N Kids committee needed to make a decision about proceeding with the 2020 event. She said given its emphasis on helping make kids feel safe through positive interactions with law enforcement representatives, it seemed counterintuitive to host an event that may put them at unknown risk at the time while control measures were still unclear. Now with more than a year of experience in living amid the conditions stemming from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and loosening of guidelines for outdoor gatherings put forth recently by the Centers for Disease Control, Lozano is looking forward to once again bringing Cops N Kids back to Shawnee with a focus of participants health and safety.

“Things will still be a little bit different this year, but some things aren’t as strict as they were last year,” Lozano said. “It’s an outside event, so that helps too.”

For more about registering for Cornstock 2021, scan the QR included in this article.

For more information about Cornstock and Cops N Kids, contact Lozano at vlozano@shawneeok.org and (405) 501-3357.

The Shawnee Police Department will raffle a pair of Cops N Kids cornhole boards that will feature in the final rounds of its Cornstock cornhole tournament

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