What’s a cornhole board?
The individuals in custody at the Illinois Department of Corrections Life Skills Entry Center (LSRE.) found out when they were asked by the Black Hawk College Agri-Business Club Alumni (ABCA) to make several sets of them to include in the auction at their annual banquet, to be held July 30 at Midland Golf Club.
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“The idea was originated with me,” said Tami Rouse, banquet chair. “I had worked with the center before and wanted to find a way to form a collaboration with them and the ABCA/BHE organization. I have always been a huge advocate of community involvement and service. Being the banquet chair, I just felt if we could find a way to showcase the talent that is within those walls, then maybe other communities could be educated and learn about who they are and how they can help their own community through various projects.”
Rouse is senior career planner/office manager for Stark and Marshall counties for Career Link, an organization that develops potential employees by providing job search and educational assistance, training and other resources to residents and employers in central Illinois through the Illinois WorkNet Center in Peoria. She is a BHE graduate and s director on the ABCA board.
“One mistake does not define the rest of your life,” Rouse said, referring to her admiration of those who earn the right to be transferred to the LSRE. “You have a choice every day and hopefully the gentlemen that worked on our project, once released, will utilize their amazing talents in ways such as graphic designers."
Seven men were involved in building, designing and painting three sets of cornhole boards with “farm” the only request of the Black Hawk East ag alumni, along with the lettering “Black Hawk College East Aggies” somewhere in each design.
Luis Diaz and Charles Murray painted the patriotic scene featuring an American eagle, Carlos Desantiago and Jose Leal painted a military scene, and Philip Deavila and Desantiago created a double-board farm scene. All three featured the American flag.
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Matt Warnsing, Education Facility Administrator at the LSRE. Said “Much credit needs to be given to two staff members who supported these guys and gave them the opportunity to be able to use their talents in this way. Jessica Draper organizes and supervises our art room and organizes all of the community service projects that have to do with the art work and makes sure the guys have the supplies they need. Allison Trigg heads up our service learning class which does the majority of the woodworking for all of our service projects.”
He said Alex Casarez and Juan Romero were part of the crew that helped build the boards and helped with sealing and waxing the boards.
Murray said he did some drawing in high school but had never painted until he came to the LSRC. One day, while working in the art room, he looked up and saw Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Kewanee Mayor Gary Moore watching him work while touring the facility last November. From that inspiration he painted portraits of each and sent them to them. Moore’s is now at Kewanee City Hall.
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“It (the art room) is a place of peace, where you are allowed to express yourself,” said Murray. Warnsing said the art program gives the man an opportunity to engage in fellowship and work together toward a common goal.
Cornhole, sometimes called “bags” or ”bean bag toss,” has become a popular lawn game played at backyard barbecues and neighborhood bars. Informal leagues and tournaments are also common. Each board measures two-by-four feet with a six-inch hole centered near the top and is tipped up at the back with 24 feet between the lower front of both. Today, there is a national organization promoting and organizing competitions, as well as professional players with the top individuals making up to $250,000 a year, according to the American Cornhole Organization website. Each bag weighs about a pound and contains plastic kernels of corn or resin pellets. Boards and bags become decorated art pieces the prices ranging from $80 to $1,000. High-end boards are equipped with scoreboards, cupholders and lights.
The bags are made of canvas or suede. Originally, each bag contains actual kernels of corn, but they became moldy which altered the weight of the bag. Some say the game was invented in 14th century Germany. Others credit the Blackhawk tribe of Illinois, appropriate since the boards from the LSRC are going to support the ag alumni of Black Hawk College. Still others point to a Kentucky farmer in the 1800s with coming up with the idea of tossing bags of corn at a hole in a board.
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Murray, Leal and Deavila were on hand when Rouse, Jodee Werkheiser, Professor of Computer Science Applications at BHE and Executive Secretary of ABCA, and Danielle Williams, Executive Director of the Black Hawk College East Foundation, arrived to view their work and pick them up for the auction. The others involved have all moved on from the center. Each signed the back of the board they painted.
Deavila asked, “Which (set of boards) do you think is the best?”, to which Rouse replied: “We’ll see which one brings the most at the auction!”
The group also met Jim Carothers, assistant warden of operations at LSRC, who complimented the Kewanee community for their support of the men at the center.
“In my nearly 25 years (with the IDOC) I have never seen community support like we’ve experienced here (since the center opened in 2017 in the former Illinois Youth Center).”
Proceeds from the alumni auction support scholarships, faculty and staff mini-grants, program advancement and more at Black Hawk College East Campus.