People are driving from Indiana, Ohio, and all over Michigan to downtown Hillsdale for one thing: cornhole.
55 Below will be hosting a cornhole league this fall. The league will take place every Thursday night at 7 p.m. starting on Oct. 3. Registration is open until Sept. 30 and is $50 per person. The league is set up to enter in teams of two.
The inspiration for a cornhole league started with Hillsdale native Steven Herzberg. Originally, he started out making 200 to 300 custom cornhole boards a year. But as that business became too much to handle, he decided to take his passion for cornhole in a different direction.
A few months ago, Herzberg started a Facebook page, “Pure Cornhole,” and held tournaments throughout the summer at Vanity Ice Cream.
“It just blew up,” Herzberg said. “We went from having three people at our first tournament to having 20 to 30 people showing up.”
It got so popular that Hezberg hosted a cornhole tournament on Baw Beese Lake for the Fourth of July, complete with sponsors from the town supporting the event.
Cornhole has also been on the rise nationally in recent years, even appearing on ESPN. The new popularity and Herzberg’s success caught the attention of Ben Baldwin and Elena Ledesma, the owner and manager of 55 below, respectively. They reached out to Herzberg to set up a league.
“We are trying to get Thursdays up and running,” Ledesma said. “We are bringing the cornhole in to add some variety. People want to do stuff in the winter and we have a big enough space here that they can come in, drink some beers, play some cornhole, and not be out in the weather.”
The night will be filled with drink specials, Thursday night football, music, and lots of competition. Every week there will be different ways to earn cash prizes. At the end of the tournament, the champion is expected to receive between $600 and $800.
Ridge Morris, a resident of Hillsdale, played in some of Herzberg’s tournaments this summer and looks forward to participating again. Once a high-school athlete, Morris enjoys the competitive environment the league offers.
Hillsdale College senior Jake Rhodes is excited to see a cornhole league forming in Hillsdale.
“It is incorporating a little bit of college students mixing with people from the town,” Rhodes said. “Another way to have fun.”
But it doesn’t just stop with cornhole. 55 Below is now hosting a college night every Thursday starting around 10 p.m., with more drink specials and a DJ. In the future, the bar is looking to start a Wii bowling league and possibly even a Just Dance competition.
55 Below is adding new, never seen before, attractions to Hillsdale which Josh Stella, Hillsdale College senior, thinks is beneficial to all college students.
“It definitely helps to give more diversity for Hillsdale College students,” Stella said, “It is a way to get more people to go out and explore the town.”
A cornhole league is definitely unique, and that is exactly the goal.
“We are just trying to add variety to this town,” Ledesma said. “There is not a lot going on. We are giving everybody something to do.”
