Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Gilliland Foundation Annual Fall Cornhole Tournament drew a large crowd to RayLen Vineyard and Winery on Saturday, Oct. 7 to support children battling cancer and their families.

At noon, the 48 teams began playing in the double-elimination amateur tournament, and a large group of spectators blanketed the area to cheer and applaud the participants.

Foundation Chair and tournament director Diane Gilliland said: “We had one team who heard about our cause and drove up from Spartanburg, S.C. to play in the tournament.”

The tournament was “a lot of fun and well organized,” said Peter Agiovlassitis, who drove from Raleigh with his wife Jeanann and daughter Morgan to participate.

The tournament’s large attendance results from many people returning to play and new people hearing about how enjoyable the day is with cornhole, food trucks, a silent auction, music, and award-winning wine, Gilliland said.

The tournament was won by the father-son team of Roy Huss and Troy Huss, with Jerry Smith and Mickey Pope finishing second and Kevin Lemons and Ben Drankin finishing third.

After the tournament, Benny Shaw, who has participated in all five Gilliland Foundation Cornhole Tournaments, said: “As a child, I was raised in an orphanage and experienced great trauma and loss, but I can’t begin to imagine what the children battling cancer and their families withstand. I count my blessings daily and am privileged and grateful to support your cause.”

Diane Gilliland summed up the day by saying: “The generosity of our sponsors and people who support this tournament sends a message of hope to the children and their families that there are people in this world who care about them and want to make their lives better.”

https://gillilandfoundation.org/cornhole/