The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce is offering Okotokians a couple of fun ways to engage with their neighbours.
The organization is hosting a cornhole tournament on Thursday, Aug. 22 and a pickleball tournament on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Both events are open to the public.
Dawn LeMaistre, executive director of the chamber, said the tournaments are strictly recreational. Both are being held in the evening and are intended to offer networking opportunities in a fun, social setting.
“We're always trying to do new and innovative things to draw different individuals and businesses into the fold,” said LeMaistre. “What we've found over the first half of 2024 is our business engagement just isn't where we would like it to be so our chamber board kind of felt that we needed to take a little different look.”
Both tournaments also have a charitable component: the cornhole tournament will support the Simpora Foundation while the pickleball event will benefit Foothills Country Hospice.
Registration for the cornhole tournament is $60 and is now open at okotokschamber.ca. A team can have a minimum of two members or a maximum of six as players can be interchanged throughout the evening.
Registration for the pickleball tournament is expected to open in early August.
LeMaistre said the cornhole tournament, which will be held in the parking lot of the Best Western Plus Okotoks Inns and Suites, will include a beer/spirits garden and food trucks to create a social atmosphere.
“The idea is for everybody to come out, interact, socialize, have an evening away from the office and/or the kids, whatever that might look like, and just enjoy some community engagement,” she said.
LeMaistre said the plan is to make both tournaments annual events to join the gala, trade show and golf tournament the chamber hosts every year. It's also looking at the possibility of holding a curling bonspiel in the fall.
There are a variety of sponsorship opportunities available for both tournaments at okotokschamber.ca.
