By MADDY VITALE
Francesca and Dave Boligitz, of Philadelphia, and Mollie Kent, of Havertown, Pa., and her boyfriend, Matt Young, tossed bags in a bit of friendly competition Monday afternoon at Excursion Park in Sea Isle City.
They were among the players on 120 baggo teams participating in the 19th annual fundraising tournament in Sea Isle City hosted by the Ocean Drive bar and sister property O’Donnell’s Pour House pub and restaurant.
“It’s fun and it’s for good causes. Everyone gets to come out on a Monday and enjoy the day,” Francesca Boligitz noted. “We stay with my husband’s family who live in Sea Isle City. We do the tournament every year.”
Kent said that she never misses the fundraiser because it’s a chance to give back and also have a great time. She summers in Sea Isle.
“My grandparents have had a home here for 40 years. We come down and have fun at the tournament every year,” she said.
While the event is about tradition for friends and families who come out for it year after year, it is also an important fundraiser for local charities.
Each year, the event raises $10,000 for Mike’s Seafood Polar Bear Run-Walk for Autism and selects other charities to give to as well. The charity baggo tournament supports the Police Unity Tour and the Sea Isle Ambulance Corps, the Sea Isle Volunteer Fire Department and the Sea Isle Beach Patrol.
In addition to baggo, there was music, food, drinks and raffles.
“We raise money and donate to local charities. If someone needs help from the community, we will help,” Kathy Larkin, manager of the Ocean Drive and Pour House, said of the fundraising campaign.
This year, the event was moved to Excursion Park. In prior years, the city would allow the Ocean Drive and Pour House to close the block of 40th Street between Landis and Pleasure avenues to set up the baggo game boards.
“It’s nice to be able to spread out,” she said of the move, adding that this year there were 20 more teams than last year.
Kacie Farrell, of Sea Isle City, and her opponent, Dave Cummings, of Mantua, N.J., were having a great time tossing bags next to each other, despite being opponents, they joked.
“I grew up in Delaware County coming to Sea Isle. This is my third year doing the tournament. It’s for a good cause and it’s a lot of fun,” Farrell said.
Cummings added that this was his second year. “It’s a good time,” he said.
While Larkin oversees the hugely successful event each year, fellow employees, Colby Phillips and Bridgid Albany have been involved and been integral parts of the tournament’s success since it began.
“It used to be much smaller,” Phillips said. “It keeps growing.”
She added that the locals really enjoy the event.
“So many people in Sea Isle have worked in the restaurant industry and support the tournament,” Phillips said.
“We have a very nice group of people always willing to help make it a success,” Albany, whose husband, Ryan is also involved in organizing the event, said.
The Ocean Drive and O’Donnell’s Pour House organize a series of fundraising events throughout the year to benefit local charities.
“Broads at the Beach,” held at O’Donnell’s Pour House on Paddy’s Green, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, is the next fundraiser coming up. Donations are $25. For more information, visit O’Donnell’s Pour House on Facebook.
