By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Seasen Palasch took up the game of baggo in 2013 after her mother, Brenda, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It was a way to take my mind off things,” Palasch said, recalling how baggo helped her to cope with the health crisis that would claim her mother’s life in 2017.
Palasch, who lives in Dennisville, explained that the baggo tournaments she has played in have allowed her to meet people from all across the country.
“It’s a very good and supportive group. I’ve met some of the best people ever,” she said.
On Sunday, Palasch and other baggo players were lending their support to the United Methodist Church in Sea Isle City during a charity fundraiser.
Bags were flying as 39 teams, each paying a $60 entry fee, competed underneath a large tent in the church parking lot at 4102 Central Ave.
Some of the players were serious, while others noted they were simply trying not to embarrass themselves during the tournament. No matter what their skill level, all of them were united in their financial support for United Methodist Church.
“I stink at the game. The only reason I came here was to donate. It’s a good cause,” said Jim Buchanan, of Swedesboro, N.J.
Music and buffet-style food were part of the tournament. Mike Butler, who goes by the stage name DJ Brother Mike, said he noticed that people were smiling and having a great time.
“It’s good for the church. People are coming out for a great cause,” he said during a break while serving as disc jockey.
Baggo, also known as cornhole, features players taking turns throwing 16-ounce fabric bean bags at a raised board with a hole in the far end. In order to score, the bags must either be tossed into the hole or land on the board.
The baggo tournament was organized by local businessman James Bennett, the owner of the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle. Separately, Bennett held a Polar Bear King & Queen Contest on Friday night at the Oar House to raise money for the Cape May County Special Services School District.
This was the fifth year that Bennett held the Polar Bear Baggo Tournament as a charity fundraiser over the Presidents Day weekend. The tournament takes its name from Bennett’s former Polar Bear Plunge weekend celebration in Sea Isle that was highlighted by a traditional chilly dip in the ocean by thousands of participants.
Money raised during the baggo tournament will help to pay for new siding for the United Methodist Church and its parsonage.
“It is a worthwhile cause. All of the money will go to the Methodist Church Building Fund,” Bennett said in an earlier interview.
Pastor Melissa Doyle-Waid, who heads United Methodist, said the church is in the midst of a multiyear fundraising effort to improve the appearance of the building and the parsonage. The baggo tournament is a key part of the fundraising campaign, she noted.
“We’re so grateful. The generosity that Jimmy Bennett has exhibited to the church is wonderful,” Doyle-Waid said in an interview Sunday.
The church has had the same siding since it was constructed in 1958 and is in need of updating. Doyle-Waid estimated the cost to add new siding to the church and parsonage at $325,000.
United Methodist overlooks John F. Kennedy Boulevard, the main entryway into town. Doyle-Waid said the church’s exterior is “tired looking” and should be spruced up so that it matches the appearance of other eye-catching buildings that line Sea Isle’s primary artery.
“In the gateway of the city, we want to be good neighbors and look beautiful,” she said of the church.
The baggo tournament fundraiser is an example of how the entire community came together to help out the church, the pastor noted.
“It’s nice. We’re all working together in town so that things are taken care of,” she said.
