By Melissa Moore-Randall
DOT’S ARMY, a local Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk Team, will host their 5th Dot’s Army Annual Cornhole Tournament and BBQ on Saturday, September 9 (rain date September 10) at Griswold Fields behind St. Mary’s Church.
The event will include a single elimination, 21-point adult tournament (18+), with a $200 cash prize for the winning team. There will also be a single elimination, 21-point teen tournament (ages 12-17) that will include a $100 gift card prize.
The event begins with registration at 11:00 a.m. followed by the National Anthem performed by Revere’s own Olivia Freni at 12:15. The cornhole competition will begin with bags flying at 12:30.
In addition to tournament action, The Bent Water Brewery Beer Tent will be there from 12 – 4 p.m. and burgers, hotdogs and drinks will also be available for purchase. There will also be a chance at winning raffle items including gift cards, a 50/50, custom baskets by Bent Water Brewery, Dave and Busters, and more!
The event is coordinated annually by Renee Griffin, Angela Chamberlin, Dorothy Morgan, Danai Griffin, and Susan Connolly. Past Winners have included the 2018 Pineholes, the 2019 Beachmont Boys, the 2020 Dynamic Duo, the 2021 Beachmont Boys and last year’s winner the father and son duo Sack Attack.
One of the event coordinator’s, Renee Gallant, spoke of how Dot’s Army came to be. “Dot’s Army was formed to celebrate the end of the battle for one of our own. At the time, members of Dot’s Army and our several fundraising volunteers expected this would be a one-and-done event. When Walk Day came, 32 of us crossed the finish line, among us and the most important of whom, crossed with her family by her side. Words can’t explain how it felt to witness so many brave survivors and fighters cross that line. This was anything but one-and-done. If you’ve ever known a person battling cancer, you know they are not the only ones in the fight. It takes a literal army to fight this disease and to keep life as normal as possible during it.â€
Gallant added, “The support and love Dot’s Army has received from the Revere community is the reason fundraising was so successful and how it grew to be the Dot’s Army we celebrate today. What started out as selling snacks, slush, candy, and drinks to fundraise at Griswold Fields in 2018, is now a five-year Cornhole Tournament fundraiser with almost $30,000 raised for cancer research.â€
Using the QR code, you can register your team, buy a Dot’s Army t-shirt, donate, and register as a walker with Dot’s Army. You can also text the keyword DOTSARMY to 53555 to donate.