LEWISTON — Most every Memorial Day and Labor Day for as long as Paul Potvin and his wife, Louise, can remember, the family has been hosting a horseshoe tournament in their backyard on Old Webster Road in Lewiston.

Dozens of friends, family and acquaintances brought coolers, lawn chairs, tents, couches and whatnot. Paul Potvin’s son, Eric, an architectural engineer at Harriman Architects, decided to change things up this year.

Instead of horseshoes, he organized the Labor Day Cornhole Classic. He even created a Facebook page for it. The reason for the switch: “It encourages more wives and girlfriends to participate,” Eric Potvin said.

Paul Potvin refuted with a snicker, “The real reason is that they were all sick of me and his uncle winning all the time. We are not very good at cornhole, so now I know what they have been feeling all these years.”

While the majority of the crowd was in their mid 30s, there were grandparents and several playpens and strollers for toddlers. Gas grills and fryers were fired up throughout the afternoon and into the evening while the tournament took place on six courts.

“It is amazing that these guys have all stuck together for so long. They have stayed friends and still hang out and do things together all the time. I can remember tying some of these guy’s skates when they were little,” Paul Potvin said.

With 30 two-person teams, the first part of the tournament broke the teams into brackets where they each played five games in a round-robin format. From those results, the teams were seeded and a single-elimination tournament began. While there was a cash award for the top teams, bragging rights were by far the most coveted prize.

Click here for more information on the local cornhole league .

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