$8,000 of Cash Prizes Attract Out of Town Visitors to Rotary’s Big Money Bash: Cornhole Fundraiser for Bike Pump Track

The Civic Center came alive last weekend for Rotary Club’s First Annual Big Money Border Bash. Competitive cornhole players from across the state traveled to Del Rio on Saturday 2/22/25 to throw their hand at huge cash prizes. Tournament winners weren’t the only ones who walked away smiling. Families and friends stayed to play all day, lingering long after the award ceremony had ended.

The Rotary Club of Del Rio raised $20,000 in sponsorships for the fundraiser. Proceeds of the event benefit the Parks Foundation Bike Pump Track project. Rotary Club President Elect Cheryl Simmons said, “The funds raised at this tournament will go a long way in supporting the Rotary Club’s project for Del Rio’s own pump track. This track will be a great addition to our town, encouraging a love for outdoor activities, fitness, and community connection.”

Rotary defined the project as, “The Del Rio Texas Rotary Park Pump Track will be a specially designed track for cyclists of all ages and skill levels to build momentum using the natural terrain—no pedaling required!”  

Extreme sport professionals and Del Rio natives, Robert and Ruben Castillo, arrived early from California with the BMX Freestyle Team to make an appearance. Castillo spoke on stage to talk about their BMX tour through his hometown and expressed his thanks to those from his hometown who helped him achieve success. He said, “it’s a real big honor for us to be out here, the way it started.” Robert Castillo’s BMX Freestyle Team are visiting Del Rio to share the joy of biking with their hometown. Simmons has said about biking, “This track will be a great addition to our town, encouraging a love for outdoor activities, fitness, and community connection.”

The arena was fully decked out and ready for professionals. Custom-made boards and bags donned sponsor logos. Seven main sponsors got a custom board with logo, title sponsors included Redline, Edson Martinez, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Players were live streaming the games. Teams all had on matching jerseys. These people were taking it seriously. Nearly 42 teams of two players paid to participate, that’s close to 100 competitive cornhole players gathered in Del Rio at once.

Guests enjoyed refreshments, music, and celebrity cameos. DJ Mike Serr pumped dance music over the sound of crashing cornhole bags. The Border Town Baggers delivered a professional grade event with high-tech score monitoring equipment set up at each station. Attracting the highest performing players, including members of the ACL. Volunteers manned the grill and sold hot dogs, beer, and sodas for cheap prices. Everyone pitched in to help while having fun and supporting a good cause.

The tournament provided a guaranteed payout of $8,000, which is “way higher than average guaranteed payouts of other comparable cornhole tournaments in the area,” said Simmons. They welcomed all skill levels, awarding $4,500 in cash prizes to the Advanced Division, and $3,500 to the Intermediate Division champions. Prizes were shared across 6 winning teams in each division. Advanced winners: Maverick & Lefty in 1st place, X-Factor & Liam F. in 2nd, and Ernest C. & Brian C. in 3rd place.  

Father-Son Team, Brad Martin and Jackson Martin (16) won $500 for placing 3rd in the Intermediate Division. They represent the “San Angelo Outlawz.” 8 of their team members drove in from San Angelo for the tournament, “all of our local players came,” said Brad. Intermediate 1st place winners played undefeated. They came all the way from Crystal City and took home $800 to share. Ricky Cisneros from the 2nd place team, said “we liked it, we will probably come again.” Other teams drove upwards of 5 hours to come to Del Rio for the day, from places such as Victoria, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio.

All scores from the tournament are available through the Scoreholio App. This was the first cornhole tournament that Rotary has held, but they hope to make it an annual affair. Next year, they hope to double turnout. Simmons says, “this is just the start.”