By Rebecca Maynard

With summer approaching, why not consider adding a locally made, custom designed cornhole set to your repertoire of outdoor activities?

Aden Rounds, a Clarke County High School sophomore, started his company, Blue Ridge Cornhole, last year and has been enjoying crafting unique, custom made cornhole boards ever since. Cornhole is a popular lawn game in which players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end. The goal of the game is to score points by either landing a bag on the board (one point) or putting a bag through the hole (three points).

“I used to run a smaller business, where I did general jobs a kid would be doing, like mowing lawns and taking care of pets, and I couldn’t do a lot of building yet,” Rounds said. “I wanted to do something creative, so I got the idea to start this business.”

“I’ve always loved playing cornhole, and I wanted to add a little flair to it. I thought to myself, I’d want a custom board.” Rounds said. “I wouldn’t want to buy one that was made in a random factory. And I wanted to help other people satisfy that need in the process.”

“I would like to go to college and study business management or international business in my future, and starting this business is something great to put on my college resume.”

Rounds said that his father has been working with wood all his life as a hobby, so was able to use his expertise to assist him as he formulated his plans. His boards are regulation size as per the American Cornhole Organization rules.

“We said, let’s figure out how to do this, how to make the regulation cornhole frame, and we came up with designs. We began by selling a family friend a set of cornhole boards, and went on from there. It’s been a lot of fun to meet new people.”

Rounds said that If you look online, regulation size cornhole boards that are sturdy and well built typically go for $350.

“Ours have foldable legs and custom design for $200, which is $150 less, and you get two custom colors. It’s handmade, sturdy, and lasts a long time, so everything and more you would find online and it’s $150 cheaper.”

Blue Ridge Cornhole made and donated a set of boards for Paws of Honor, an organization that provides free veterinary care for retired military and police dogs. They also made an American flag board for RWB Disposal, which did a promotion for their business with a giveaway. He will be sharing a booth with RWB Disposal at the Clarke County Fair this August, which he is excited about.

“RWB Disposal is very active in the Clarke Community in supporting youth-run businesses, and they have been extremely helpful and supportive of me and my business,” Rounds said.

For photos and more information, visit the Blue Ridge Cornhole Facebook page, call 540-550-2353, or email shaffead1@gmail.com.

“I love making cornhole boards, and it’s a great experience doing something I enjoy,” Rounds said.