LEWISTON — Jason Barnett tossed a beanbag in the air. It hit the cornhole board opposite him with a thud. He threw another that flew into the hole, earning the familiar nod of his teammate, John Petrocelli.
Barnett and Petrocelli were cornhole partners Saturday, like they were nearly three years ago at Schemengees Bar & Grille in Lewiston when they survived the mass shooting that killed 18 people and injured 13. They played this weekend at Just-in-Time Recreation, the bowling alley the shooter attacked on Oct. 25, 2023, before he headed to Schmengees.
Just-in-Time closed after the tragedy but reopened six months later, while Schmengees permanently shuttered. This was the third year TB Events held a cornhole tournament around the anniversary of the attack to raise funds for Maine Resiliency Center — an organization dedicated to helping people navigate the impacts of the shooting — and to unite survivors, families of victims and others who were affected.
“It gets us all back together, it keeps that alive, and it heals us at the same time,” Barnett said.
In April, Just-In-Time owners Justin and Samantha Juray began ripping out six bowling lanes to create a carpeted space for cornhole. The change combines the two activities many of the survivors of the shooting love, but found too painful to participate in, in the months and years after the attack. Survivors of the shooting wore shirts that said “Survivor” on the back and “Lewiston Strong” on the front.
“To see people get over that fear and walk through those doors for the first time again is pretty awesome,” said Justin Juray, who survived the attack while running the bowling alley.
Danielle Jasper said she and a group of other survivors who endured watching other cornhole players die in the shooting regularly get together to play weekly, not just on the anniversary.
“People that I didn’t know before that night are like family now,” Jasper said.
Tyler Babb, owner of TB Events, said turnout at the event exceeded his expectations — he had laid out eight games, but added two more to accommodate the nearly 170 people who signed up across the afternoon and evening tournaments. Entry was $20 per team, which the Maine Resiliency Fund uses to help connect people affected by the shooting with counseling and other resources.
It was not only survivors and the immediate family members of victims who came to play — some drove multiple hours because they enjoy cornhole and wanted to support the fund.
Kathy Bartley, of Houlton, organizes a weekly cornhole league at home and tries to travel to other Maine towns to play, too — she has a friend who was injured in the shooting at Just-in-Time. And Trina Cayford, a professional cornhole player from Bangor who competes nationally with her husband, Phil Cayford, said she came just to connect with people and support the cause.
“Everyone grieves in their own kind of way,” Babb said. “For a lot of people, they’re die-hard cornhole players and community members. And I think that means more to them than anything else ever would.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Madeleine Kaptein can be reached at mkaptein@metln.org