Made in Vermont: Granite City Cornhole

BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – When it comes to backyard fun, a group of Barre boys has got it in the bag.

“I just thought it was a kids’ game, only to find out it was a very fun, exciting, challenging, competitive game,” says Wayne Fontanella. He’s one person in his close-knit group of five that loves a good old-fashioned game of cornhole. The group of friends, and now business partners, made up of Fontanella, Scott Wilson, Larry Slayton, Jon Pierce and Corey Babic, hold tournaments at their camp in Graniteville. But, they got sick of lugging the boards out every week.

“We said, ‘We need a cornhole board that we can leave out in the weather,’” says Wilson. “We decided that granite would be the perfect solution.”

Local to the Barre area, the crew drives by Rock of Ages Granite Quarry all the time. Fellow friend and cornhole-lover Larry Slayton is also a multi-generational granite worker. With a little elbow grease, he built their first set of granite cornhole boards.

“As more and more people played on it, we got a lot of positive feedback on how playing on them was superior to playing on wood,” says Wilson. The group maintains that there’s a significant difference in noise between the traditional wood boards and granite ones. And, they say the smooth granite also makes for a good sliding surface.

“So you were able to play a very competitive game by creating blocks with your bags, by pushing other people’s bags off of the board,” says Fontanella. “It’s like a lightbulb went above all of our heads and everyone said, ‘Why don’t we start a company?’”

A year and a half ago, Granite City Cornhole was born. One of the only makers of granite boards, Granite City Cornhole offers two versions of their products. The Craftsman is granite with a wooden base, and the Legacy is made of all granite, weighing in at 206 lbs. per board.

“The idea is that it’s heavy, and you are going to set it and forget it,” says Wilson.

After placing an inquiry and making a deposit, customers can pick the granite they want… whether it be Barre Gray, Bethel White or something sourced from across the globe. The guys make each board by hand, spending their nights and weekends cutting, sanding and selling. With full-time jobs and a labor-intensive process, turnaround times on these boards are about eight weeks. As long as that wait may seem, these boards are built to last a lifetime.

“We actually had a display down at the local bar here during the floods. And after the floods, everything else was gone but our granite cornhole boards were still in the same place that they left them,” says Wilson.

A Legacy set will set you back about $2,500, and the Craftsman clocks in at $1,500. While they cost a pretty penny, they require minimal maintenance, just a quick seal once a year. And, they come with optimal playing performance. Whether you’re a new player or a tried and true thrower, it’s safe to say these cornhole boards rock.

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