Craig Campbell kicked off CMA Fest with his 9th Annual Celebrity Cornhole Challenge Tuesday, June 6, and when the last bag was tossed over $27,000 was raised for the Kenny Campbell Foundation. Craig defeated his longtime rival Jerrod Niemann, who has played in all nine tournaments, to claim the 2023 trophy. This year’s event was held at the expansive Yee Haw Brewing and Ole Smoky Moonshine distillery at 6th & Peabody in Nashville.
“This has been an amazing day, and I have to thank every artist and celebrity who took the time to be with us today, all of our wonderful sponsors, VIPs and Ole Smoky for hosting us,” said Craig, who was joined on stage by his wife, Mindy, and daughters, Preslee and Kinni Rose.
This year’s Celebrity Cornhole Challenge benefitted the Kenny Campbell Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Craig to honor his father who lost his battle with Colorectal Cancer at age 36. The organization specializes in raising money for research hospitals and doctors that focus on finding a cure and preventative measures for Colorectal Cancer. Colorectal cancer is a disease in which cells in the colon or rectum grow out of control, making it extremely difficult to treat. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. Please join us in the fight against Colorectal Cancer.
Fans placed bids to compete on one of the teams alongside the likes of Charles Esten, Lucas Hoge, Mindy Campbell, Big Vinny, Ashland Craft, Hannah Dasher, Tayler Holder, Trey Lewis, Tim Montana, Jerrod Niemann, Mitch Rossell, Shaylen, Holly Stocks, and Craig himself. A free concert followed the tournament and included Craig, Ashland Craft, Cody Cozz and Bradley Gaskin.
CMA Fest attendees can catch Craig signing autographs in the Roper Booth and CMA booth in the Music City Center on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. He is scheduled to perform on the Ascend Amphitheater stage Saturday at 3:30 p.m.