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If you’ve walked through downtown Lakeland lately and spotted a new cornhole setup tucked beneath the oak trees in Munn Park, you’re not alone — and you didn’t miss an announcement.
Munn Park got the new game last month, installed quietly by the city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department as a low-key test of how people might respond to more interactive elements in the park.
“We didn’t announce it,” Director Bob Donahay said. “We just put it out and let the public find out about it because we wanted to get their reaction.”
The results so far? Strongly positive.
He said city staff have seen impromptu play from downtown visitors, including people stopping by before or after dinner.
A small step from bigger park plans
The permanent cornhole boards — made of powder-coated aluminum and bolted into concrete — sit in a shady spot near the park’s edge, across from Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille.
The idea came from Assistant Director Pam Page and downtown foreman Steve Platt, who wanted to try out one of several park-activation concepts discussed during earlier planning sessions for Munn Park.
With larger upgrades like a pavilion and splash pad still awaiting funding, cornhole offered a simple, affordable way to experiment.
“It was easy, one-and-done,” Donahay said. “We wanted to take one of the elements we’ve talked about and put it in the park and see how well it was received.”
“It was a home run. No question.”
Built to last, and meant to be used
Unlike backyard sets made of wood, these boards are built to withstand Florida weather and heavy public use. Donahay said the budget, including concrete work and two powder-coated birdhouse-like stands for the beanbags, was about $3,000.
To keep things welcoming, the department stocked the stands with beanbags and decided not to overthink it.
“My only input was, go on Amazon and get a bunch of beanbags. We’re just going to leave beanbags in there,” Donahay said. “If somebody walks off with them, we’ll replenish them. We just want the public to be able to enjoy it.”
For now, the cornhole setup stands alone. But its success could help shape what comes next.
“This was just a test case,” Donahay said. “And so far, it’s worked exactly the way we hoped.”
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