Strike out June 27 from your calendars and prepare to take part in the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce’s annual bowling tournament.
For one night only, businesses and community members come together for the Chamber Bowling Tournament, sponsored by Jenkins Construction, at Family Bowl, 2250 U.S. 92.
“I think the reason people love the bowling tournament is it’s fun, it’s a way to get to know the community and other businesses and spend time with some of your coworkers, but in a really relaxed way,” Sophia Hyde, community relations manager, said. “To be honest, of all the Chamber events I’ve been to, the bowling event is the one I see the most laughter at. It’s a lot of fun. People relax and it creates such an easygoing atmosphere.”
The tournament is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on June 27 and doors open at 1 p.m. for registration and practice lanes. The competition acts as a bracket system, so as teams are eliminated the remaining will push on through the rounds.
The final awards are given out around 5:30 p.m. and there will be trophies for first and second place, best dressed, worst team score and best team score.
The theme this year is “favorite decade” and teams are encouraged to come dressed in the most elaborate apparel they can find. You can assemble a team of four for $150 or sign up as an individual for $40. There are still a few openings available and the Chamber will accept submissions until they fill the allotted 16 lanes.
Sponsorships per lane are also still available. They are $50 if you have your own banner and $150 if the Chamber needs to create the banner.
Each year, the event draws quite a crowd as both local businesses and friends of the competitors all attend the event. It’s an afternoon of camaraderie. Sometimes teams stay all the way through regardless of if they’ve been eliminated, and other times they’ll bowl a few games and then head back to the office.
“The main reason we do this event is to have team building,” Hyde said. “We want our members to have a reason to get their employees out of the office and do something fun together. It’s like a member service, a team building activity we’re proud to offer. However, they’ll sometimes bring their clients or two businesses will get together so you never know who will be paired up. We also have a few individuals sign up solo and then put on a team and those end up being a lot of fun as well.”
The teams vary from groups that have been practicing for weeks and take the competition very seriously to teams filled with members that know they’re abysmal, but enjoy having fun with their friends. Some come just to try and score the big win for the costume contest.
The Chamber will also have a liquor locker for raffle at the event. The item is filled with a variety of booze and the money raised from the raffle goes back to the Chamber’s foundation, which provides scholarships for local students.