Char Bar Cup Croquet Tournament: Tickets Still Available

Plenty of slots remain to participate in the first Wicket & Peg Char Bar Cup croquet tournament, which begins in the evening on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Char Bar in Westport.

To make sure we are successful in managing this three-week tournament, the MCA would like to ask all our members to take 20 minutes this weekend to spread the word to people you know who fit any of these criteria:

• Croquet beginner
• Croquet amateur
• Croquet pro
• Lives or works in Kansas City or within striking distance from midtown Kansas City
• Enjoys bourbon
• Enjoys barbecue
• Would support a charitable organization that provides basic personal items, such as soap and shampoo, to those in need

Here are the quick facts:

Format: Doubles nine-wicket croquet using most of the rules familiar to those who play in the MCA Nine Wicket Series; however, there will be no carryover deadness. Thirty-minute games in a round robin. Win-loss records determine seeding for the championship round.

When: Round robin play on Wednesday nights, Sept. 13, 20 and 27, from 6 to 9 p.m. Championship round on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Who: Anyone 21+ on teams of two. We will teach people who have never swung a mallet. Char Bar's court has wide wickets so beginners have a shot. The court has an unusual shape, so it will be a new challenge for pros, too.

Where: Char Bar, the barbecue place in Westport, at 4050 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64111.

How much: $50 per team of two. Proceeds go to Giving the Basics.

Why: It is for a good cause, for one. (See above.) Croquet is fun, especially after the MCA has taught players the rules that elevate it from the wire-wicket, rubber-mallet backyard game many of us played on long grass with family as children. A chance to have a drink. (See below.) Enjoy September in Kansas City.

What else: Wicket & Peg will provide samples of its Missouri-made bourbon. You get a swag bag. And the winning team receives a bottle of bourbon, $50 gift certificate to Char Bar and a tour of Lifted Spirits Distillery in the Crossroads.

How to sign up: Click Tickets at http://wandpevents.com.

Much more information and tickets are available at http://wandpevents.com.

You may share the Facebook event page, too.

Thank you for your support!