Jason Schmelzer sees the tongue-in-cheek nature of something like the “SuperHole III” cornhole pro-am, featuring some of the world’s best players at the popular lawn game, as well as some celebrities.

He’s also cognizant of the serious side, too — that is, the increasing visibility of cornhole as a national and international concept.

Schmelzer, director of strategic growth at Johnsonville sausage company, has played a big role pairing cased meats — another backyard staple — with the game that most everyone can play at a Labor Day barbecue, but only few at an elite level. 

Johnsonville, headquartered near Sheboygan, has partnered with the American Cornhole League since 2017, and the company’s logos were front and center for the SuperHole event held in South Carolina in early August.