MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Bags, Badges, and Community: Coon Rapids Police Association Tournament to Fund Shop With a Cop Programs

Annual Fourth of July weekend fundraiser combines competition and community service, generating support for youth outreach initiatives that connect local officers with children and families throughout Coon Rapids.

COON RAPIDS, MN (June 9, 2026) On the eve of Independence Day festivities, dozens of cornhole bags will fly across the pavement at Boulevard Plaza. Beneath the competition, however, lies a larger purpose.

The annual Bags Tournament hosted by the Coon Rapids Police Association (CRPA) is returning Friday, July 3, as part of the city's three-day Fourth of July Community Celebration. What appears at first glance to be a friendly summer competition is, in reality, one of the organization's most important fundraising efforts, helping finance youth-focused outreach programs that connect local law enforcement officers with children and families throughout the community.

The tournament will be held at Boulevard Plaza, located at 11002 Crooked Lake Boulevard NW adjacent to the Coon Rapids Ice Center, and is expected to draw teams from across the north metro region. Registration is open to two-person teams at a cost of $60 per team, with cash prizes awarded to first-, second-, and third-place finishers.

Organizers say every team that enters contributes directly to one of the department's most visible community initiatives: Shop With a Cop.

More Than a Tournament

The event is organized by the Coon Rapids Police Association, a nonprofit organization comprised of members of the Coon Rapids Police Department. Beyond representing officers, the association serves as a charitable arm supporting scholarships, youth programs, and community assistance efforts that operate outside traditional municipal funding streams.

Association members regularly contribute financially through payroll deductions and volunteer their time at fundraising events throughout the year. The annual bags tournament has emerged as one of the organization's signature summer events because it combines recreation, community engagement, and philanthropy in a single setting.

The tournament itself follows a double-elimination format, ensuring that every team remains in contention after an initial loss and receives at least two opportunities to compete before being eliminated from championship consideration.

Play is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m., with participants historically required to complete check-in before brackets are finalized. Organizers have advised teams to arrive early to avoid forfeiture due to late registration processing.

While cash prizes create a competitive incentive, the event's ultimate success is measured less by who wins the tournament than by how many children benefit from the funds generated.

Funding a Year-Round Mission

Proceeds from the tournament support the Coon Rapids Police Department's Shop With a Cop initiatives, including both the department's back-to-school assistance efforts and its annual winter holiday shopping program.

For participating children, the experience is simple. They are paired one-on-one with a police officer and provided resources to purchase school supplies, winter clothing, gifts, and other necessities.

For organizers, however, the objective extends beyond material assistance.

Programs such as Shop With a Cop have become increasingly common among law enforcement agencies nationwide because they create opportunities for positive interactions between officers and young people outside traditional emergency or enforcement settings.

In Coon Rapids, officers accompany participating children during shopping trips, helping them select needed items while building relationships through conversation and shared experience. The department's holiday shopping events have traditionally been conducted in partnership with businesses in the Riverdale retail district, including Target, which has long supported Shop With a Cop programs across Minnesota and throughout the country.

Community leaders often describe the initiative as a trust-building exercise as much as a charitable one.

The goal is to ensure that children see police officers not solely through the lens of enforcement, but also as mentors, helpers, and invested members of the community.

For families facing economic hardship, the financial assistance can ease seasonal pressures. For officers, the experience frequently provides some of the most meaningful community interactions of the year.

A Community Celebration Within a Community Celebration

The tournament is woven into the broader fabric of Coon Rapids' annual Fourth of July festivities, one of the city's largest civic celebrations.

Throughout July 3, Boulevard Plaza will serve as a hub of activity. Alongside the bags tournament, visitors will find the annual community car show, firefighter-led bingo benefiting the Coon Rapids Fire Relief Association, food vendors, family activities, and live entertainment under the Lions Tent.

The result is a uniquely local tradition where civic organizations, public safety personnel, businesses, volunteers, and residents gather in a shared public space before the community's Independence Day celebrations reach their peak.

Events like the bags tournament may not attract the attention of large sporting competitions or major fundraising galas. Yet they often reveal something important about how communities function.

A police officer volunteers a summer evening. A local business donates support. A resident pays an entry fee and spends a few hours tossing beanbags toward a wooden board.

Months later, a child walks through a store with a police officer, selecting school supplies or holiday gifts that might otherwise have been out of reach.

That chain of events is the reason the tournament exists.

Tournament Information

Event: Coon Rapids Police Association Bags Tournament

Date: Friday, July 3, 2026

Location: Boulevard Plaza, 11002 Crooked Lake Boulevard NW

Format: Double-elimination tournament

Entry Fee: $60 per two-person team

Prizes: Cash awards for first, second, and third place

Beneficiary: Shop With a Cop and youth outreach initiatives

Registration: Advance registration required at coonrapidsmnpa.org

Organizers encourage interested participants to register in advance, as tournament brackets are finalized prior to the start of competition and space may be limited.

As the bags begin flying across Boulevard Plaza this July, the winners may leave with prize money. But the broader community investment, organizers say, will be measured in opportunities created for local children long after the tournament concludes.

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