Disc golf fans recently spent a Saturday morning traipsing the course at Enumclaw’s Farmers Park, sending their discs flying while contributing food and cash to a most worthy cause.

The event was the Ice Bowl, a first-for-Enumclaw event that attracted participants from both north and south of the Plateau (Redmond to Olympia). Ice Bowl events have are staged nationally to benefit local food banks, and Enumclaw’s inaugural effort was staged Dec. 30.

The city-owned Farmers Park, on Enumclaw’s western edge, is home to an always-improving course for those who tackle the sport of disc golf either competitively or just for fun. The driving force behind the Farmers Park Disc Golf Club is Marty Smith, who runs the show along with a few friends.

When they first decided to offer an Ice Bowl event, the expectations were somewhat modest. In an early email, Smith said the goal was to raise $750 in cash and 200 pounds of food. “Pretty modest, but for the first year and with only 40 players participating I think that’s a good effort,” Smith wrote in mid-December.

When the event rolled around, the cash results were better than anticipated. With a field of 37 players, the Ice Bowl generated $1,009 for the Enumclaw Food Bank along with non-perishable food donations.

The Ice Bowl fundraiser was just the latest step in a growing fan base at Farmers Park. “We continue to see the usage of the park and the course increase,” Smith said. “We look forward to holding additional events over the course of the upcoming months with the Farmers Park Open being the showcase.”

The Open, slated for the weekend of June 1-2, is expected to bring many of the top professional and amateur disc golfers in the Northwest to the Plateau.