The 2026 Southern Pop Top “GAYP” Open Checker Championship Tournament 
Wednesday,  June 17th through  Saturday, June 20th, 2026
 Mark Hernig & JR Smith will sponsored and the Waxhaw Woman’s Club will host this event.
This Tournament will be held at The Waxhaw Woman’s Club banquet hall in Waxhaw, 200 E South Main St, Waxhaw, NC 28173
contact: Mark Hernig, pob 539, Waxhaw, NC 28173   mhernig@yahoo.com  704-292-5115

The Southern Open aka Southern States was merged with the Pop Top “GAYP” Open Checker Championship Tournament, making it a four day event.  This allows both tournaments to combine resources and participants for sustainability.  It seems the town of Waxhaw has rallied around a “Preserving Our Heritage Festival Theme” while restoring historic building and remembering & honoring their past! You can see this vibrant, busy activity in the public traffic in Waxhaw, with a 24,000 population in West Union County 30 miles South of Charlotte. The Pop Top Checker Tournament is just on example of what Waxhaw has going on!  Mark kept the Mule Barn motif in honor and remembrance of his Grandfather, owner and operator of The Mule Barn "mule auctions".  This is a befitting recognition for the checker games which took place there as a favorite pastime, and social gathering place. 

Venue and Hotel Accommodation: The Southern Pop Top Championship Checker Tournament will be held at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club building , an historic venue known for hosting events and gatherings. Parking is adjacent to the building.

Waxhaw Woman’s Club
200 East South Main Street
Waxhaw, North Carolina 28173

For those traveling from out of town and in need of overnight accommodations, several hotels can be found in the Waverly area. Selections include:

Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte Waverly
7415 Waverly Walk Ave, Charlotte, NC 28277 • (704) 992-9900 | 9 miles/23 minutes to venue

Courtyard Charlotte Waverly
6319 Providence Farm Ln, Charlotte, NC 28277 • (704) 733-9366 |10 miles/24 minutes to venue

 Hyatt House Charlotte/Rae Farms
9930 Sandy Rock Pl, Charlotte, NC 28277 • (980) 339-4900 |10 miles/24 minutes to venue

Players may car pool and share weekend boarding using Airbnb

The Waverly area is at the Providence Road exit of I-485, and is approximately 9.5 miles from the event venue.

Quality Inn & Suites - Monroe, NC is an economical option
 2351 W Roosevelt Blvd Hwy. 74, Monroe, NC 28110 | 704-218-9089 or 1-888-895-5278 |14 miles/25 minutes to venue
 The hotel is old but clean, nice, comfortable, and staff/service helpful, (1-2 star hotel). Rate is $59+tax $66 for king or DQ & discounted via Expedia or Booking.com
from usual $74 + tax = $82.70 through our tournament date, they charge cc $100 incidental fee / security deposit immediately but doesn't come back immediately.

2026 Tournament Dates