Tara Hearn, a member of the Big Dippers pool fundraising committee, grabs the winning ticket for the Kindersley Community Services Group’s ongoing Chase the Ace draw on Jan. 18 at the Elks Hall. David Burke, a member of the committee behind the draw, looks on with anticipation after mixing up the tickets.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
None of the biweekly winners from a local Chase the Ace draw has managed to choose the Ace of Spades. The ace pot will continue to grow for at least another week.
The Kindersley Community Services Group has been running its Chase the Ace draw since September and nine draws have been held.
The nine lucky people each won 20 per cent of the money from ticket sales over two-week periods, but none of them have won the ace pot.
A scheduling conflict at the Elks Hall caused organizers to do a draw after only one week of ticket sales, and it happens once again in the spring. The next draw takes place on Feb. 1.
Tickets are available at several locations in town: at the Town of Kindersley administration office, Hangers Dry Cleaners, Castle Home Building Centre, Lela’s Music Centre, Canadian Event and Party Supply, Sharper Image at the mall, G-Mac’s AgTeam and Pro-Bilt Structures. You can also get tickets from committee members such as Hamilton or David Burke, members of the Big Dippers fundraising committee, and sellers such as Darlene May of the Royal Purple Society.
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The ace pot has grown to $4,003. The most recent draw was on Jan. 18 at the Elks Hall and the biweekly winner was Wally Jackson of Kindersley. Jackson won $274, but he was unable to pick the Ace of Spades to win the ace pot of $4,003.
Tickets are sold each week and the money is split three ways. The biweekly winner gets 20 per cent, the ace pot gets 30 per cent and the charity gets 50 per cent. The service group has chosen the Kindersley Aquatic Centre project as the charity to support with its Chase the Ace fundraiser.
The Elks Hall is open to the public on the draw nights from 6 to 8 p.m. You can attend the hall to purchase tickets and enjoy an adult beverage while waiting for the draw at 8 p.m. After the winning ticket is drawn, an organizer calls the winner and the person has 30 minutes to get to the hall to pick a playing card.
Jackson said he was at home watching television in his lounging attire when he got the call, so he changed his clothes and hurried to the hall to pick the card. He picked the eight of hearts and a volunteer flipped other cards to reveal the ace of spades.
He noted that he recently won a Chase the Ace draw at an Iron Horse Kindersley Klippers game, so he’s on a hot streak. Jackson said it is always nice to win, but it’s in the name of charity and a new pool is important.
“The biggest thing right now is the pool because we need it,” he said. He added that kids in town have gone without a pool for several years and while he might not use the pool a lot at this point in his life, his grandchildren and great grandchildren will use it.
“Our town needs it.”
Last week’s draw was based on $1,370 in ticket sales over two weeks. The draw has raised about $13,400 since it started. About $2,670 has gone to the biweekly winners and more than $6,675 has been raised for the new aquatic centre.
Gary Hamilton, a member of the Kindersley Community Services Group, said the ace pot keeps growing after the ninth draw out of a potential 26 draws. The group is pleased with ticket sales but organizers want people at the draws.
“We’re quite happy with the way the draws are going and the way the ticket sales are going,” he said, recognizing that the community has been supporting the fundraiser. “The only thing we’re a little disappointed in is not enough people are showing up at the hall.”
Only a handful of ticket sellers and organizers were at the hall on Feb. 1 when the winning ticket was drawn. Hamilton said when the ace of spades turns up, it would be nice to have an audience because it’s going to be exciting.
He noted that organizers are discussing ideas to help get people out to the hall for draws. Only five of the nine biweekly draw winners have made it to the hall to pick a card, so it would also be nice to have more ticket holders on hand in case their names are drawn, he said.
The service group will start a new Chase the Ace draw after the current edition, so the draws will continue, Hamilton added.
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