Five cards are left and with forty-seven weeks gone, the ace is still elusive in Turtleford.
Organizers at the community centre which houses the local rink started the fundraiser not just to keep the lights on, but to foot the $600,000 bill on a new ice plant for the rink.
Doug Milne with the Turtleford and District Recreation Association says it’s a community effort as they fundraise in numerous ways even like donating land to grow crops.
“The farmers in the area work the land and seed it and harvest it. We get donations for some seed. The farmers that are working it donate their machinery and their time to get the crop off. So that helps pay a lot of our bills.”
The week forty-seven winner pocketed $4250 and organizers estimate the jackpot could grow to over $50,000 by Nov. 10 for the next draw which is streamed on their Facebook page. The event has become a community evening as residents will come to the centre from about 5:30 for various activities, including supper ahead of the live draw at 7:00 p.m.
Apart from hockey at the rink, the community centre is also the hub for all their recreational activities from hosting events and even some health services.
“We desperately need it for sports, which is huge, but for everything else. Like a funeral – a wedding. We just had our fall supper there last Sunday. It’s a very important building that we need,” says Milne.
E-transfers can be sent to: [email protected] at $5 a ticket. Organizers remind patrons to include their name and phone number.