It was another successful Dreams Drawing and Family Fun Festival Sunday night on the grounds of Routt High School and Our Savior Grade School.
Ed and Kelley Cannon of Jacksonville heard their name called last night for the top prize of $100,000 in the Routt O.S.S. Dreams Drawing for 2021.
In terms of ticket sales, this year’s drawing was one of the most successful, selling out completely on August 11th. In years past, tickets for the drawing were still available as late as the week prior to the Family Fun Fest weekend.
One of the Chairmen for this year’s Dreams Campaign, Joe Horabeck says a group of about 20 volunteers make up the committee that plans everything from the food and games to the big drawing.
He says as far as the ticket sales selling out so early, there is no secret he or any of the committee members can point to that made sales such a success this year.
“I have absolutely no idea. I wish I could say we did something different but we really didn’t. I think people were just kind of excited to get going again and get the economy moving again and everything else. Last year was kind of a weird year with it but hopefully, that’s a trend that continues on for the years to come.”
Other winners in the drawing included Nick Rosetti of Jacksonville who took home the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 2nd prize. The $10,000 3rd prize went to Terry Kunkel of Bluffs.
Horabeck says the proceeds from the drawing and the entire family fun festival goes right back into supporting the schools to provide the highest quality education possible.
“This helps us in a lot of different ways. One of the biggest is it helps keep our Catholic school tuition down. It helps provide some things that maybe we don’t get from the State of Illinois because we are a private school. So we have to do things like this to compete and keep these kids up to speed with the latest and greatest of everything.”
Horabeck says no one serves for personal gain, and the committee members all have a very enjoyable time. He says they begin planning the drawing and event around February of each year.
The drawing was simulcast live on WLDS and WEAI Sunday night so those who were unable to attend could listen at home to see if they had won.