Highland Knights of Columbus draw a full house for first Queen of Hearts raffle

A queen was drawn during the first Queen of Hearts drawing at the Highland Knights of Columbus Hall Thursday night.

But David Monken's disappointment was every other player's relief when the card was announced. It was the queen of clubs. That means the game will go on.

"My luck's not that good," Monken said.

Monken, who is from the Grantfork area, was the first person to ever be chosen for a Queen of Hearts raffle in Highland. The event, which helps to bring supplemental income to non-profit organizations, was brought to Highland when the council approved a new raffle ordinance in March after six months of discussion and drafting regulations.

So far, the Knights of Columbus are only organization in Highland take on facilitating the raffle. The first-ever drawing was held at 8 p.m. Thursday at the club's hall, located at 12454 Illinois 143.

Monken said he was completely surprised to be chosen for the first drawing and the chance at the $5,720 jackpot. Though he did not pick the right card, Monken still claimed a $50 consolation prize, and like many others, said he would be back for more.

"I'll probably be here weekly," he said.

Before the raffle, an air of excitement filled the hall as the parking lot outside gradually filled with cars. By the time of the drawing, the parking lot was almost completely full, according to Denis Thole, the raffle manager.

"I was quite delighted. I was anticipating, probably, originally 150 to 200 people. We probably had about 400 people in there," Thole said.

Smooth operation

Even with a crowd that was larger than anticipated, Thole said that the event went without a hitch. He said this was due to the Knights' preparation before the event.

"We beefed up our staff just to make sure we covered it," Thole said.

Overall, Thole said the amount of attendees was about half of the occupancy capacity of the building. However, he said he excepts more people to show up in the futures, as there are still more available player numbers and the pot has the potential to get to $500,000. Thole estimates the next drawing will be for about $7,500.

"We've got room to grow," he said.

Thole was not the only Highlander to think the night went smoothly.

Highland Police Department Lt. Chris Conrad said he had a nearby sergeant take a picture of the parking lot so he could see how full it was. Conrad said that he was not surprised to see the parking lot full, due to the organization's local support, in addition to the Knights hosting a softball league at their baseball diamonds on Thursday nights.

But even with the large crowd, Conrad said the department did not receive any complaints, and the Knights did not contact the department with any problems.

"So it sounds like it went pretty smooth. We like that," Conrad said.

Thole said that in the event of a parking overload, the club does have a plan in place for off-site parking with a shuttle service to the hall. He said the club is working on some agreements with local parties.

Conrad said that the police also plan to be involved with any other parking and traffic planning that needs to happen.

Positive feedback

First-time Queen of Hearts player Patty Beckman was one of many people who said they were influenced to buy a ticket after other local drawings had jackpots reached over $1 million.

"So here I am — hopefully not wasting my money. Hopefully, I will win the big money," Beckamn said.

But, money aside, Beckman said that she thinks the raffle is good for the city because of its potential to bring money back to the community.

"I think it's terrific that it comes to Highland," she said.

Scott Geest, another first-time Highland player, said that a raffle that benefits the Knights of Columbus can only be good for the community, because of everything the organization does for the area.

"I just think it's pretty exciting. It's something new and interesting, and I'm glad to be a part of it," Geest said.

How to play

The KC drawing has a 2,000-player cap.

Tickets are sold on a personal identification number basis, which limits the number of players of to the predetermined amount. Each player is issued a PIN with the purchase of their first ticket. The player keeps that PIN number throughout the raffle event, which is applied to all tickets the person buys. People can buy as many tickets as they like. The more tickets sold, the bigger the jackpot.

Players with PIN numbers will be able to participate in the next drawing, set for June 28 at 8 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m. The bar will be open, and food will also be served.

PINs and tickets can be obtained at the KC Hall from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on Thursday drawing nights from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Players have to be present to win the jackpot.

For more information, follow the Facebook event page: Queen of Hearts Highland Knights of Columbus.

As for future events, Thole said he hopes the jackpot keeps growing for the benefit of the Knights and the community.

"As they say, it's all in the cards," Thole said.

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Highland Knights of Columbus draw a full house for first Queen of Hearts raffle."