By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—After a whirlwind run that saw thousands of people descend on Hagersville every Thursday for weeks, Catch the Ace, the monumentally successful joint fundraising effort between the Hagersville Rocks Committee and the Hagersville Lions, with the generous support of the Hagersville Legion and a team of steadfast volunteers, has, at last, shown its final hand.
The event had humble beginnings, starting last May and raising $510 in its first week – small potatoes compared to the recent record-setting ticket sales that saw hundreds of thousands of dollars pour into the community each week and a grand prize that ballooned to over $2 million for the March 30, 2023 draw.
The grand prize winner was Nanticoke resident Richard Marshall. He picked envelope 51, which contained the coveted Ace of Spades. He was present, along with his family, to receive the massive cheque at the Hagersville Legion on Friday afternoon.
“I was just shocked,” said Marshall at the event, mentioning that while his family has been participating in the weekly event, they hadn’t much discussed how they would use the funds if they won. He and his wife of 63 years, Lorna (nee Sherk), did say they will take a trip to Switzerland to visit her family.
His five children are also amazed by the incredible win.
“It was a shock, really you know. It’s mind blowing. I actually didn’t go a get tickets yesterday because I had a feeling I didn’t need to, even though I’ve been going every week,” said daughter Michelle.
“I’m glad it went to somebody that deserves it; they’ve worked hard their whole life. I think they’re still in shock,” added another daughter, Bev.
HAGERSVILLE—An entertainer that goes by ‘Covid Elvis’ stopped by to provide entertainment to the lineup on Thursday, March 30. He is shown posing with Hagersville Rocks Co-Chair Tanya Ribbink.
—Photo courtesy of the Hagersville Lions.
The winning ticket was drawn by local radio mainstay Rock ‘N’ Ray Michaels, who said, “It was overwhelming. It was like, ‘Wow, I’ve just made someone a double millionaire.’ I call myself the million-dollar man with the golden hand, but now I’m the two-million-dollar man!”
Those who took part in the weekly fun are sure to recognize the face and voice of Hagersville Lion Dan Matten, who took to the podium each week to announce the winning name after teasing the crowd with a series of jokes.
Despite wishing that the event could have gone on even longer, citing the amazing impact the collected funds will have for selected charities West Haldimand Hospital and Healthcare Foundation and the Hagersville Food Bank, in addition to the Lions themselves, there was a palpable sense of relief in Matten’s voice following the lottery’s end.
“It’s been a wonderful journey, from humble beginnings to a grand finale that could not have been better,” said Matten. “All our volunteers have worked so hard, they’re so glad they can relax now and lean back and know we have done something monumental – something that has never been done in our area before.”
Hagersville Rocks Committee Co-Chair Rob Phillips reiterated thanks to everyone who made the event possible, noting, “A big thank you goes out to all of the volunteers from the Lions, Hagersville Rocks, Legion, and also to all of those businesses and individuals who donated food items, etc. to the volunteers each week. We also need to thank all of the businesses and residents who were patient and endured any inconveniences and concerns that may have arisen.”
Matten said the rapid growth of the event came with a “steep, steep” learning curve for all involved, and Phillips noted that discussions were ongoing with volunteers and community members to make changes each week and mitigate any concerns. Matten believes the real challenge started when big media caught on to the story, at which point the lineups grew to epic proportions.
“There was one week where we had a double loop around the block and then people were lining up on Highway 6 between the parked cars and the driving cars. That was when I nearly had a heart attack,” he recalled, adding that he spent the day directing the line as safely as possible from one side of the street to the other through crowded midday traffic. “It was not optimal. It was a highly dangerous situation.”
The team had a planning meeting following that, leading to the line being re-routed to the parking lot of the Hagersville arena, in addition to increased security and police.
“We never anticipated having any lineup,” joked Matten. “The first lineups happened, and we said, ‘Oops.’”
Ultimately, Phillips is proud of what the event accomplished as “this event was built upon community engagement at so many levels.” He noted that of the 50% collected for charity, Hagersville Rocks chose the hospital to receive its half of the funds, while the Lions are splitting their half between themselves (20%) and the food bank (30%). Phillips added, “All of the beneficiaries will no doubt have some key decisions to make as to how to make the best use of these life changing and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime contributions…. The decision tree for all beneficiaries has certainly changed as the charitable portion grew over the past three months from $72,000 (before expenses) on December 31 to over $3 million at the conclusion of the raffle lottery.”
Matten said beyond the amazing impact the funds will have in the community, it was the social aspect of the competition that he will remember: “It seemed to be a hub of meeting people that one hasn’t seen for years…. Many told me that in the line they had really good conversations, they had fun waiting.”
Hagersville Rocks Committee Co-Chair Tanya Ribbink, who was seen regularly in the Facebook Live streams confirming the ticket selection, echoed the impact that the weekly gatherings had, stating, “It’s been the craziest experience of my life. The amount of work involved was handled amazingly by the best team of volunteers. And the friendships and connections made along the way made me feel like I’ve just won a million dollars.”
Matten had the special privilege of hand-delivering the weekly winner’s cheques. He reflected, “I have not had a bad winner yet. They all have interesting stories, different backgrounds, dreams of what they can do with it. To see these people happy and tear up and smile … that was a pleasure. It was something I never, ever thought I would have the opportunity to experience.”
While the experience may be over for the thousands of dreamers who purchased weekly tickets, Matten said that work continues behind the scenes.
“We have to do the final reporting and collect all the invoices and receipts and ensure that we really are on target, because I’m 100% sure we will be audited,” said Matten.
He concluded, “I would also like to thank everyone who participated and the Hagersville community who were sometimes impacted negatively, but still tolerated us and supported everything that was going on.”
